Recently, I was in a conversation with a very senior leader in our industry.
When he asked about my startup, myrabi.com, that I built a few years back, I began my response with:

“It was a one-man show.”

Then I went straight into the details of what I did specifically.
His reaction was neutral. I felt that he wasn’t impressed. At least not by the way I told it.

In a hindsight, here’s what I could have said:

• The project I delivered helped 400+ end users for real-time transparent insights.

• It saved hundreds of man-days of manual reporting.

• It improved efficiency by 120% through automation.

• The side-business revenue helped me buy my first home at the age of 27.

• It opened the door to my career at Microsoft.

• Most importantly, it taught me lessons on building something from 0 to 1. It’s a priceless experience for anyone who’s ever dreamed of entrepreneurship.

The impact wasn’t “small.” For me at that stage of life, it was transformational.

But the way I told the story made it sound like “just another day at the office.”

Déjà vu Moment

This wasn’t the first time.

I’ve seen people talk about their work as if they’ve just moved mountains. While really, it was a small hill.
Some are masters of storytelling and self-promotion, turning a glass of tap water into “a carefully curated hydration experience.”

Meanwhile, I may have genuinely moved mountains, yet I’ve talked about it like I just shifted a pebble.

That’s when it hit me:

👉 Success isn’t just what you do. It’s also how you tell the story.

The Real Enemies: Mindset & Communication

For years, I blamed the wrong enemy.

I told myself: “English isn’t my first language, that’s why I can’t tell my story well.”
But the deeper issue wasn’t language, it was mindset.

Growing up in China with an Asian mindset, I defaulted to humility mode:
“If the work is good, it speaks for itself.”

On top of that, I’m a woman. And women, in general, tend to downplay achievements. (Studies show women are less likely to self-promote, even when they perform at the same or higher levels than men.)

I see women getting better at this, yet honestly I am still struggling with it.

The mindset shift is simple but powerful:

In reality, work doesn’t speak for itself. We do.

I’m not magically fixed. I’m still practicing. I put some thoughts into what are the techniques for me to conquer the drawbacks. Here are some of the practical techniques I am practicing. 

1. The Impact Formula
   Every achievement should answer:
   What I did -> How I did it  -> Why it mattered.

Audit your stories. Write down your last 5 -10 achievements. Rewrite them with scale, impact, and rhythm. Keep them ready for interviews, reviews, or even casual coffee chats.

2. Practice “CEO Talk”
   Next time someone asks what you do, don’t just describe the work - describe the value.

• Not “I helped with a pilot” →
  “I led an ML-Ops pilot that cut deployment from weeks to hours.”

• Not “I wrote blogs about women empowerment” →
  “I founded a bilingual platform amplifying women’s voices across cultures.”

• Not “I had a conversation with the CIO” →
  “I influence at the C-level for decision-making.”

It’s about shifting from tasks to transformation.

3. Get Sponsors, Not Just Mentors
   Mentors advise. Sponsors bet their reputation on you.

Quiet competence alone rarely gets you promoted.
Visibility + advocacy = acceleration.

But here’s the hard truth: for years, I didn’t have sponsors. I didn’t know I needed to ask, how to ask, or even who to ask.

I’m still practicing this learning to say:
“Can you advocate for me for this role?”

4. Experiment with Boldness
   If you’re like me and humility is your default, try this exercise:
   In a safe setting, oversell your story once or twice.
   Watch how people respond.
   It feels weird, but it helps recalibrate your baseline.

The Takeaway

This isn’t about exaggeration or arrogance.
It’s about giving the impact the voice it deserves.

Mastery is powerful. But mastery + narrative is unstoppable. The practice takes time to see the results. But we are all on this together.

How do you balance humility with visibility in your own career?

#Leadership #CareerGrowth #WomenInLeadership #AI