Showcasing Project Successes

Want to stay motivated every single day? Borrow a strategy from Harvard. Then borrow another from stand up comedy. Together, they’re a powerhouse for momentum, motivation, and mastery. Here’s how it works: Let’s start with Harvard. Researcher Teresa Amabile studied 12,000 daily work diaries across 8 companies. She wanted to know: What truly motivates people on a day to day basis? What she found changed how we understand drive. The #1 driver of daily motivation wasn’t: Money Praise Perks It was progress. The days people made progress on meaningful work were the days they felt the best. Progress isn’t a luxury. It’s a psychological necessity. So how do we make progress feel visible especially on days when it’s not? Use a “Progress Ritual.” → At the end of the day, pause. → Write down 3 small ways you moved forward. → That’s it. No fanfare. Just ritual. This works because we rarely notice our progress in real time. It gets buried under busyness, meetings, and mental noise. The act of looking back gives your brain the reward it needs to keep going. Momentum builds from meaning. Now let’s add some comedy. Young Jerry Seinfeld had one goal: write new material every day. To stay on track, he created a brilliant system. Each day he wrote, he put a big red X on his calendar. Soon, a chain of Xs formed. And here’s the key: Don’t break the chain. One red X becomes two. Two becomes ten. Ten becomes identity. Whether you’re writing, coding, or training Daily action + visual chain = long-term motivation. Summary: The Two-Part Motivation System From Harvard: Record 3 ways you made progress each day. From Seinfeld: Mark an X for each day you show up then don’t break the chain. Progress fuels purpose. Consistency fuels confidence. Apply both and you’ll stay on track especially on the tough days. Because when your days get better, your weeks get better. When your weeks get better, your months get better. When your months get better, your life gets better. It starts with one small win today.

I’ve reviewed thousands of job applications from academic scientists looking to move into biotech startups. Here’s how the best applications stood out ⤵️ Sharing this for folks graduating from PhDs this year or thinking about a change - it’s still a tough market out there, but one that’s hopefully improving! _______ 1️⃣ Show how your personal values align to the company mission. Why? Startups want to change the future. Demonstrate you’ve been independently working towards that same future → this indicates you’ll work hard & find the day to day meaningful. How? Example, for a company developing phages to treat antibiotic resistant bacteria: ✅ My PhD research focused on optimising a gene therapy for children suffering from grey platelet syndrome. During that time, I volunteered in the pediatrics ward. I am motivated by improving health outcomes for the most vulnerable. ❌ Having finished my PhD, I am looking to make the jump into industry. _______ 2️⃣ Directly explain how your scientific expertise can solve the startup’s problems. Why? This shows your ability to connect the dots between “the company problem that needs to be solved” and “the impact I can have.” Startup MVPs have proactivity in spades. How? Example, for a company developing cultured meat: ✅ A big problem for the cultured meat industry is developing immortalised, scalable cell lines. As a genetic engineer, I can generate cell lines capable of feeding millions of people. ❌ My 6 years of experience with mammalian cell culture and background in genetic editing make me a great fit for your company. _______ 3️⃣ Incorporate metrics (beyond publications!) into your resume. Why? Publications = academic currency. Scientific breakthroughs allowing a company to get profitable and survive = startup currency. Publications require detailed science capable of getting past peer-review. Startups require time-boxed, outcomes-oriented science. That’s really different! Metrics indicate you already understand that shift in mindset - and no matter what your project focused on, you can frame it in terms of startup-relevant metrics. How? ✅ Supported two summer students to achieve xyz outcome in three months ✅ Generated 5 novel immune complexes in 2 months ✅ Achieved XYZ while dropping experiment costs by 20% ❌ Conducted a research project analysing how XYZ ❌ Published in a prestigious journal. _______ 4️⃣ Show - don’t state - your communication & collaboration skills. Why? These skills are 10x more important when working at a fast pace with people from different professional backgrounds. How? ✅ Three-minute thesis contest ✅ Industry/startup work experience ✅ Engagement with an entrepreneurship community ✅ Cross-discipline collaboration ✅ A well-written career summary connecting the dots between your skills & the value you can bring to the company. As always, builds or add-ons welcome: I made some of these mistakes when I first graduated from my PhD, you don’t have to 😉

Don’t Just List Tasks—Showcase Your Value on Your CV Your CV should not be a list of the jobs you’ve held—it should demonstrate the unique impact you’ve made throughout your career. Yet, so many CVs end up being little more than task lists. Take a look at this. 👉 Instead of saying, “Managed social media accounts,” Say, “Increased social media engagement by 45% in six months through targeted campaigns.” See how one focuses on tasks and the other highlights results? Employers want to see the value you bring, not just what you were told to do. A Client’s Success Story: I recently worked with a client who was in marketing. Her CV initially read like a job description: “Created email campaigns” and “Collaborated with sales teams.” While this is great for using key works and incorporating the job description, it just doesn't have any impact. We reframed her experience to focus on results: ✅ “Launched email campaigns that boosted open rates by 25%, contributing to a 15% increase in sales leads.” ✅ “Developed cross-departmental strategies with sales, resulting in a streamlined funnel and increased conversion rates by 10%.” The result? Not only did her CV stand out, but it led to interviews where she could discuss her real contributions. Here are some ways you can showcase value on your CV: 1️⃣ Use numbers, percentages, or metrics to quantify your achievements. 2️⃣ Highlight the outcomes and benefits of your work, not just the actions. 3️⃣ Start bullet points with strong action verbs like boosted, increased, reduced, streamlined, or led. Make it clear why you’re the one who can deliver results. www.joanneleecoaching.com 👉🏻Employers - let us know in the comments what you are looking for on a CV in 2025. #cvwriting #careercoaching #careerdevelopment #jobsearchtips

What if your greatest motivation isn't waiting at the finish line, but hidden in the small victories along the way? That secret is called momentum psychology. Imagine achievement as compound interest for your motivation - not dramatic leaps, but consistent small deposits that multiply over time. Most professionals overlook daily progress while fixating on distant goals, yet momentum psychology is the ultimate performance hack. Harvard Business School research shows that teams that celebrate small victories demonstrate 76% higher engagement and innovation rates compared to those focused solely on end goals. Here’s how to start: ✅ Implement a wins journal to document three daily achievements regardless of size - Neurologically, recording success builds confidence faster than accomplishing unmarked wins. ✅ Create team progress rituals that highlight incremental movement - Collective celebration builds cultural momentum beyond individual momentary motivation. ✅ Practice "progress spotting" by identifying forward movement in apparent setbacks - Reframing challenges as learning preserves momentum during difficult times. Your biggest achievements aren't single moments - they're built from countless smaller victories. The most resilient leaders don't wait for the finish lines; they create celebration checkpoints throughout the journey. Coaching can help; let's chat. Follow Joshua Miller for more inspiration. #executivecoaching #leadership #mindset

Beyond the Brag: Building Your "Impact Portfolio" Before Promo Season Hits It's promo season at Google, and I'm helping colleagues craft their promo packets. This behind-the-scenes look reveals a crucial truth: building your "impact portfolio" before the pressure hits is key. The promo process at Google (and many other companies) involves telling a compelling story of your contributions, backed by evidence, to convince peers you deserve a promotion. It can sometimes feel like bragging. But waiting until promo season to gather evidence is like cramming for a final exam. Instead, let's approach our careers with a continuous "impact portfolio" mindset. ✨ Capture "Impact Moments" Regularly ✨ Don't wait for formal reviews. As you complete projects, launch initiatives, or solve complex problems, document the key details: what you did, the impact it had, and any quantifiable results. Think of it as your own personal "highlight reel." ✨ Reframe "Bragging" as Storytelling ✨ Self-advocacy isn't about showing-off; it's about telling a compelling story of your contributions. Focus on the "why" behind your work and the value it created. ✨ Seek Feedback Beyond Performance Reviews ✨ Proactively ask for feedback throughout the year. Not just on what you did, but on how you did it. This provides valuable insights into your strengths and areas for growth. ✨ Build Your Network ✨ Your network is your extended "impact portfolio." People who have witnessed your contributions firsthand can be powerful advocates. Nurture those relationships. ✨ Quantify Your Impact ✨ Whenever possible, use numbers and data to illustrate your accomplishments. "Increased efficiency by X%," "Saved the team Y hours," "Led to Z revenue." These metrics make your impact tangible. The goal isn't just to ace the promo packet. It's to build a consistent narrative of impact that reflects your growth and value over time. When it comes time to advocate for yourself, you won't be scrambling to remember your accomplishments. You'll have a rich portfolio of evidence, ready to tell your story. If you haven't started building your impact portfolio, there's no better time than now. Your future self will thank you.

I just completed my 245th performance review while at SEIA…….. (We do mid-year and end-of-year, and I clearly have too many direct reports.)   Anyway, reading 245 self-evaluations (the prerequisite to the performance evaluation) has left me with some important takeaways:    1. Cover the entire year! I can’t tell you how many annual self-evaluations I read that focus only on the last three months. I know January seems far away when you are writing in November, but this is supposed to cover your entire year! Don’t rely on your supervisor to remember things that you have forgotten to mention. When I do my self-evaluation, I open up my calendar and review it week by week to remind myself of all the different things that happened during the year. That doesn’t mean I include everything, but it does mean that I highlight the big moments, events, and accomplishments that took place 8 months prior. 2. Quantify success to the extent possible. I love stats, numbers, comparisons, and metrics. I want to know if you met your revenue goals or how many people are communications efforts reached. Whatever your area of expertise, find a way to accompany your qualitative explanations of success with quantitative metrics. 3. Be honest. Please don’t tell me that you singlehandedly passed a piece of legislation (my policy teams don’t say this, to be clear!!!). I won’t believe you and it will undermine your credibility. But you may want to highlight how you drafted the advocacy strategy and led the coalition meetings to get the bill over the finish line. The same applies to rating yourself – if you are giving yourself 5s across the board (which in our reviews means Created New Standard), you better be ready to explain how and why that applies. Otherwise…..credibility is again in question. 4. And don’t be shy. With #3 in mind, you do need to be your own advocate. No one knows as well as you do what you accomplished over the past year. So tell your story. Paint the picture for your supervisor about how you exceeded your goals and brought great value to the organization. Just do it with integrity and your self-evaluation will be more meaningful.    I’m sure many of you are heading into an annual review in the next few weeks, so I’d love to hear from all of you in the comments⬇️   What is your best advice? What tips do you have for your own annual review?

Quantifiable metrics are one of the most underused yet powerful differentiators in resumes. As an executive resume writer, I see professionals undersell themselves all the time by describing the “what” (duties) in their resumes without showing the “so what” (impact). Yet hiring managers aren’t scanning resumes to find out what people were assigned to do. They want to know what was actually achieved. This is where metrics become a valuable asset. Too often, I see experience sections of resumes filled with phrases like: • Managed a team • Handled client communications • Oversaw project timelines These are all tasks. They explain what you did, but not how well you did it or what changed because of your work. Now compare those to: • Led a 10-person team to create a new outreach strategy that boosted client retention by 22% in one year. • Managed over 25 key enterprise accounts, engaging regularly with decision makers to drive $4.2M in renewals. • Delivered a cross-functional product launch 3 weeks ahead of schedule by streamlining team handoffs, improving time to market by 15%. The difference is clarity + context = credibility! As an executive resume writer, I help professionals make this shift every day—from vague to specific, from duties to outcomes. Yet, impact doesn’t always mean revenue numbers. It can mean faster onboarding, improved team performance, reduced error rates, or expanded service coverage. If you think you don’t have metrics to share, start by asking: • What changed because of your work? • How did you make things better, faster, more efficient, or more profitable? • Is there a before-and-after story you can tell? Sometimes, you just need to dig a little deeper. A task is what you were responsible for. A result is what happened when you did it well. That’s the story employers want to hear. #resume #executiveresume

📊 You Don’t Need Perfect Numbers to Prove Your Impact in Interviews. I hear it all the time: "But I don’t have exact metrics..." "It wasn’t tracked..." "It was a team effort—I’m not sure what my piece added..." Here’s the truth: you don’t need to have the perfect data to tell a strong STAR or CAR story. You just need to demonstrate impact in a way that’s clear, confident, and credible. Here are ways to talk about results—even without exact numbers 👇 ✅ Use Before-and-After Comparisons Tell us what changed because of your work. "Before, our onboarding process took over 3 weeks. After redesigning our training materials, new hires were getting up to speed in under 10 days." Even without percentages, the outcome is clear and compelling. ✅ Lean on Qualitative Feedback Impact isn’t always about hard numbers. "After I introduced weekly alignment sessions, cross-team tension dropped significantly—and our VP even mentioned it in a town hall as a turning point." Feedback from managers, clients, or users adds credibility and shows influence. ✅ Highlight Team-Level Wins (With Context) Even if the results were shared, you can still show your part in the success. "Our team increased NPS by 18 points over 6 months. I led the voice-of-customer workstream that identified the key friction points and recommended solutions." That’s STAR/CAR in action: Situation → Task → Action → Shared Result. ✅ Use Estimates Thoughtfully If you can’t share exact metrics, you can still offer thoughtful, conservative estimates. "We reduced manual work by approximately 30–40% by automating the reporting pipeline, saving the team several hours each week." The key is to be transparent, not vague or inflated. 💡 Remember: Interviewers aren’t just looking for data. They’re looking for someone who understands impact, can connect the dots, and communicates results clearly—even in imperfect situations. 📣 STAR/CAR stories don’t need to be flawless. They just need to show that you know what success looks like—and that you can deliver it. 💬 What’s your go-to way to show results when metrics aren’t available? Let’s crowdsource below 👇 👉 Found this helpful? Repost to help others tell stronger stories—even without perfect data.

September to December is a *hot* period for nonprofit fundraising. Many foundations and donors are back to their desks after the summer and looking to make their closing funding rounds before the end of the year. If I were an advisor in your nonprofit organization, this is what I would suggest prioritizing in your fundraising plan from this month through the end of the year: 🫂 Curate Relationships Curating relationships with existing donors or key stakeholders is one of the most overlooked practices in fundraising. Only chasing new donors or funding opportunities goes at the expense of trust-nourishing and enthusiasm of those donors and stakeholders who are already "warmed up" about your work and mission. Don't make this mistake, and create space to strengthen the bonds with those who are already there. Think about personalized engagement and regular touchpoints to make them feel part of your mission and deepen their commitment to your cause. ⭐ Impact Storytelling Creating visibility around all the things your organization and your team have achieved throughout the year is a powerful avenue to leverage your commitment and attract the attention of donors and stakeholders ready to fund. Don’t be generic or conservative when it comes to showing the outputs, activities, results, community feedback, and transformations your work generated. Donors want to feel like they can make a tangible contribution to the end goal of your impact mission. Showing this to them in a compelling, story-based approach will help them understand what and why they are funding. 💰 Do Your Budget Know your number and make your financial plan clear. Prepare a budget that outlines your organization’s funding needs for the next 2 to 5 years. Identify the core areas that require sustained resources and ensure your strategy is aligned with long-term objectives. Create a strong narrative around why these areas need funding, how they will serve your impact goals, and why mobilizing resources into these areas will be foundational in securing sustainability and scalability to your work. 💥 Optimize Your Strategy You must have learned a lot in the past 9 months and got a lot of feedback, observations and lessons learned around your work. This is the perfect time to integrate the learnings into your overarching organizational strategic plan and fundraising strategy and adjust it according to the things you have now gained more clarity on, such as your new targets and goals. -------- Hey! I am Margherita, senior nonprofit consultant and advisor. I am open to working with nonprofit organizations in social justice and accelerating their development goals through fundraising, financial planning, organizational development, and operations. My fee model is equity-informed and open to accommodating all budgets. Contact me to learn more!

Picture walking into your favorite coffee shop, a new boutique, or a busy hotel lobby. Who welcomes you? Who keeps things running smoothly & ensures you receive excellent service? 𝗙𝗿𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗲𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗼𝘆𝗲𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗯𝗲𝗮𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝗯𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗲𝘀, 𝘆𝗲𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸 𝗼𝗳𝘁𝗲𝗻 𝗴𝗼𝗲𝘀 𝘂𝗻𝗻𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗲𝗱. 𝗕𝘂𝘁 𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗴𝗻𝗶𝘇𝗲𝗱 𝗲𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗼𝘆𝗲𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗲𝗻𝗴𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗱 & 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲. 𝗙𝘂𝗹𝗹 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗽. The connection is undeniable. Gallup polling shows that 73% of workers are less likely to feel burned out when their employers recognize & care about them. And 26% of frontline workers say a lack of recognition negatively impacts their productivity. For businesses that depend on frontline workers, recognition isn’t just a nice-to-have - it’s a performance driver. ❌ Unfortunately, frontline workers often don’t receive the same recognition as office-based employees. ❌ With limited face-to-face time with managers & HR, their contributions can be overlooked in traditional recognition programs. ✅ Working in fast-paced, high-pressure environments, they need a recognition approach that’s immediate, relevant & impactful. Anyway, let’s get to the point. 𝟰 𝘄𝗮𝘆𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗙𝗿𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗥𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗴𝗻𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗺𝗲𝗮𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴𝗳𝘂𝗹: 1️⃣ Celebrate achievements in real time  Recognition should be immediate & visible. Call it out as it happens. Practical Tip: Equip managers with a tool like Beekeeper that makes it easy to spotlight accomplishments in team chats, newsletters & company-wide announcements - all from a single mobile app embedded in the frontline worker’s flow of work. 2️⃣ Encourage peer-to-peer recognition  Create a peer recognition program where employees can nominate colleagues for going above & beyond with instant recognition posts on your Employee App. 3️⃣ Tailor rewards to individual preferences  Not all employees want the same type of recognition. While some value financial incentives, others prefer additional time off or career development opportunities. Practical Tip: Integrating Beekeeper with a rewards platform like Snappy or Bucketlist Rewards, managers can instantly deliver personalized rewards to employees, all with just a few clicks. 4️⃣ Make recognition part of everyday conversations Practical Tip: Implement monthly or quarterly recognition initiatives, such as “Frontline MVP” awards or milestone celebrations. Small, frequent acts of appreciation have even greater influence than one-time ceremonies that could feel scripted or lack authenticity. Recognition isn’t just a feel-good gesture - it’s the key to higher engagement, stronger retention, & better performance of your frontline sheroes & heroes. A culture of recognition starts today. ➡️ 𝙒𝙝𝙤 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙜𝙤𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙤 𝙧𝙚𝙘𝙤𝙜𝙣𝙞𝙯𝙚 𝙩𝙤𝙙𝙖𝙮? 🍯