"I feel like a fraud talking about my achievements."

Daria (𝘯𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘥) said this during our third coaching session. She'd already figured out that her skills belonged to her, not her company.

But now she faced a new challenge: Actually talking about them.

Here's what was happening:

LinkedIn post draft: "I developed a process that saved 40% of project time."

Daria's edit: "My team and I were fortunate to work on a process that helped improve efficiency."

Interview preparation: "Tell me about your biggest accomplishment."

Daria's practice answer: "Well, I was lucky to be in the right place at the right time..."

The pattern was clear.

Every achievement got watered down. Every success got credited to luck, timing, or other people.

During our session, I asked: "Daria, if your colleague John (𝘯𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘥) had built that same process, what would you tell him to say about it?"

"I'd tell him to talk about it! It was great work that took months of analysis and testing."

"And when you did it?"

"That's... different."

No, it's not.

We spent the next 30 minutes rewriting her achievements.

Not with arrogance. With facts.

"I designed and implemented a process that reduced project delivery time by 40%."

"I grew my team from 3 to 15 people while maintaining quality standards."

"I successfully navigated the company through its largest crisis in a decade."

Finally, Daria started speaking about her work the same way she'd speak about a friend's work.

With respect. With accuracy. With pride.

What's one thing you're shrinking in your story?

#change #executivecoaching #personalbrand

11.11.2025 08:38