Competent, But Who Knows?

Competent, But Who Knows?

The gap between doing good work and being seen for it

People are often amazed by the things I do, and I've heard this firsthand from people who have known me from Day One.

They've watched me grow over the years, building on my early experience in EdTech and expanding that work into product design, digital innovation and other professional spaces.

Some first knew me through baking. They've watched me take on new interests, develop my skills and explore opportunities beyond what they originally knew me for. And because I've shared different parts of my journey over the years, they can see how those experiences connect. What I find particularly beautiful is that they've witnessed the growth. Some remember things I was doing years ago that have become part of the foundation for my work today. When they talk about how far I've come, they're speaking from what they've seen.

And it makes me wonder how many equally capable people are doing remarkable things that hardly anyone knows about. You could have spent years developing a skill, become exceptionally good at it and still be relatively unknown beyond the people you work with.

Competent, but who knows?

People Remember What They See

One thing I've learnt from sharing my journey is that people pay attention, even when they don't say anything. Someone might follow your work for years without ever commenting on a post. Then one day, they'll mention something you shared a long time ago, or you'll discover they've been telling someone else about what you do. I've had enough of these experiences and read comments like, "I have been watching your videos for a long time but it would be unfair not to say thank you for all you do at this point" to appreciate that what we share can stay with people longer than we realise.

And this matters because many opportunities begin with a simple question: "Do you know someone who can do this?"

It could be an organisation looking for a speaker or someone putting together a project who needs a person with particular experience. The people they ask will usually think of someone whose work they know. I want more women to be in that position. To have people who can confidently mention their names because they've seen what they do and understand the experience they bring.

But how can someone recommend you for something they don't know you're capable of doing?

This is why I encourage people to share their work before they need an opportunity. You may never know who will remember something you've said or done until a conversation brings your name up. Of course, being visible doesn't guarantee that you'll be recommended. But people are better placed to speak about work they've actually encountered.

Own What You Know

There's something else I've noticed, particularly in conversations with women about confidence and visibility.

We can spend so much time becoming good at something that we stop recognising how much we've learnt. Think about the things you now do with ease. There was probably a time when you found them difficult, when you had to ask questions or practise repeatedly before you understood what you were doing. Now they feel ordinary because you've done them so often. But ordinary to you doesn't necessarily mean ordinary to someone else.

I often hear women speak generously about other people's abilities, yet become hesitant when asked to talk about their own achievements. They worry about sounding boastful or giving themselves too much credit. I understand that. Nobody wants to be that person who turns every conversation into an announcement about how brilliant they are.

Still, we should be able to talk about what we're good at. You've put time into learning those skills. You've made mistakes along the way and gained experience you didn't have before. Why should acknowledging that feel uncomfortable?

For me, owning your value begins with understanding what you bring and being able to explain it without feeling you need to make yourself smaller. This becomes even more important when your experience stretches across different areas.

My work in digital products didn't begin with a sudden decision to enter technology. I was building on years of experience in EdTech, teaching and creating learning opportunities. My entrepreneurial experience has also shaped how I understand customers and the practical challenges of building something people will use.

Those connections are clear to me because I've lived them. They may not be obvious to someone who only knows me through one part of my work. That's why understanding our own experience matters. We need to recognise what we've carried from one stage of our careers into another, so we can explain it when necessary.

Don't Wait Until You Need an Opportunity

I think one mistake we make is waiting until we need something before we start telling people what we can do. We're looking for a new role, so we suddenly begin updating our profiles. We want speaking opportunities, so we start trying to establish ourselves as knowledgeable in a particular area.

There's nothing wrong with doing those things when the need arises. But imagine how much easier those conversations might be if people had already been following your work. They'd have some understanding of what interests you and the experience you've been developing. They might have seen you share something useful from a project or heard you speak about a subject you know well.

You wouldn't have to introduce every part of your professional experience from the beginning.

And you don't need to have everything figured out before you start sharing. Some of the people who have followed my journey remember when I was still learning things that I'm more confident doing today. They've seen interests develop into areas of work I now spend considerable time on.

That's one of the reasons I don't encourage people to wait until they've reached a certain level before allowing themselves to be seen. You can talk about what you're learning without claiming to be an expert, share lessons from your work while acknowledging there's still more for you to understand and you can do all of this without turning your life into a public diary.

There are things I choose to share and things I keep private. Being visible has never meant that everybody needs access to everything about me. It simply means applying discretion and being thoughtful about the parts of my work and experience I want people to know.

For some people, that might mean sharing more on LinkedIn. For others, it could be speaking up during professional discussions or becoming more involved in communities where their experience would be useful. Find what works for you, but give people something to remember you for.

Remember That Other People Are Growing Too

There's another side to this that I think is just as important that I'd like to talk about.

People who knew you years ago may still associate you with what you were doing back then. They might have no idea how much you've learnt since you last worked together. And we're probably doing the same to someone else.

It's easy to remember a person as the beginner you once helped or the colleague you knew in a particular role. Meanwhile, they've continued learning and may now have experience you could benefit from yourself.

We should be willing to update our understanding of people. Ask what they're working on these days. Pay attention when they share something new. And when someone needs a person with a skill you've seen another person develop, don't hesitate to mention their name based on the level of trust and credibility you have in and know about their work.

I've always valued the idea of making room for other people to be seen. Sometimes, a recommendation or introduction can connect someone's work with an opportunity they might never have heard about. We all appreciate it when someone remembers us for something we're good at. We should extend that same consideration to others.

Competent, But Who Knows?

When I think about the people who have followed my journey over the years, I'm grateful that I've allowed them to witness different parts of it. They've seen me grow, and some have continued following my work even as my interests have expanded beyond what they first knew me for.

That experience has taught me something about visibility: people can only work with the understanding they have of us. If we want them to recognise what we're capable of, we need to give them opportunities to discover it.

So, own what you know. Don't dismiss years of experience because certain things have become easy for you. Talk about the work you're doing and allow people to see how you're growing.

You don't have to share every achievement, and you certainly don't need everybody's attention. But wouldn't it be lovely if someone was looking for a person with your skills and someone who had followed your journey could confidently say, "I know just the right person for this"?

You've done the work to become competent.

Give people a chance to know it.