For many senior leaders, visibility becomes more complicated the higher you rise.
Early in your career, proof is tangible.
You built the model. You closed the deal. You wrote the strategy deck.
Later?
Your impact is real but far less visible.
Recently, I read a powerful article on Harvard Business Review by Melody Wilding on how senior leaders articulate their contribution without sounding arrogant or disappearing altogether (you can read the article here: https://hbr.org/2026/01/how-to-articulate-your-contributions-as-a-senior-leader). And it landed because it names a tension I’ve personally lived and one I see daily in boardrooms and leadership programmes.
Early in my executive career, I made a conscious decision to step back and let my team shine.
In meetings, I’d say things like: “Honestly, the team did everything, I just supported.”
I believed I was being generous. Grounded. Likeable.
But something interesting happened.
I started getting fewer stretch opportunities. My seat at certain tables became less “essential.” And feedback, given kindly, was revealing: “We’re not always clear on what you are accountable for.”
That was a wake-up call.
I hadn’t been invisible because my impact was small. I was invisible because I wasn’t articulating my leadership work, the judgement, the decisions, the trade-offs, the influence behind the scenes.
And that’s exactly the nuance Wilding captures so well.
As Wilding explains, most senior leaders swing between two extremes:
Neither builds credibility.
The real power sits in the subtleties in between.
Here are the shifts that changed everything for me and that Wilding articulates so clearly.
Start With We, Then Claim Me
Wilding calls this “We-then-Me.”
Acknowledge the team first, then name your specific leadership contribution.
Not: “I led the turnaround”; but: “The team delivered exceptional results. My role was restructuring decision rights and removing blockers so execution could accelerate.”
This doesn’t diminish others. It clarifies you.
Speak to Scale, Not Tasks
Senior leadership isn’t measured by effort; it’s measured by scope, complexity, and consequence.
When I stopped saying: “I manage multiple initiatives…” and started saying: “I oversee three strategic programmes impacting revenue, risk, and long-term client trust…” People finally understood the level I was operating at.
Scale speaks quietly but powerfully.
Make Your Judgement Visible
Your edge as a leader is not what happened. It’s why it happened.
Wilding reminds us that credibility lives in:
When I started sharing why I pushed back on certain opportunities, not just the outcomes, my leadership presence changed overnight.
Name the Invisible Work
This one matters deeply.
The six conversations to align stakeholders. The tension you defused before it escalated. The trust you rebuilt quietly over months.
No one sees this work unless you name it. And naming it isn’t arrogance, it’s accuracy.
Anchor Your Impact to Stewardship
At senior levels, you’re assessed on more than results.
You’re assessed on how you:
Language like:
signals maturity, not ego.
Here’s what I now believe and teach:
Visibility isn’t about being seen more. It’s about being understood better.
Silence doesn’t equal humility. And confidence doesn’t require volume.
The most credible leaders know how to speak precisely, proportionally, and with purpose.
© Donna Rachelson. All Rights Reserved
