Why High Performers Can't Remember Their Own Wins (and What it's Costing Them)

Your biggest career mistake isn't what you did wrong. It's what you forgot you did right.

I ask executives all the time about their team's wins during performance reviews, and they struggle to remember. But here's what gets me: when I flip the question and ask these same leaders to describe their own achievements from six months ago, they go just as blank.

I call this "achievement amnesia" because that's exactly what it feels like. And it's costing all of us more than we realize.

It's More Personal Than You Think

This isn't just a workplace thing. It's deeply personal. I love hearing what people call their systems for tracking achievements. Nickquolette Barrett, The "GET HIRED" Strategist, has her "Atta Girl File." Vivienne Artz, CEO of FTSE Women Leaders Review, does "Stock Takes." Brand expert Lisa Chicules keeps a "Kudos Record." I call mine a "Brag Book."

Different names, same need. We're all trying to hold onto our own value in a world that moves too fast to remember.

Here's What Leaders Need to Know

You're not a mind reader. When promotion time rolls around, you're working with whatever you can remember and whatever feels recent. Meanwhile, your quiet high performers are doing exceptional work without fanfare, staying completely invisible in your mental calculations.

The cost? Your best people start looking elsewhere. Not because they're undervalued, but because they feel unseen.

And here's the thing: as a leader, you need to actively help your team own their wins. Creating a culture where people can confidently articulate their value isn't just good for them—it's essential for your organization's ability to retain and develop talent.

The Real Solution

There's a 5-minute weekly system that changes how you see yourself and how others see you. It's not just about tracking wins, though that's part of it.

The real power happens when you start treating your wins like data instead of memories.

This shift in perspective is what we dive into in Bragging Rights. It changes everything about how you see your own value and how others recognize what you bring.

Strategic Visibility: Frequently Asked Questions
‍What is "achievement amnesia" and why does it happen?
‍Achievement amnesia is the psychological gap between the value you create and your ability to recall it under pressure. Because high performers are often focused on the next goal, they overwrite the "data" of their current success. Without a system like a "Brag Book," you lose the specific proof points needed for performance reviews and high-stakes opportunities.

How can leaders help their teams overcome the "recognition gap"?
‍Leaders must move beyond the assumption that "good work speaks for itself." By encouraging a culture where wins are treated as shared data rather than ego-driven boasts, you help your team articulate their value. This ensures your quiet high-performers stay visible, reducing the risk of your best talent leaving because they feel unseen.

Why is treating wins as "data" more effective than relying on memory?Memories are subjective and fade over time, especially during a fast-moving "supercycle" of change. Data is objective and provides a factual bridge to your impact. When you treat your accomplishments as data, it removes the emotional "awkwardness" of self-promotion and replaces it with strategic clarity that organizations can easily recognize and reward.

Bring Bragging Rights To Your Organization

When high performers can’t articulate their value, the organization loses its competitive edge. Based on the research in my book, Bragging Rights: How to Talk about Your Work Using Purposeful Self-Promotion, I help global teams bridge the gap between "doing the work" and "driving the opportunity."

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