Advancement isn’t about competence; it’s about story - MAC120

I was talking with someone last week who’s been in the same role for years. Smart person; dependable; someone who always gets things across the finish line. Their question hit me hard because I’ve heard it so many times before: “Why do people who seem less competent than me keep getting promoted?” My answer was simple… and frustrating… and completely true. Advancement isn’t about competence; it’s about story. The people moving up aren’t always better at the work; they’re better at talking about the work. They’ve learned how to turn their accomplishments into a narrative leaders immediately care about. And that’s what we’re diving into today; how to use real storytelling—not a string of corporate buzzwords—to finally break through to the next level.

 

Doing vs. Impacting

 

If you’ve been in your role for four, five, maybe even seven years and you keep getting passed over for promotions, there’s usually one core issue at play: you’re great at doing, but you haven’t learned how to talk about impacting. The difference is huge. Doing is about tasks; impacting is about outcomes. Doing sounds like “I built the dashboard.” Impacting sounds like “Our team can now make faster decisions because we have real-time visibility into customer behavior.” And here’s the truth; your leaders don’t care about the volume of items on your to-do list. They care about what changed because you were in the room. So when you walk into a meeting with your boss, or present to senior leadership, or sit down for your annual review... and you start listing tasks one after another... you’ve already lost them. You’re giving them a story about your effort when what they need is a story about your impact.

 

A Real Example: Jaime’s Story

 

Let me give you an example. I was working with a coaching client—let’s call them Jaime—who was trying to move from a senior role into a true leadership position. They’d been in their job for years; absolutely knew their stuff. But every time they described their work, it came out like this: “I analyzed the sales data, identified trends across regions, created visualizations for the executive team, and presented my findings at the monthly business review.”

 

On paper, that sounds solid… thorough… professional. Except no one remembers it; and worse, no one sees it as strategic. What Jaime shared was a sequence of activities. It was a recipe; not a story. And leaders don’t promote people for following recipes. During our coaching session, we rewrote that same narrative so it actually meant something: “We were losing ground in key territories and no one could figure out why. I dug into the data and found that our product was completely out of sync with competitor positioning in that region. After aligning with leadership, we shifted our approach. Within two quarters, we recovered our market share.”

 

Same work; completely different story.

 

The Structure of a Compelling Story

 

So what’s the real difference between those two versions? Structure. Every good story follows a familiar shape. There’s a situation or a problem; there’s tension or conflict; there’s action that leads to change; and finally, there’s a resolution that closes the loop. When you’re talking to leaders about your work, you need to use that same structure… not because you’re trying to be dramatic, but because this is how the brain processes information. We remember stories; we forget lists.

 

Let’s break down the structure.

 

First, set up the problem. What was at stake? Why did it matter? Leaders need context before they can appreciate your solution. The problem can’t just be “we needed to do this task.” It has to threaten a goal, create risk, or block progress. In Jaime’s case, the first version had no problem—it was just a list of tasks. The second version began with the real problem: lost market share. That’s something a leader actually cares about.

 

Second, show the tension. What made this hard? What was unclear? What obstacles did you face? Many people stumble here, thinking that admitting difficulty makes them look weak. It doesn’t. It makes the story compelling and makes your solution look smarter. Jaime’s tension was simple: “no one could figure out why.” That tells leaders this wasn’t obvious; it required insight.

 

Third, describe what you did. But don’t list every step—that’s just a repeat of the task list. Focus on the key move, the insight that unlocked the solution. Leaders don’t need the play-by-play; they need to understand your thinking. Jaime said, “I dug into the data and found our product was completely out of sync with competitors.” That’s the key move. They didn’t detail every analysis; they highlighted the insight that mattered.

 

Fourth, land on the outcome. What changed? What’s different now because of your work? This is where you show impact, not activity. “We shifted our approach. Within two quarters, we recovered that market share.” That’s impact. That’s what leaders remember.

 

Using Data Effectively

 

Now, let’s talk about data. If you work with numbers, you probably think data speaks for itself. It doesn’t. Data is only powerful when it’s part of a story; otherwise, it’s just noise. Here’s what I mean. Imagine you’re presenting a project to senior leadership. You could show a slide filled with metrics—response times, error rates, customer satisfaction scores, whatever. They’ll nod politely… and forget it five minutes later.

 

Or you could tell the story like this: “Six months ago, our customer support team was drowning. Average response time was 48 hours, and our NPS had dropped 15 points. Customers were leaving, and the team was burned out. We needed a fix, but we didn’t have budget for more headcount. So I investigated the bottlenecks. Sixty percent of tickets were questions that could have been answered with better documentation. We built a knowledge base, trained the team on routing customers to it, and within three months, response time dropped to 12 hours and NPS recovered to last year’s levels. The team isn’t drowning anymore… and we didn’t hire a single person.”

 

Notice what happened? The numbers—48 hours, 15 points, 60%, 12 hours—are still there. But now they’re woven into a story about a problem that mattered, a smart solution, and a real outcome. That’s how you use data to tell a story: the numbers prove it’s real, but the story is what makes them matter.

 

Even when you know the framework, it’s easy to stumble. One common mistake is overloading your story with tasks or metrics—don’t confuse a list of activities with impact. Another is skipping the problem or tension; if leaders can’t see why your work mattered, they won’t care about what you did. A third is making the story all about you; leadership is interested in outcomes, not ego. And finally, overcomplicating the narrative with jargon or unnecessary detail can bury the impact. Keep it simple, clear, and focused on meaningful change. When you avoid these pitfalls, your story actually lands—and leaders start seeing you as someone who delivers results that matter.

 

Practicing & Applying Storytelling

 

So, how do you actually get better at this? I know what you’re thinking—this all sounds great in theory, but in the moment, whether you’re in a meeting or writing an email to your boss, you default back to listing what you did. Here’s what I want you to do: take the last three significant things you worked on. Write down how you’d normally describe them. Then rewrite each one using the structure we’ve been talking about: problem, tension, action, outcome. And connect each story to a business goal your leaders actually care about.

 

Do this as an exercise—not for a specific meeting or presentation. Just practice translating your work into strategic stories. Then—and this is key—start using this structure everywhere: in one-on-ones with your manager, in status updates, in presentations, even in your annual review. Make it your default way of talking about your work. At first, it’ll feel unnatural. You might feel like you’re overselling or being dramatic. You’re not. You’re just finally communicating in a way that helps leaders understand the value you’re creating.

 

This isn’t about spin. It isn’t about exaggerating. It’s about helping leaders see what you actually accomplished. Because when you just list tasks, you’re making them do the work of connecting the dots—and they won’t. They’re too busy; they’ll move on. But when you tell a story that shows the problem you solved and the impact you created, you’re doing their job for them. You’re making it easy for them to see your value. And that’s what gets you promoted.

 

The people who move up aren’t necessarily doing better work than you. They’re just better at showing that the work they do matters. They’ve figured out how to turn their accomplishments into a story that leaders remember. Now you know how to do it too: Problem. Tension. Action. Outcome. Connected to a business goal……every time you communicate with someone in a position of influence.  THAT is how you change how people see you.

 

Ready to Take Your Storytelling Further?

 

If you’re ready to take your storytelling—and your career—to the next level, I can help. Through one-on-one coaching, we’ll work together to identify the impact moments in your work, craft compelling narratives that resonate with leaders, and build the confidence to communicate your value consistently. Whether it’s preparing for a promotion, presenting to senior leadership, or simply becoming more visible in your organization, personalized guidance can accelerate your growth and make sure your contributions are seen and remembered. Reach out today, and let’s turn your accomplishments into stories that open doors.

 

Stop listing tasks… start telling stories—and watch your career accelerate.