Why good people get overlooked

Cassandra Nadira Lee
Feb 5
2 min read

LIFT Newsletter 023

Read Time: 3 minutes

Content: Strategic positioning, career relevance

You do great work.

Your boss knows it. Your team knows it. YOU KNOW IT.

But somehow, other people are getting the opportunities, the recognition, the roles you thought you'd be perfect for.

And you're wondering: What am I missing?

Here's what I've noticed working with hundreds of professionals: The gap isn't in your performance. It's in your positioning.

You're solving today's problems with yesterday's language.

While you're talking about "managing budgets," the market wants to hear about "navigating financial uncertainty." While you're describing "team leadership," they're looking for "remote collaboration expertise."

Same work. Different words. Completely different response.

This isn't about being fake or trendy. It's about translation.

Three things to do this week:

Write down 5 problems you solved in the last 30 days. Not tasks you completed but problems you fixed.

Be specific. "I prevented the client from canceling by..." "I saved the team 3 hours daily by..." "I caught the budget error before..."Most people can't articulate their real impact because they confuse activity with results.
Test your positioning with one conversation. Call someone outside your company who knows your industry.

Tell them what you do and ask: "What would you hire someone like me for?" Their answer shows you how the market actually sees your value - versus how you describe it.
Rewrite your LinkedIn headline. Replace your job title with the outcome you create.

Instead of "Marketing Manager" try "I help B2B companies turn prospects into customers."Instead of "Operations Director" try "I design systems that scale without breaking." Test it for one week.