Track what matters

Course offerings for the new year

As we wrap up the year, I want to wish you a joyful holiday season and an inspiring start to the new year. If you (or someone you know!) is looking to set yourself up for success in 2025, my upcoming courses at Stanford Continuing Studies are the perfect opportunity to invest in your growth.

• BUS 110: Leadership Workshop for Women: Strategies and Skills for Excellence
  A two-day, in-person skills workshop at Stanford University, Feb 1-2, 10am-4pm PT

• BUS 183W: Negotiation Skills for Women: Advocate for More
  A five-week live-online course to sharpen your negotiation skills, Jan 29 - Feb 26

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Track what matters

Big career wins—whether it's landing a dream role, securing a higher paycheck, or leading a standout project—don’t just happen by chance. They’re achieved by individuals who consistently create meaningful value.

But how can you be sure your efforts are driving impactful results? It starts with identifying and tracking what truly matters. To stand out and succeed, you need a clear way to measure and showcase your impact—but achieving that is often easier said than done.

Why most tracking systems fall short

While existing team dashboards and processes might help track deliverables and projects, they often fall short in showcasing your direct results and overall impact. Even regular sync-ups and 1:1s with managers often get bogged down in granular details and daily minutiae, overlooking the bigger picture of your contributions.

Building a robust system that actually works

To effectively track what truly matters, follow these steps:

1. Identify your key projects

For each project or task, capture:

• Why it matters: Write a brief description that highlights the project's importance and how it aligns with organizational goals.

• Current status: Specify the project's stage (e.g., pilot, beta, live) or use a simple status indicator like red/yellow/green to reflect progress.

• Key metrics of success: Identify data points that demonstrate the project's impact. Examples might include revenue growth, cost savings, performance indicators, customer satisfaction scores, stakeholder feedback, or user statistics.

2. Apply these best practices

After working with countless professionals to refine their tracking systems, here are some best practices I recommend:

• Keep it simple: Your system doesn’t need to be elaborate or rely on expensive tools—a basic spreadsheet can often do the job. The key is to make it easy to update and reference. Avoid creating something so complex that it becomes a chore to maintain.

• Prioritize relevant metrics: Track what truly matters to your key stakeholders. Identify which metrics resonate most with them and ensure those are prominently featured in your tracker.

• Turn your data into influence: Use your tracker to communicate how your efforts drive measurable results and contribute to organizational success.

• Seek feedback and iterate: Share your tracker with managers and key decision makers and invite their input. This not only helps you refine your approach but also ensures alignment with organizational goals. Regular reviews and repetition reinforce your contributions and make your achievements more visible to others.

Closing thoughts

Maintaining a system to track what truly matters is a game changer. It keeps you accountable, sharpens your focus, and gives you the clarity to prioritize what’s important. Most importantly, it empowers you to own your professional growth and career narrative. Start building your system today to gain deeper insights into your efforts and unlock the recognition and opportunities you deserve.