September 28, 2025 • 14 mins
What if your biggest strength is sabotaging your career? In this eye-opening episode, we dig into how being exceptional at supporting others can trap you in career invisibility. Drawing from my own experience, I'm uncovering the hidden cost of "invisible excellence." You'll discover:
- The 3 warning signs you're caught in the invisible excellence trap (hint: if you're always the "go-to" for execution but never innovation, this is for you)
- Why your wins feel communal but your losses feel personal—and what this reveals about your career trajectory
- The "strategic visibility" framework that transforms how you talk about your contributions without sounding arrogant
- A simple documentation practice that builds evidence of your impact
- The Visibility Audit Challenge: a concrete way to make your value seen this week
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:06):
Me, Me, Me, Me Me.
Speaker 2 (00:09):
Welcome back to another episode of a Switch Pivot Quick Podcast.
This is officially the new season. I'm calling it season eight,
and not for any particular reason other than that's what
it felt like it should be because last season was
season seven. Don't ask me how I come up with
these things. But now that we're doing seasons, welcome back.
(00:30):
So this week we're gonna be hopping into seven minute Sundays,
I'm bringing them back. I feel like with so much
of the noise out there, I want to get in,
get out, give you some goodness that you can hold
on to and allow you to be on your day
without taking up too much of your time. So I
feel like this would be the best way. So please
(00:51):
forgive if this episode is a little over seven minutes,
because we have to do our key key, our intro, our,
jump back in right, get you reacclimated with me, my voice,
what we're talking about. And yes, this will still be
the switch Pivot or Quick podcast, but I'm gonna do
things a little bit different and to do them in
a way that feels good to me, because that is
(01:13):
the season that I'm in in my life, doing things
that feel good to me and leaning into that and
that only so without further ado, I'm your host Ayana Angel.
For those of you who are new and for those
of you who are returning and have been rocking with
me for a minute, welcome back, Welcome back, Welcome back.
(01:34):
This podcast is for hijievers, people who are ready to
amplify their authentic selves. And it has taken on many
forms over the years in terms of how I introduce
myself and how I introduce what we're gonna be talking about.
But at the core of it all, it is about
embracing change. It is about honoring who you are within
(01:55):
the midst and the season of those changes, and it's
about just being real and honest with ourselves about the
things that we're going through and how we can navigate
working through those things together and with a support system,
and just being real. That's the main thing, just being
real about where we are in our lives. And so
we're gonna obviously have those authentic conversations, but in the
(02:19):
seven minute Sundays, it's going to just be me. And
so this week we're going to spend the next seven
minutes together getting you filled up with inspiration and goodness
to get your mind primed to achieve greatness as you
enter the week ahead, and specifically, I'm gonna be getting
into a series in the next few episodes talking about
(02:40):
the psychology of playing small.
Speaker 1 (02:43):
As many of you know, I've written.
Speaker 2 (02:44):
A book called Quit Playing Small, but I just wanted
to dig a little bit deeper and give you some
more nuggets to hold on to a flesh out some
of the thoughts.
Speaker 1 (02:51):
That were originally presented in the books.
Speaker 2 (02:54):
So right now we're gonna get into the invisible Excellence track.
What if I told you that your biggest strength is
also your biggest lind spot. The very thing making you
excellent at work is making you invisible in life. That's
(03:18):
what we're talking about today, the invisible excellence trap, and.
Speaker 1 (03:22):
Why being really really good at supporting.
Speaker 2 (03:25):
Others might be keeping you from supporting yourself. M I'm
gonna also offer you just some you know, insights into
my world and some of the things that I've experienced
as we talk through some of these topics. That is
what I shared in the Quit Playing Small book, and
(03:48):
I've you know, always dabbled with sharing a bit of
my own experience in this podcast.
Speaker 1 (03:52):
So nothing's gonna change there.
Speaker 2 (03:54):
So for years I was the queen of invisible excellence
and didn't even know. During my time being a publicist,
I could craft a press release that would get a
personality on a magazine cover.
Speaker 1 (04:10):
I could orchestrate media coverage or major.
Speaker 2 (04:13):
Events and red carpets and parties and all the things,
and I could make people shine brighter than they ever imagined.
Speaker 1 (04:22):
I was world class at amplifying.
Speaker 2 (04:25):
Others, and yet completely clueless about how I could amplify myself.
Speaker 1 (04:33):
I remember sitting in meetings.
Speaker 2 (04:36):
We used to have these Monday meetings, and I dreaded them.
I never spoke up in those meetings, even when I
had what felt like some of the best creative ideas,
I always shied away from speaking up in most times.
In fact, I was intimidated to speak up. Does any
(04:57):
of that sound familiar? So I was oh good at
making others look good that I become a complete ghost
in my own career representation. The very skills that made
me excellent, supporting, elevating, standing behind the scenes strongly for
(05:19):
other people, those things were making me invisible. And I
keep using this word invisible intentionally because that is how
you can ultimately feel sometimes. But this is what I've learned,
invisible excellence is a trap that catches the most capable people.
Speaker 1 (05:42):
You're so good at your job that everyone relies on
you on.
Speaker 2 (05:45):
Somehow, your name never comes up when the big opportunities arise.
When that you see good projects come about, you're the
person who I like to say gets things done, but
not the person who gets recognized. It just it pains
me to even say this, right, but it's real, so
(06:07):
we have to talk about it, this invisible excellence trap.
It has some warning signs though, and of course I
want to go over those with you so that you
know what to look out for. It Oof, I know
it's getting good, but we'll be right back after we
hear from our sponsors. First, you're the go to person
(06:29):
for execution, but never the go to person for innovation.
In other words, you're an executor. People bring you problems
to solve versus ideas to explore and expand upon. You
have become so reliable at fixing things that no one
sees you as someone who creates things. Second sign, your
(06:50):
wins feel communal, but your losses you take them to heart.
Speaker 1 (06:55):
They feel very personal. When the team succeeds.
Speaker 2 (06:59):
It's great we did this, we did that, and you're
probably the main one screaming the wheed right, you screaming
it from the mountaintops. However, when something goes wrong, somehow
it traces back to you, or at least it feels
like it does. It feels like there is a lack
(07:19):
on your side, a failed accomplishment on your side, Like
somehow this is a direct reflection of your skills and
your abilities, so you're sharing credit but absorbing failures.
Speaker 1 (07:35):
The third thing for you to look out for is.
Speaker 2 (07:40):
When you're more comfortable talking about other people's potential than
your own. I have certainly been guilty of this. Ask
yourself right now, when was the last time you talked
about your own capabilities with the same amount of enthusiasm
and belief that you use to describe a colleague's strengths.
(08:03):
Like I said, I've had to catch myself at times
because as much as I like to cheer people on.
Speaker 1 (08:07):
And encourage them and just really.
Speaker 2 (08:10):
Make people feel good about what they're capable of doing,
I have also been guilty of coaching people to go
after things I know I should be going after myself,
and wholeheartedly believing that they could achieve it with more confidence,
and I have more conviction that they can do this
than I have in myself. So if you can relate
(08:33):
to this, we are certainly in this together. We are
always a work in progress. But I'll share a strategy
that I'm using to help me break free and I've
used in the past. Start documenting your amplification. Every time
you make someone else look good, write it down. This
(08:55):
is a bit different, right, It probably not what you
thought I was gonna say. Every strategy you create, every
problem you solve, every person you elevate and lift up,
document it. This is not for ego purposes, but it
is for evidence. Then I want you to practice what
(09:17):
you can call strategic visibility. Instead of saying the team
pulled together this campaign, try reframing your language. Maybe use
something like I led the strategy that resulted.
Speaker 1 (09:31):
In XYZ.
Speaker 2 (09:34):
Instead of we managed to increase engagement. Maybe you can
say something like I implemented a framework that drove XYZ.
Speaker 1 (09:47):
Now, let's be clear, this is not me pushing you
to arrogance.
Speaker 2 (09:53):
It is me pushing you, nudging you to lean into accuracy, truthfulness.
This is what really happened, right, So, if we're being
real let's just call it what it is. Your gifts,
the ones that you have been blessed with. They can't
(10:15):
impact people who need them if those people can't see them,
especially if those people can't see you, and that you're
the person that's able to bestow said gifts upon them.
So here's the challenge that I want you to take
on for this week, a visibility audit. Make a list
(10:37):
of three significant contributions you've made in the last month,
not tasks you've completed, Contributions that moved a needle.
Speaker 1 (10:49):
Think in terms of impact.
Speaker 2 (10:51):
That's something I've been hearing a lot lately, is about
impact and what your impact is. So thinking those terms right,
then don't want you to ask yourself knows about my impact?
Who knows about these contributions? Besides me? So besides you,
who else knows about it? If the answer is nobody,
or just maybe your immediate supervisor or your best coworker friend,
(11:15):
then you're, unfortunately in the invisible excellence trap. You are
wonderful at what you do, you are excellent from all sides,
but nobody knows it.
Speaker 1 (11:28):
So then I want you to pick one of those contributions.
Speaker 2 (11:30):
And find a way to make it visible perfectly this week,
but I'll give you maybe two weeks. Okay, little two
week window, but I want you to find a way
to make it visible. That could be sharing about your
win and a team meeting. It could be posting about
it professionally on a platform like a LinkedIn.
Speaker 1 (11:48):
Your goal isn't to brag.
Speaker 2 (11:50):
It's to practice being seen for the value that you
are actually able to create. This is another idea a
few of my friends I've noticed what they've been doing
is they started sending out these emails every so often
to let their community, their peers know what they are
(12:11):
up to and maybe even what they're working on, what
they're in search of. And it's a very like, hey,
this is what's going on with me, but not in
an arrogant me me, me, me me way. It's very
much so like, maybe we haven't touched base in a while.
Maybe you see a post here and there for me
(12:32):
on social media.
Speaker 1 (12:33):
Maybe you don't.
Speaker 2 (12:34):
Actually, and so this is just my way of staying
connected and letting you know what I've been up to
and hoping that you will cheer me on with my
wins and maybe even respond back to me and share
some of your wins with me as well. It feels
very communal, it doesn't feel self centered. So maybe that's
something that you can do, because this is a great
(12:55):
way to celebrate your winds and also create space for
even more opportunities. You never know who is reading, listening,
and watching. Playing small it isn't humility. It's hiding your
gifts from the people who need the most. The next
time you start questioning yourself or tending to lean back
(13:18):
into that practice of playing small, remember don't hide from
the people who need you. All Right, this has been
a great catch up. I hope it has been equally
as good for you. I am way over time. I'm
double overtime, but I promise the upcoming episodes will be
much shorter and they will lean more to the seven
(13:39):
minute mark. And next week we're gonna be talking about
permission slips. Yes, just remember this before I go. You
have everything you need within you. Sometimes you just need
the courage to let others see it. Thank you so
much for spending time with me today.
Speaker 1 (13:57):
I appreciate you.
Speaker 2 (13:58):
I'm sending you big hugs and love, and I hope
you have an amazing week ahead of you.
Me, Me, Me, Me Me.
Speaker 2 (00:09):
Welcome back to another episode of a Switch Pivot Quick Podcast.
This is officially the new season. I'm calling it season eight,
and not for any particular reason other than that's what
it felt like it should be because last season was
season seven. Don't ask me how I come up with
these things. But now that we're doing seasons, welcome back.
(00:30):
So this week we're gonna be hopping into seven minute Sundays,
I'm bringing them back. I feel like with so much
of the noise out there, I want to get in,
get out, give you some goodness that you can hold
on to and allow you to be on your day
without taking up too much of your time. So I
feel like this would be the best way. So please
(00:51):
forgive if this episode is a little over seven minutes,
because we have to do our key key, our intro, our,
jump back in right, get you reacclimated with me, my voice,
what we're talking about. And yes, this will still be
the switch Pivot or Quick podcast, but I'm gonna do
things a little bit different and to do them in
a way that feels good to me, because that is
(01:13):
the season that I'm in in my life, doing things
that feel good to me and leaning into that and
that only so without further ado, I'm your host Ayana Angel.
For those of you who are new and for those
of you who are returning and have been rocking with
me for a minute, welcome back, Welcome back, Welcome back.
(01:34):
This podcast is for hijievers, people who are ready to
amplify their authentic selves. And it has taken on many
forms over the years in terms of how I introduce
myself and how I introduce what we're gonna be talking about.
But at the core of it all, it is about
embracing change. It is about honoring who you are within
(01:55):
the midst and the season of those changes, and it's
about just being real and honest with ourselves about the
things that we're going through and how we can navigate
working through those things together and with a support system,
and just being real. That's the main thing, just being
real about where we are in our lives. And so
we're gonna obviously have those authentic conversations, but in the
(02:19):
seven minute Sundays, it's going to just be me. And
so this week we're going to spend the next seven
minutes together getting you filled up with inspiration and goodness
to get your mind primed to achieve greatness as you
enter the week ahead, and specifically, I'm gonna be getting
into a series in the next few episodes talking about
(02:40):
the psychology of playing small.
Speaker 1 (02:43):
As many of you know, I've written.
Speaker 2 (02:44):
A book called Quit Playing Small, but I just wanted
to dig a little bit deeper and give you some
more nuggets to hold on to a flesh out some
of the thoughts.
Speaker 1 (02:51):
That were originally presented in the books.
Speaker 2 (02:54):
So right now we're gonna get into the invisible Excellence track.
What if I told you that your biggest strength is
also your biggest lind spot. The very thing making you
excellent at work is making you invisible in life. That's
(03:18):
what we're talking about today, the invisible excellence trap, and.
Speaker 1 (03:22):
Why being really really good at supporting.
Speaker 2 (03:25):
Others might be keeping you from supporting yourself. M I'm
gonna also offer you just some you know, insights into
my world and some of the things that I've experienced
as we talk through some of these topics. That is
what I shared in the Quit Playing Small book, and
(03:48):
I've you know, always dabbled with sharing a bit of
my own experience in this podcast.
Speaker 1 (03:52):
So nothing's gonna change there.
Speaker 2 (03:54):
So for years I was the queen of invisible excellence
and didn't even know. During my time being a publicist,
I could craft a press release that would get a
personality on a magazine cover.
Speaker 1 (04:10):
I could orchestrate media coverage or major.
Speaker 2 (04:13):
Events and red carpets and parties and all the things,
and I could make people shine brighter than they ever imagined.
Speaker 1 (04:22):
I was world class at amplifying.
Speaker 2 (04:25):
Others, and yet completely clueless about how I could amplify myself.
Speaker 1 (04:33):
I remember sitting in meetings.
Speaker 2 (04:36):
We used to have these Monday meetings, and I dreaded them.
I never spoke up in those meetings, even when I
had what felt like some of the best creative ideas,
I always shied away from speaking up in most times.
In fact, I was intimidated to speak up. Does any
(04:57):
of that sound familiar? So I was oh good at
making others look good that I become a complete ghost
in my own career representation. The very skills that made
me excellent, supporting, elevating, standing behind the scenes strongly for
(05:19):
other people, those things were making me invisible. And I
keep using this word invisible intentionally because that is how
you can ultimately feel sometimes. But this is what I've learned,
invisible excellence is a trap that catches the most capable people.
Speaker 1 (05:42):
You're so good at your job that everyone relies on
you on.
Speaker 2 (05:45):
Somehow, your name never comes up when the big opportunities arise.
When that you see good projects come about, you're the
person who I like to say gets things done, but
not the person who gets recognized. It just it pains
me to even say this, right, but it's real, so
(06:07):
we have to talk about it, this invisible excellence trap.
It has some warning signs though, and of course I
want to go over those with you so that you
know what to look out for. It Oof, I know
it's getting good, but we'll be right back after we
hear from our sponsors. First, you're the go to person
(06:29):
for execution, but never the go to person for innovation.
In other words, you're an executor. People bring you problems
to solve versus ideas to explore and expand upon. You
have become so reliable at fixing things that no one
sees you as someone who creates things. Second sign, your
(06:50):
wins feel communal, but your losses you take them to heart.
Speaker 1 (06:55):
They feel very personal. When the team succeeds.
Speaker 2 (06:59):
It's great we did this, we did that, and you're
probably the main one screaming the wheed right, you screaming
it from the mountaintops. However, when something goes wrong, somehow
it traces back to you, or at least it feels
like it does. It feels like there is a lack
(07:19):
on your side, a failed accomplishment on your side, Like
somehow this is a direct reflection of your skills and
your abilities, so you're sharing credit but absorbing failures.
Speaker 1 (07:35):
The third thing for you to look out for is.
Speaker 2 (07:40):
When you're more comfortable talking about other people's potential than
your own. I have certainly been guilty of this. Ask
yourself right now, when was the last time you talked
about your own capabilities with the same amount of enthusiasm
and belief that you use to describe a colleague's strengths.
(08:03):
Like I said, I've had to catch myself at times
because as much as I like to cheer people on.
Speaker 1 (08:07):
And encourage them and just really.
Speaker 2 (08:10):
Make people feel good about what they're capable of doing,
I have also been guilty of coaching people to go
after things I know I should be going after myself,
and wholeheartedly believing that they could achieve it with more confidence,
and I have more conviction that they can do this
than I have in myself. So if you can relate
(08:33):
to this, we are certainly in this together. We are
always a work in progress. But I'll share a strategy
that I'm using to help me break free and I've
used in the past. Start documenting your amplification. Every time
you make someone else look good, write it down. This
(08:55):
is a bit different, right, It probably not what you
thought I was gonna say. Every strategy you create, every
problem you solve, every person you elevate and lift up,
document it. This is not for ego purposes, but it
is for evidence. Then I want you to practice what
(09:17):
you can call strategic visibility. Instead of saying the team
pulled together this campaign, try reframing your language. Maybe use
something like I led the strategy that resulted.
Speaker 1 (09:31):
In XYZ.
Speaker 2 (09:34):
Instead of we managed to increase engagement. Maybe you can
say something like I implemented a framework that drove XYZ.
Speaker 1 (09:47):
Now, let's be clear, this is not me pushing you
to arrogance.
Speaker 2 (09:53):
It is me pushing you, nudging you to lean into accuracy, truthfulness.
This is what really happened, right, So, if we're being
real let's just call it what it is. Your gifts,
the ones that you have been blessed with. They can't
(10:15):
impact people who need them if those people can't see them,
especially if those people can't see you, and that you're
the person that's able to bestow said gifts upon them.
So here's the challenge that I want you to take
on for this week, a visibility audit. Make a list
(10:37):
of three significant contributions you've made in the last month,
not tasks you've completed, Contributions that moved a needle.
Speaker 1 (10:49):
Think in terms of impact.
Speaker 2 (10:51):
That's something I've been hearing a lot lately, is about
impact and what your impact is. So thinking those terms right,
then don't want you to ask yourself knows about my impact?
Who knows about these contributions? Besides me? So besides you,
who else knows about it? If the answer is nobody,
or just maybe your immediate supervisor or your best coworker friend,
(11:15):
then you're, unfortunately in the invisible excellence trap. You are
wonderful at what you do, you are excellent from all sides,
but nobody knows it.
Speaker 1 (11:28):
So then I want you to pick one of those contributions.
Speaker 2 (11:30):
And find a way to make it visible perfectly this week,
but I'll give you maybe two weeks. Okay, little two
week window, but I want you to find a way
to make it visible. That could be sharing about your
win and a team meeting. It could be posting about
it professionally on a platform like a LinkedIn.
Speaker 1 (11:48):
Your goal isn't to brag.
Speaker 2 (11:50):
It's to practice being seen for the value that you
are actually able to create. This is another idea a
few of my friends I've noticed what they've been doing
is they started sending out these emails every so often
to let their community, their peers know what they are
(12:11):
up to and maybe even what they're working on, what
they're in search of. And it's a very like, hey,
this is what's going on with me, but not in
an arrogant me me, me, me me way. It's very
much so like, maybe we haven't touched base in a while.
Maybe you see a post here and there for me
(12:32):
on social media.
Speaker 1 (12:33):
Maybe you don't.
Speaker 2 (12:34):
Actually, and so this is just my way of staying
connected and letting you know what I've been up to
and hoping that you will cheer me on with my
wins and maybe even respond back to me and share
some of your wins with me as well. It feels
very communal, it doesn't feel self centered. So maybe that's
something that you can do, because this is a great
(12:55):
way to celebrate your winds and also create space for
even more opportunities. You never know who is reading, listening,
and watching. Playing small it isn't humility. It's hiding your
gifts from the people who need the most. The next
time you start questioning yourself or tending to lean back
(13:18):
into that practice of playing small, remember don't hide from
the people who need you. All Right, this has been
a great catch up. I hope it has been equally
as good for you. I am way over time. I'm
double overtime, but I promise the upcoming episodes will be
much shorter and they will lean more to the seven
(13:39):
minute mark. And next week we're gonna be talking about
permission slips. Yes, just remember this before I go. You
have everything you need within you. Sometimes you just need
the courage to let others see it. Thank you so
much for spending time with me today.
Speaker 1 (13:57):
I appreciate you.
Speaker 2 (13:58):
I'm sending you big hugs and love, and I hope
you have an amazing week ahead of you.
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