Episode 55/11 August 2026/7 min/The High Performance Leader
How managers get recognised for team impact not tasks
Struggling to get recognised as a manager? Learn how to shift from task reporting to value creation and boost your promotion prospects.
How can managers communicate their impact rather than just listing tasks to improve their chances of promotion?
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Managers often struggle to stand out because they focus on reporting completed tasks rather than demonstrating business impact. In this episode, discover how to shift your communication to highlight value creation, paving the way for faster recognition and stronger promotion cases. Host Jimmy Burroughes introduces the PVC model to help you see and articulate your real impact as a leader.
What you will learn
- Understand the difference between reporting tasks and demonstrating business value as a manager
- Apply the PVC model to highlight your team's impact and improve recognition
- Rewrite team updates to showcase business outcomes, not just activity
- Adopt a new perspective on leadership communication for promotion readiness
This episode is hosted by Jimmy Burroughes, an expert in high performance leadership.
Episode highlights
- (0:00) Intro
- (1:15) Two managers, same level, different outcomes
- (2:30) Task completion vs value creation
- (3:45) Rewriting a team update to show business impact
- (5:20) The "X ray glasses" perspective shift
- (6:30) Introduction to the PVC model
- (7:00) Challenge: review your last update to your boss
- (7:10) Outro
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Get the Quick-Win PackHere is the verbatim transcript of the podcast episode:
***
So today we're going to crack that open. How the—it's called a leadership blind spot, but essentially how it's probably affecting you right now in terms of the power of your weekly updates that you send to your boss. And if you're not sending weekly updates to your boss already, then that's step one. But step two is: how do we make those impact—those updates as impactful as possible so you get the recognition you deserve?
So let's get into it. You know, here's something that stopped me in my tracks recently. [01:28] I was working with two managers, the same level in the same company, and they were essentially working on pretty much the same stuff, both in sales. And one got promoted twice over an 18-month period, and the other is still sitting in that same job, waiting for their big break. And so the—I I started getting interested in in why. What was going on here, and what was one doing differently to the other one when they ostensibly were doing the same thing?
And the fa—the fascinating bit was the quality of what they were producing was basically the same. The only difference that they had was the way they were communicating it, the way they were getting their message across to senior leadership. And and this is whe- where it gets really interesting, because you right now are probably showing your boss that you're really good at getting stuff done. [02:22] You are, you know, ticking things off lists, you've got goals that you're smashing out the park, but what you're focusing on is the emphasis on completing tasks versus creating value.
And this is a this is a subtle, nuanced difference, but when you think about it, when you send your weekly update, are you telling your boss that you're really busy and you're getting lots of stuff done? Or are you telling your boss about the impact on the business that you've had during the course of that week? So, you know, th- this is an interesting question: what are you sharing in the way you're talking to your boss?
Whereas, if you were to say, "We had a team meeting specifically focused on cutting our response times to key clients, reducing it from a minimum of five to a minimum of two days, and we're also giving more empowerment to the team members to free up about 15% of my week, where I would be involved in making those decisions. Now we've given them authority." Now you're speaking the language of business impact. You've delegated some some things that you'd previously been doing that were are now freeing you up for more strategic work. You've empowered your team, you've developed them, and you've done some really great work in terms of customer response times.
[03:59] And so this is this is that key shift, right? And what fascinates me about high-impact leaders is that they're not really doing any different things to what you're doing. They just look and communicate about their work in a completely different way. They're constantly asking themselves this question that changes everything: What shifted in the business because of what I did? And what is the next shift I can make that's going to make the biggest impact?
You know, it's like putting on a set of X-ray glasses or seeing something from a different angle. You see beyond the activity that you're involved in, and you start focusing on the value you're creating. We talk about this a lot in Amplify. We use the PVC model, and it's really, where is the value in what I'm doing, and what's the value of me being involved?
Here's the kicker: most leaders never make this shift. And it costs them everything. Costs them the promotions, means they're busier and busier, because their boss is not seeing the impact. You know, if you're a leader who's been said been told, [05:01] "You need to step up, you need to be more strategic," that's not your boss saying you need to do higher-faluting things. It's your boss saying, "I'm not really seeing the impact of what you're doing. It looks to me like you're being tactical, and we need to change that."
And be honest with yourself. If there's a little bit of discomfort or you're feeling a little bit cringey about what you're reading now, that's just the gap between where you are right now and where you could be with a very small change. You know, we talk about those 1% changes—this is a 1% change. So go through your report to your boss, where is the rewrite that's going to make you come across as super impactful? So if you're ready for that shift, [06:01] have a go.
This is Jimmy Burroughes, and if this episode has made you think a little bit differently about the way you communicate, you're just scratching the surface of what's actually possible for you.
Summary
In this episode of *The High Performance Leader*, Jimmy Burroughes explores the critical differentiator between good leaders and great leaders: communicating impact versus listing completed tasks. Drawing from a real-world case of two similarly skilled managers with drastically different career trajectories, Jimmy highlights how framing weekly updates around business value and strategic shifts rather than mere activity leads to recognition and promotion. He challenges leaders to review their communication habits and make the subtle "1% change" that highlights their true value.Key Quotes
"The only difference that they had was the way they were communicating it, the way they were getting their message across to senior leadership."
"What fascinates me about high-impact leaders is that they're not really doing any different things to what you're doing. They just look and communicate about their work in a completely different way."
"They're constantly asking themselves this question that changes everything: What shifted in the business because of what I did?"
"You see beyond the activity that you're involved in, and you start focusing on the value you're creating."
***
Introduction
[00:00] ANNOUNCER: Welcome to this episode of *The High Performance Leader*, the podcast for leaders working in complex, challenging environments to gain insights and ideas which help you increase your impact without burning out, and to help you build a high-performance culture in your team. I'm your host, Jimmy Burroughes. And if you're new to *The High Performance Leader*, make sure you subscribe or follow so you don't miss any of our upcoming episodes before you put down your device.The Blind Spot: Tasks vs. Value
[00:35] JIMMY: Welcome back to this week's episode. I have been thinking about this one a lot, and I really wanted to share this idea with you, because it's something that I think is one of the key differentiators between great leaders and good leaders. And have you ever noticed how some people seem to get all the recognition while other people, maybe like you, are working just as hard, but you seem to be invisible?So today we're going to crack that open. How the—it's called a leadership blind spot, but essentially how it's probably affecting you right now in terms of the power of your weekly updates that you send to your boss. And if you're not sending weekly updates to your boss already, then that's step one. But step two is: how do we make those impact—those updates as impactful as possible so you get the recognition you deserve?
So let's get into it. You know, here's something that stopped me in my tracks recently. [01:28] I was working with two managers, the same level in the same company, and they were essentially working on pretty much the same stuff, both in sales. And one got promoted twice over an 18-month period, and the other is still sitting in that same job, waiting for their big break. And so the—I I started getting interested in in why. What was going on here, and what was one doing differently to the other one when they ostensibly were doing the same thing?
And the fa—the fascinating bit was the quality of what they were producing was basically the same. The only difference that they had was the way they were communicating it, the way they were getting their message across to senior leadership. And and this is whe- where it gets really interesting, because you right now are probably showing your boss that you're really good at getting stuff done. [02:22] You are, you know, ticking things off lists, you've got goals that you're smashing out the park, but what you're focusing on is the emphasis on completing tasks versus creating value.
And this is a this is a subtle, nuanced difference, but when you think about it, when you send your weekly update, are you telling your boss that you're really busy and you're getting lots of stuff done? Or are you telling your boss about the impact on the business that you've had during the course of that week? So, you know, th- this is an interesting question: what are you sharing in the way you're talking to your boss?
Communicating Business Impact
[03:00] JIMMY: So let me give you one example. You might have done a team meeting where you identified some new ideas or some new practices that you could do. And so if you send in your boss's update, "Team meeting done. Some interesting stuff happened, and I'll tell you about it in our one-on-one," you've just told your your boss that you had a team meeting and it was interesting.Whereas, if you were to say, "We had a team meeting specifically focused on cutting our response times to key clients, reducing it from a minimum of five to a minimum of two days, and we're also giving more empowerment to the team members to free up about 15% of my week, where I would be involved in making those decisions. Now we've given them authority." Now you're speaking the language of business impact. You've delegated some some things that you'd previously been doing that were are now freeing you up for more strategic work. You've empowered your team, you've developed them, and you've done some really great work in terms of customer response times.
[03:59] And so this is this is that key shift, right? And what fascinates me about high-impact leaders is that they're not really doing any different things to what you're doing. They just look and communicate about their work in a completely different way. They're constantly asking themselves this question that changes everything: What shifted in the business because of what I did? And what is the next shift I can make that's going to make the biggest impact?
You know, it's like putting on a set of X-ray glasses or seeing something from a different angle. You see beyond the activity that you're involved in, and you start focusing on the value you're creating. We talk about this a lot in Amplify. We use the PVC model, and it's really, where is the value in what I'm doing, and what's the value of me being involved?
Here's the kicker: most leaders never make this shift. And it costs them everything. Costs them the promotions, means they're busier and busier, because their boss is not seeing the impact. You know, if you're a leader who's been said been told, [05:01] "You need to step up, you need to be more strategic," that's not your boss saying you need to do higher-faluting things. It's your boss saying, "I'm not really seeing the impact of what you're doing. It looks to me like you're being tactical, and we need to change that."
The 1% Shift Challenge
[05:13] JIMMY: So here's my challenge for you: Pull up the last update you sent to your boss, and pause this podcast if you need to, but take a look at it and how you reported the information you sent. Were you reporting tasks completed, or were you reporting business value or business impact? If your boss is going to read it and see a task completer, you know what the the source of the problem is now.And be honest with yourself. If there's a little bit of discomfort or you're feeling a little bit cringey about what you're reading now, that's just the gap between where you are right now and where you could be with a very small change. You know, we talk about those 1% changes—this is a 1% change. So go through your report to your boss, where is the rewrite that's going to make you come across as super impactful? So if you're ready for that shift, [06:01] have a go.
This is Jimmy Burroughes, and if this episode has made you think a little bit differently about the way you communicate, you're just scratching the surface of what's actually possible for you.
Outro
[06:14] ANNOUNCER: That's it for this week's episode of *The High Performance Leader*. If you enjoyed this episode, please drop a review on whichever platform you listened on. We really appreciate it, and it helps us to connect with new listeners. Also, if you haven't already, head to jblhighperformance.com and download a copy of my latest best seller, *Beat Burnout, Ignite Performance*. It's the leader's playbook for building a high-performance culture, and is packed with practical action tips to get you started. Stay tuned for next week's episode of game-changing insights and ideas on *The High Performance Leader*.Here is the verbatim transcript of the podcast episode:
***
So today we're going to crack that open. How the—it's called a leadership blind spot, but essentially how it's probably affecting you right now in terms of the power of your weekly updates that you send to your boss. And if you're not sending weekly updates to your boss already, then that's step one. But step two is: how do we make those impact—those updates as impactful as possible so you get the recognition you deserve?
So let's get into it. You know, here's something that stopped me in my tracks recently. [01:28] I was working with two managers, the same level in the same company, and they were essentially working on pretty much the same stuff, both in sales. And one got promoted twice over an 18-month period, and the other is still sitting in that same job, waiting for their big break. And so the—I I started getting interested in in why. What was going on here, and what was one doing differently to the other one when they ostensibly were doing the same thing?
And the fa—the fascinating bit was the quality of what they were producing was basically the same. The only difference that they had was the way they were communicating it, the way they were getting their message across to senior leadership. And and this is whe- where it gets really interesting, because you right now are probably showing your boss that you're really good at getting stuff done. [02:22] You are, you know, ticking things off lists, you've got goals that you're smashing out the park, but what you're focusing on is the emphasis on completing tasks versus creating value.
And this is a this is a subtle, nuanced difference, but when you think about it, when you send your weekly update, are you telling your boss that you're really busy and you're getting lots of stuff done? Or are you telling your boss about the impact on the business that you've had during the course of that week? So, you know, th- this is an interesting question: what are you sharing in the way you're talking to your boss?
Whereas, if you were to say, "We had a team meeting specifically focused on cutting our response times to key clients, reducing it from a minimum of five to a minimum of two days, and we're also giving more empowerment to the team members to free up about 15% of my week, where I would be involved in making those decisions. Now we've given them authority." Now you're speaking the language of business impact. You've delegated some some things that you'd previously been doing that were are now freeing you up for more strategic work. You've empowered your team, you've developed them, and you've done some really great work in terms of customer response times.
[03:59] And so this is this is that key shift, right? And what fascinates me about high-impact leaders is that they're not really doing any different things to what you're doing. They just look and communicate about their work in a completely different way. They're constantly asking themselves this question that changes everything: What shifted in the business because of what I did? And what is the next shift I can make that's going to make the biggest impact?
You know, it's like putting on a set of X-ray glasses or seeing something from a different angle. You see beyond the activity that you're involved in, and you start focusing on the value you're creating. We talk about this a lot in Amplify. We use the PVC model, and it's really, where is the value in what I'm doing, and what's the value of me being involved?
Here's the kicker: most leaders never make this shift. And it costs them everything. Costs them the promotions, means they're busier and busier, because their boss is not seeing the impact. You know, if you're a leader who's been said been told, [05:01] "You need to step up, you need to be more strategic," that's not your boss saying you need to do higher-faluting things. It's your boss saying, "I'm not really seeing the impact of what you're doing. It looks to me like you're being tactical, and we need to change that."
And be honest with yourself. If there's a little bit of discomfort or you're feeling a little bit cringey about what you're reading now, that's just the gap between where you are right now and where you could be with a very small change. You know, we talk about those 1% changes—this is a 1% change. So go through your report to your boss, where is the rewrite that's going to make you come across as super impactful? So if you're ready for that shift, [06:01] have a go.
This is Jimmy Burroughes, and if this episode has made you think a little bit differently about the way you communicate, you're just scratching the surface of what's actually possible for you.
Summary
In this episode of *The High Performance Leader*, Jimmy Burroughes explores the critical differentiator between good leaders and great leaders: communicating impact versus listing completed tasks. Drawing from a real-world case of two similarly skilled managers with drastically different career trajectories, Jimmy highlights how framing weekly updates around business value and strategic shifts rather than mere activity leads to recognition and promotion. He challenges leaders to review their communication habits and make the subtle "1% change" that highlights their true value.Key Quotes
"The only difference that they had was the way they were communicating it, the way they were getting their message across to senior leadership."
"What fascinates me about high-impact leaders is that they're not really doing any different things to what you're doing. They just look and communicate about their work in a completely different way."
"They're constantly asking themselves this question that changes everything: What shifted in the business because of what I did?"
"You see beyond the activity that you're involved in, and you start focusing on the value you're creating."
***
Introduction
[00:00] ANNOUNCER: Welcome to this episode of *The High Performance Leader*, the podcast for leaders working in complex, challenging environments to gain insights and ideas which help you increase your impact without burning out, and to help you build a high-performance culture in your team. I'm your host, Jimmy Burroughes. And if you're new to *The High Performance Leader*, make sure you subscribe or follow so you don't miss any of our upcoming episodes before you put down your device.The Blind Spot: Tasks vs. Value
[00:35] JIMMY: Welcome back to this week's episode. I have been thinking about this one a lot, and I really wanted to share this idea with you, because it's something that I think is one of the key differentiators between great leaders and good leaders. And have you ever noticed how some people seem to get all the recognition while other people, maybe like you, are working just as hard, but you seem to be invisible?So today we're going to crack that open. How the—it's called a leadership blind spot, but essentially how it's probably affecting you right now in terms of the power of your weekly updates that you send to your boss. And if you're not sending weekly updates to your boss already, then that's step one. But step two is: how do we make those impact—those updates as impactful as possible so you get the recognition you deserve?
So let's get into it. You know, here's something that stopped me in my tracks recently. [01:28] I was working with two managers, the same level in the same company, and they were essentially working on pretty much the same stuff, both in sales. And one got promoted twice over an 18-month period, and the other is still sitting in that same job, waiting for their big break. And so the—I I started getting interested in in why. What was going on here, and what was one doing differently to the other one when they ostensibly were doing the same thing?
And the fa—the fascinating bit was the quality of what they were producing was basically the same. The only difference that they had was the way they were communicating it, the way they were getting their message across to senior leadership. And and this is whe- where it gets really interesting, because you right now are probably showing your boss that you're really good at getting stuff done. [02:22] You are, you know, ticking things off lists, you've got goals that you're smashing out the park, but what you're focusing on is the emphasis on completing tasks versus creating value.
And this is a this is a subtle, nuanced difference, but when you think about it, when you send your weekly update, are you telling your boss that you're really busy and you're getting lots of stuff done? Or are you telling your boss about the impact on the business that you've had during the course of that week? So, you know, th- this is an interesting question: what are you sharing in the way you're talking to your boss?
Communicating Business Impact
[03:00] JIMMY: So let me give you one example. You might have done a team meeting where you identified some new ideas or some new practices that you could do. And so if you send in your boss's update, "Team meeting done. Some interesting stuff happened, and I'll tell you about it in our one-on-one," you've just told your your boss that you had a team meeting and it was interesting.Whereas, if you were to say, "We had a team meeting specifically focused on cutting our response times to key clients, reducing it from a minimum of five to a minimum of two days, and we're also giving more empowerment to the team members to free up about 15% of my week, where I would be involved in making those decisions. Now we've given them authority." Now you're speaking the language of business impact. You've delegated some some things that you'd previously been doing that were are now freeing you up for more strategic work. You've empowered your team, you've developed them, and you've done some really great work in terms of customer response times.
[03:59] And so this is this is that key shift, right? And what fascinates me about high-impact leaders is that they're not really doing any different things to what you're doing. They just look and communicate about their work in a completely different way. They're constantly asking themselves this question that changes everything: What shifted in the business because of what I did? And what is the next shift I can make that's going to make the biggest impact?
You know, it's like putting on a set of X-ray glasses or seeing something from a different angle. You see beyond the activity that you're involved in, and you start focusing on the value you're creating. We talk about this a lot in Amplify. We use the PVC model, and it's really, where is the value in what I'm doing, and what's the value of me being involved?
Here's the kicker: most leaders never make this shift. And it costs them everything. Costs them the promotions, means they're busier and busier, because their boss is not seeing the impact. You know, if you're a leader who's been said been told, [05:01] "You need to step up, you need to be more strategic," that's not your boss saying you need to do higher-faluting things. It's your boss saying, "I'm not really seeing the impact of what you're doing. It looks to me like you're being tactical, and we need to change that."
The 1% Shift Challenge
[05:13] JIMMY: So here's my challenge for you: Pull up the last update you sent to your boss, and pause this podcast if you need to, but take a look at it and how you reported the information you sent. Were you reporting tasks completed, or were you reporting business value or business impact? If your boss is going to read it and see a task completer, you know what the the source of the problem is now.And be honest with yourself. If there's a little bit of discomfort or you're feeling a little bit cringey about what you're reading now, that's just the gap between where you are right now and where you could be with a very small change. You know, we talk about those 1% changes—this is a 1% change. So go through your report to your boss, where is the rewrite that's going to make you come across as super impactful? So if you're ready for that shift, [06:01] have a go.
This is Jimmy Burroughes, and if this episode has made you think a little bit differently about the way you communicate, you're just scratching the surface of what's actually possible for you.
Outro
[06:14] ANNOUNCER: That's it for this week's episode of *The High Performance Leader*. If you enjoyed this episode, please drop a review on whichever platform you listened on. We really appreciate it, and it helps us to connect with new listeners. Also, if you haven't already, head to jblhighperformance.com and download a copy of my latest best seller, *Beat Burnout, Ignite Performance*. It's the leader's playbook for building a high-performance culture, and is packed with practical action tips to get you started. Stay tuned for next week's episode of game-changing insights and ideas on *The High Performance Leader*.Read more on this
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