The Invisible Skill That Drives Promotions, Raises, and Respect
Level Up Your Career: Built Daily
Welcome to the first edition of my newsletter.
Whether you found me through a friend, a video, or just stumbled across the site late at night wondering, "How do I actually grow in my career?" — I want you to know you're in the right place.
Because here's the truth they don't tell you in school:
Your career isn't built in one giant leap. It's built daily.
One moment of clarity. One smart conversation. One documented win at a time.
And if you're not writing those down? You're leaving money, momentum, and mentorship on the table.
Let me explain.
You're Being Graded. Whether You Know It or Not.
Every week, your manager is mentally sorting their team into buckets:
Star performer
Steady contributor
Or...forgettable
Harsh? Maybe.
But here's what makes it worse: 62% of managers only remember the last 2-3 weeks of your work.
So if you did something amazing back in March? If it’s not documented—and shared strategically—it doesn’t exist.
Welcome to the hidden game of performance.
It doesn’t just matter what you do. It matters who remembers you did it—and how they talk about it when you’re not in the room.
That’s why I teach something called the Performance Journal.
Think of it like a highlight reel you update as you go. It tracks the wins you’d otherwise forget, so when review season hits—you’re not scrambling.
This Isn't Corporate Brown-Nosing. It's Career Strategy.
If you've ever thought:
"I shouldn't have to brag. My work should speak for itself."
I get it.
That was me in my 20s, too.
But what I learned — sitting on promotion committees, reviewing compensation plans, managing $400M portfolios and leading 150-person organizations — is that documented, visible work gets rewarded. Period.
This doesn't mean shouting your success. It means sharing progress clearly. It means making it easy for your manager to advocate for you.
And it starts with a simple journal.
What to Expect From This Newsletter
Each week, I'll send you one clear insight—something you can apply immediately in your professional life.
Sometimes it'll be about career strategy. Sometimes it'll be mindset. Sometimes it'll be a practical system, like how to run better meetings or write a killer end-of-year review.
Always, it will be actionable. And always, it will be real.
Because you've got too much potential to be stuck.
This is the place we unstick it.
Your Move This Week
Create a simple doc. Title it: Performance Journal - [Your Name]
Add today's date. Jot down three things:
What did I accomplish today?
What impact did it have?
What did I learn?
That’s it.
Do it again tomorrow.
And again the next day.
You do this for a week? You’ll already be ahead of 90% of your peers.
You do it for a month? You’ll walk into your next review with confidence, clarity, and a ready-made case for a raise or promotion.
Let’s build this thing.
Talk soon,
Shawn
P.S. Want to go deeper? Check out my Foundations Course — built specifically for young engineers and scientists navigating the first decade of their careers. It's everything I wish someone had taught me at 22.
