Episode 11. Why 'Work Speaks for Itself' Is a Trap for Women in Tech (Interview with Tanushree Panigrahy)
“Work doesn't really speak for itself. The people you work with do.”
Welcome to a special episode of Women Who Ship! Today, we are sharing a cross-post interview I recently did on Tanushree Panigrahy's podcast, Show What You Know. Tanushree spent 20 years leading high-stakes tech and consulting programs, and together we dive into a myth that quietly sabotages the careers of brilliant women in tech: the belief that hard work speaks for itself.
Many high-performing women were raised to believe that doing great work automatically leads to recognition and promotion. But in an industry built around public execution and high visibility, staying quiet about your wins often means staying invisible.
In this deep-dive conversation, we cover:
Social Conditioning vs. Tech Advancement: Why the behaviors women are taught growing up (don't brag, share credit, play small) are the exact opposite of what tech promotion calibrations reward.
Skill Gap vs. Visibility Gap: My personal story at Atlassian when I was told I "wasn't strategic enough," and how getting assignments in front of skip-level leaders changed everything.
The "Should" vs. "Proof" Promotion Trap: Why using promotions to prove your worth creates a fleeting fix, and how to build internal self-trust instead.
The Recognition Retro: How to spend 30 minutes every Friday overriding your brain's negativity bias and building a private evidence file for performance reviews.
The Recognition Squad: Why women are over-mentored and under-sponsored, and how to build a squad of mentors, sponsors, and coaches.
Low-Stakes Reps: The exact 2-part formula ("I did [action], which resulted in [impact]") to talk about your wins without feeling like you are bragging.
Your next steps:
Block 30 Minutes This Friday: Put a recurring appointment on your calendar for a Friday Recognition Retro.
Document 3 Wins: Write down 3 positive contributions from your week along with their specific impact on your team or business.
Practice One Low-Stakes Rep: Share one documented win with your manager or a trusted colleague in your next 1:1.
Free Resource Mentioned: Stop doing invisible glue work in silence! Download my free 5-step playbook Get Recognized at Work: 5 Steps to Document and Show Your Impact at go.coachsarahwilliams.com/recognition
Resources Mentioned:
Guest Podcast: Show What You Know hosted by Tanushree Panigrahy
Free Playbook: Get Recognized at Work: 5 Steps to Document and Show Your Impact at go.coachsarahwilliams.com/recognition
Subscribe & Share: If this episode resonated with you, share it with another brilliant woman in tech who is tired of being the industry's best-kept secret. Hit subscribe on Apple Podcasts or Spotify so you never miss an episode!
Let's go ship some good stuff together.
Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this episode are those of the host and guest alone and do not reflect the views of their respective employers.
Theme Music: The Success by Keys of Moon | https://soundcloud.com/keysofmoon Music promoted by https://www.chosic.com/free-music/all/ Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
