Chapter 3 – What Counts as an Achievement?
If you’re like most professionals, you’ve probably had moments where you hesitated to apply for an award, ask for a promotion, or even update your LinkedIn profile—not because you lacked accomplishments, but because you weren’t sure what actually counts. It’s a common roadblock. We’re taught to value big, flashy wins, but in reality, expertise is built on many kinds of achievements—some loud, some quiet, but all meaningful.
This chapter is designed to expand your understanding of what constitutes an achievement. By the end, you’ll not only be able to identify the milestones you’ve already reached, but also begin curating them into a compelling narrative—your roadmap of expert credibility.
Rethinking the Word “Achievement”
The word “achievement” often brings to mind grand events: launching a company, hitting record-breaking sales, getting published in major journals, or speaking at global conferences. While these are certainly worth celebrating, they represent just one end of a wide spectrum.
In a professional context, an achievement is any contribution that:
- Solves a problem
- Creates measurable improvement
- Demonstrates innovation or leadership
- Positively impacts a team, company, customer, or community
If your actions have created a result, driven a change, or advanced a goal, that’s an achievement.
Types of Achievements That Matter
1. Performance-Based Achievements
These involve exceeding measurable expectations in your role:
- Surpassing sales targets
- Increasing operational efficiency
- Reducing customer churn
- Launching a new product or service
- Exceeding KPIs or project benchmarks
Example:
You led a software team that delivered a product 3 months ahead of schedule, saving the company $250,000.
2. Innovation and Problem Solving
These are achievements that involve creating or improving something:
- Designing a new process that saves time or money
- Implementing a tool that automates manual work
- Developing a creative marketing strategy
- Introducing a solution to a long-standing issue
Example:
You introduced a new data analytics dashboard that reduced weekly reporting hours by 50%.
3. Leadership and Team Impact
Achievements in this category involve your ability to influence people and culture:
- Mentoring or training team members
- Leading cross-functional collaboration
- Resolving conflicts or challenges
- Building team morale during a crisis
Example:
You managed a remote team across three time zones, achieving 95% project completion rate during a turbulent year.
4. Customer Success and Satisfaction
These achievements are especially valuable in service and sales roles:
- Retaining key accounts through excellent service
- Solving critical customer issues
- Increasing customer satisfaction ratings or NPS scores
Example:
You created a customer onboarding experience that increased retention by 40% in the first 90 days.
5. Recognition and Awards
Achievements that include being recognized by others, whether internal or external:
- Winning a Globee Award
- Being invited to speak at an event
- Receiving a promotion or public praise
Example:
You were honored with a Silver Globee Award for Innovation in Product Development.
6. Initiatives and Ownership
Sometimes the act of taking initiative is itself an achievement:
- Volunteering to lead a new company program
- Creating an internal resource that improved team knowledge
- Launching a community or employee group
Example:
You built a DEI mentorship program adopted company-wide within six months.
7. Content, Thought Leadership, and Influence
If you’re putting ideas into the world that impact others, that’s achievement, too:
- Publishing an article or blog post
- Leading a webinar or workshop
- Growing a professional community
- Becoming a go-to expert on a topic within your organization
Example:
You wrote a post on LinkedIn that went viral in your industry, leading to speaking opportunities.
How to Identify Hidden Achievements
Still unsure what to highlight? Use the following prompts:
- What challenge did I help my team or company overcome?
- What are others always thanking me for?
- When was the last time I went above and beyond my role?
- What do I do better than most people in my position?
- What process or idea did I improve?
You can also ask colleagues, managers, or even clients to help you identify your impact. Often, we are blind to the ripple effects of our own work.
Globee Awards Categories: A Mirror for Your Wins
One of the most useful tools for identifying achievements is to browse the Globee Awards categories, which span:
- Business Excellence
- Innovation
- Leadership
- Customer Service
- Technology
- Women in Business
- Cybersecurity
- Disruption
- Artificial Intelligence
By looking at how categories are defined, you’ll begin to see how your work fits in. Even if you’ve never thought of your success in terms of an award, reading these categories can help you realize, “Yes, I have done that.”
What Doesn’t Count (And Why That’s Okay)
Not every task or duty is an achievement. Simply “doing your job” without clear results or initiative isn’t necessarily roadmap material. That doesn’t mean those tasks aren’t valuable—they’re foundational. But your roadmap should focus on moments of impact.
For example:
- “Responded to emails daily” is routine.
- “Created a new system to manage support tickets and reduced response time by 30%” is an achievement.
Focus on the outcome, not the activity.
Building an Achievement Tracker
To prepare for recognition, start tracking your achievements. Use a simple spreadsheet or digital note system with these columns:
- Date
- Description
- Result/Impact
- Type of Achievement (e.g., innovation, leadership)
- Supporting Evidence (metrics, emails, testimonials)
This tracker becomes the foundation for your roadmap, your award nominations, and even your performance reviews or future promotions.
Elevating Everyday Wins
Sometimes what feels like “just doing my job” is actually extraordinary in context. For example:
- You maintained customer satisfaction at 95% in a year when the company was short-staffed.
- You ensured zero data breaches while managing security for a growing user base.
- You handled onboarding for 100 new hires during a company acquisition.
These stories are meaningful—and when framed correctly, they shine.
Use Your Roadmap to Inspire Others
Your roadmap isn’t just about you. Sharing your journey helps others:
- Understand what’s possible
- Recognize their own achievements
- Celebrate excellence as a team or company
If you’re a manager, consider helping your team build their own roadmaps. If you’re a mentor, use your story to teach others the value of reflection and recognition.
Awards Are Just the Beginning
Getting recognized by the Globee Awards is a powerful milestone—but it’s also just one point on your roadmap. The process of identifying, articulating, and organizing your wins will stay with you forever.
Whether you apply this to your resume, your business strategy, or your career planning, knowing what you’ve achieved helps shape where you’re going next.