The idea of performative work and (or/versus) quiet work is a new thing to me. This is because I have lived my life assuming that everyone is actively living out or expressing their talents in service of the spaces that they are in and in every other lived experience. This wasn’t until I learned that in corporates, value delivered and value experienced is only synonymous with value that is seen! This follows a conversation with a colleague of mine that had been feeling unseen, unheard and undervalued given the amount of effort and work that they have been putting in. I understood as a friend and had some unsolicited advice on how to be seen right and ready at the tip of my tongue.
“That sounds so staged and exhausting, I have always thought that my work would speak for itself” they expressed, after I shared some of the things that have worked for me. As much as I agree with this perspective, I immediately thought: ‘well who would applaud at an amazing show if no-one had even seen it?’ And this took me back to being a typical stage kid growing up.
From reciting poetry, competing in debating and singing songs in choir and solo performances, being on stage is something I have been doing since I was 7 years old. It had me wondering who my colleague was in primary school; were they the quiet kid in the corner comfortable to get excellent grades without any additional focus on him? Or were they like me, exhausted by the performative nature of being an arts kid, and so choosing of a career path that did not require them to do that any longer? And a more important question was: what kind of person didn’t want to be centre stage and the loudest voice in the room?
My mind started racing about how many people in corporate spaces are struggling with something that I, for one, did not struggle with, and how this links deeply to what our own personal and professional brands are when it comes to this performative or quiet working experience.
So what are the hindrances to career visibility and growth and how can one work on them? I’m hoping to use this piece to interrogate and explore these questions both in my own experience, but also in the way that I have seen this manifest itself in others, right from the beginning of my career to today.
The trap of becoming unseen
Most people that have had the opportunity to be part of an internship or graduate programme would probably remember what a daunting experience it was, and certainly there are plenty of stories about what their scariest or most embarrassing moments are. And the one thing in common with either of these stories is how it required a leap out of the comfort zone and had an even bigger potential to expose them to being seen. I have found that this underlying discomfort or fear of being seen, is the first hindrance that carries over from one role to the next and slowly has people being unseen or being easily categorized as ‘not enthusiastic enough’ to be considered for career growth opportunities. So what is the alternative falling into this trap?
My approach was volunteering to present to our client at an in-person status meeting by running them through the major programs that I was still getting up to speed about. The nerves seemed reasonable given the circumstances, what with being the youngest person in the room and seemingly the most inexperienced speaker as well – at least that is what I went into that room assuming (and I was right about one of those, but we will get to that part later).
By the end of the meeting, I had managed to run through the status, answer some questions, and escalate those that needed more context to my business unit director and fellow seniors in the room. I was ready to rush out and head back to our office when the client’s senior account director asked to speak to me before I could dash off. Nervous and curious, I obliged, and we walked over to the coffee counter. We grab a coffee and a seat, and she starts off with a compliment, “You have such a strong command and ownership of yourself, and it shows in how you led that meeting – well done!”
That must be one of the best compliments that I have ever received, and it has stuck with me today. First, because of how much I admired her at the time and still today, and second, because in any other public speaking engagement I have had, I always go back to that moment to remind myself of my capabilities. We went on to chat through all kinds of career advice that she shared with me, unsolicited, that I have kept in my back pocket and used over the years and will share here too –
Three tips for integrating 'performative' work into your day-to-day:
1 - Draw parallels for relevance
In conversations about why performative work is hard, it’s usually how awkward tooting your own horn is when it has nothing to do with what is being discussed at the time. It’s on you to weave the strings between how the value that you have successfully delivered before can lend to the value that is being looked for in the moment, and the ways that you can do this.
2 - Lean in with curiosity and enthusiasm
Sometimes it takes being curious about a project, a campaign, an approach or sometimes the parts that you don’t know enough about and are keen enough to admit your interest in learning more. This sets you apart from the quiet ‘I don’t know and I don’t want to be seen as the person that doesn’t know’ to the ‘I don’t know and I value growth in this area over comfort with where I am’. A disclaimer on this: if you can take some time to do your own research on things, consider that first, or seek out a subject matter expert to guide you.
3 - Use your best and unique skills when they’re needed the most
It’s so easy to sit silently with your secret talents and assume there is someone else in the room who can get the job done, but sometimes that person is you and it takes putting your hand up to offer support or leading on something for those talents to come to the forefront.
Now of course these actions are not expected to come easy to people who would identify as introverts or simply have not had any or enough practice doing any of this, but if there is one thing that I have taken from my experience, it’s seeing the real value of practice making room for improvement. That is the driver and most encouraging thing that I imparted to my colleague, and it has trickled into my conversations with family and friends too.
For anyone courageous enough to get out of their comfort zone, even temporarily, and are willing to try something different, this might be what makes all the difference a few months down the line when you observe where you were before you did it and where you are afterwards.
I would have never thought that stage presence and command would be useful in the workplace – at least not in the way that would set me up for the aforementioned meeting and all other meetings going forward – and how it helped to shape the performative work that kept me visible. It has made me aware of the many other hidden talents I suspect we all contain that would come in handy in both the workplace and other spaces in our lives.
So which talents are lying dormant within you that are waiting to be showcased and will you be courageous enough to bring them out, even just for a moment?
This article was kindly contributed by one of our fantastic community members. You can find out more about her below!
Keketso Sedibe-Moeng
Brand Program Manager, LSEG
Keketso has over 10 years of experience in advertising and marketing, in both agency and client-side roles. She worked with dozens of South African brands before joining global financial services organisation Refinitiv, now LSEG Data & Analytics. She currently leads on the implementation of brand campaigns and initiatives at LSEG.
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