Just got promoted after 18 months of being the quiet one in meetings

I used to sit through every weekly standup without saying a word, just taking notes. Finally started speaking up three months ago after my manager hinted I was invisible. Yesterday they moved me from junior dev to mid-level at a small agency in Austin. Has anyone else had to force themselves to talk more to get noticed?

3 comments

3 Comments

phoenix2462d ago

Huh, I actually see it a bit different though. Being the quiet one who takes notes can show you're paying attention and processing things deeply, which is valuable in its own way. Not everyone needs to be the loudest voice in the room to be noticed, but I'm glad it worked out for you.

knight.felix10h ago

Yeah, I get what you're saying about the note taking thing. For me, I had to learn the hard way that being the quiet note taker got me respect from a few people but not from the ones making promotion decisions. What worked for me was picking one or two things per meeting to speak up about, even if my voice shook a little. I'd jot down my thought, wait for a pause, and just say it out loud. After a while it got easier and people started looking my way when they needed input. So I think it's both things - you can be the deep thinker who takes notes, but you also gotta throw a few comments out there so the bosses know you're thinking.

oliverhernandez2d ago

Read something a while back about how quiet people in meetings actually tend to absorb more information because they're not busy planning what to say next. @phoenix246 is right that being the note taker shows you're paying attention, but the problem is managers don't always connect that to leadership potential. They see the loud people and assume those are the ones driving things forward. So yeah, you kind of have to push yourself to talk if you want to move up, even if it feels fake at first. I had a mentor tell me once that you can be the smartest person in the room but if nobody hears you, it does not count. Sounds like you found that balance finally, good on you.