5 Phrases That Make Leaders Remember Your Name
- Yas Ahmad
- Aug 22
- 2 min read
Leaders don’t remember every task you complete. They remember the stories you tell and the way you frame your impact. These 5 phrases are engineered to stick in decision-makers’ minds rooted in behavioural science and tested in real promotion meetings.
1. “The problem we solved was ___, and the impact was ___.”
Why it works: Framing your work as problem → solution → impact triggers the “endowment effect” in psychology leaders value you more because you made the business better, not just busier.
Example: “The problem we solved was a 12% customer churn rate, and the impact was an extra $1.2M in retained revenue.”
Now you’re not an employee, you’re a value creator.
2. “Here’s how this saves time/money for the team.”
Why it works: Leaders think in resources. Show efficiency, and you align with their mental model of success.
Example: “By automating the reporting process, we cut 5 hours of manual work per week, that’s 260 hours annually the team can reinvest in higher-value projects.”
Efficiency = leadership attention.
3. “If we scale this, here’s the upside.”
Why it works: This shifts you from executor to strategic thinker. Research on promotability shows leaders look for “future vision” over past effort.
Example: “If we scale this pilot process across three regions, it could reduce costs by 15% company-wide.”
You’re no longer just doing tasks — you’re proposing strategy.
4. “I’d love your advice on taking this further.”
Why it works: This triggers the “IKEA effect” in psychology: people value what they help build. By asking for input, you make leaders co-owners of your success.
Example: “I’d love your advice on how I could position this work for broader visibility, what would resonate most with the exec team?”
Now they’re invested in your growth.
5. “Here’s my vision for what comes next.”
Why it works: Vision casting activates authority bias. People naturally follow and elevate those who sound like they’re already leading.
Example: “Here’s my vision for what comes next: building a cross-functional task force to cut handover delays by 20%.”
Leaders remember people who talk in visions, not just updates.
Most employees get forgotten because they only share tasks. Leaders remember those who frame results, scale, and vision. Use these phrases consistently, and your name will come up in every promotion conversation.
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