How To Measure Your Impact -- and Advocate for Yourself
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Whether you're preparing for a performance review, applying for a promotion, or looking to grow within your current role, ask yourself two questions:
1. "How do I measure my impact?"
2. "When was the last time I advocated for myself?"
Chances are that you don't have good answers. Often, we are so focused on our day-to-day responsibilities that we don't have time to step back and think about how we can more effectively measure our impact or advocate for ourselves in the workplace. Effective performance management and self-advocacy must be a year-long, intentional process.
The summer months in higher education may, however, provide an opportunity for reflection and realignment. Now is the time to look back at how things went over the last year and to look forward with an eye toward which systems you can put in place to effectively measure your impact. Then, when it comes time to advocate for yourself, you have information available at your fingertips.
Measuring Your Impact
Measuring your impact starts with goal setting, which provides a framework for tracking progress. I have found S.M.A.R.T. goals (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound) to be an effective tool.
S.M.A.R.T. Goals take us from:
- I want to improve engagement between the administration and faculty.
To:
- I will design and implement a structured faculty engagement initiative by December 2026, that includes three listening sessions, a brief pulse survey with at least a 60% response rate, and a summary report with 3-5 actionable recommendations, shared with senior leadership within two weeks of completion.
Once goals are set, tracking and documenting performance is essential. The first step is establishing a tracking system. Two strategies come to mind:
- I have found a "monthly report" to be highly effective. For me, this has been a simple document, broken down by month, with a running list of major projects and accomplishments. I'd set a reminder on my calendar biweekly to update this document. Then, at the end of the year, I had a detailed list of accomplishments for my performance review. An added benefit is that when it came time to apply for a new job, I had specific examples of work and projects I could speak to in an interview or list as key accomplishments on my resume.
- Another strategy is an email folder. By filing or copying emails into a specific folder, you can keep a repository of projects that you can come back to. Personally, I maintain a "kudos" folder where I file positive responses or feedback, so it is easily accessible.
In today's shifting higher education landscape, metrics and data points are essential components for measuring your impact. By recording attendance for an event, money spent or saved on a project, or even email open and click rates, you translate your work into measurable outcomes. This data can tell a rich story, moving from a simple activity to outcomes and then impact.
An excellent tool for quantifying your impact is analyzing your calendar. Both and support exporting the events on your calendar into a spreadsheet (CSV file). Once your calendar is in a spreadsheet, you can simply analyze how you spend your time, with whom, and on what projects. For example, if you use categories or color coding on your calendar, you can do a quarterly review of how much time you are spending on a specific strategic initiative or part of your role.
Why Measuring Your Impact Matters
At the start of a new (calendar/fiscal/academic) year, now is the time to put these systems in place. Tracking your work isn't about keeping score or trying to justify your value. It's about having an organized history of your contributions. You're likely balancing many responsibilities and may not remember every project you organized, problem you solved, or extra task you managed. Keeping track of your achievements throughout the year makes it much easier to talk about your work during performance reviews or when a new opportunity or promotion may arise. Self-advocacy is most effective when supported by data, examples, and documented accomplishments.
Advocating For Yourself
Advocating for yourself is easier said than done. Described by one of my colleagues as "driving your own destiny," self-advocacy is an intentional, ongoing practice that requires work. Any advocacy begins with your manager and regular communication. One-on-one meetings are incredibly important, both for advancing your daily work and for having developmental conversations. A simple discussion framework that you can use to spark conversation is
- "Start --> New actions or behaviors that would improve performance.
- Stop --> Actions or behaviors that create friction, create barriers, or no longer add value.
- Continue --> Actions or behaviors that work well and should be reinforced."
Other questions you could ask your manager are:
- What are you working on?
- How can I help?
- What can I take on?
While the work of self-advocacy is continuous, one time that often feels the most natural to advocate for yourself is around your performance review. To make the most of this moment, be sure to dedicate time to:
- compiling and organizing data that shows your impact.
- reviewing a monthly report documenting your work.
- exporting your calendar to analyze how you are spending your time.
- reviewing your job description to see if it still reflects your responsibilities.
Sometimes advocating for yourself starts with strategically or . The Essentialism Academy's "" helps to set boundaries and priorities. I am also a big fan of Lauren Murrell's "." This resource provides specific recommendations for professional and clear email communication.
Finally, when advocating for yourself, make sure your priorities align with your institutional priorities. Mapping out how your request aligns with a strategy or strategic plan, or initiatives important to your office, reinforces the value proposition and return on investment.
Homework
Next week, I encourage you to block off some time to think through the following questions:
- What do you want to change?
- Does it require resources?
- What data supports your case?
- Who are the partners who can help advocate for you?
- What is your timeline?
- What is your first step?
In higher education, each of us helps students, faculty, staff, and others succeed. Taking time to measure your impact or advocate for your growth is not self-centered, but an important part of effective performance management and career development. Revisit the questions I posed at the beginning of this article. If you can answer those with confidence a year from now, you will be in a better position to shape the next chapter of your career.
