Your Hard Work Does Not Speak For Itself

But first...

Cool, If Real

Gaussian splats based on memories (Watch the video here)

Scroll to the end to see if this is real.

Becoming Dauntless

Ever notice how the most brilliant people in the room are often the quietest about their wins? And how annoying it is when someone mediocre gets all the praise?

Too many smart, driven, good-hearted people, especially in highly technical or creative roles, assume that if they deliver great work, someone will notice. Maybe a boss will advocate for them or an industry publication will write about them.

But more often than not, your best work, and you, stay invisible unless you put it out there.

I saw this play out recently on LinkedIn. A woman posted that she’d spent years delivering top results as an employee, mentoring others, and being the go-to person on her team. Then she got laid off. After all that effort, no one reached out with support, referrals, or even a kind word. She was devastated. Why? Because she’d outsourced her reputation management. Her employer and coworkers held the keys to her story, and when they moved on, so did her visibility.

Here’s the core truth: Your hard work will not speak for itself. You have to give it a voice.

At Dauntless XR, I'm living this right now. We’re about to launch Flight Deck, a mixed reality pilot training platform that’s going to change how pilots learn foundational flying skills. We could publish it on Quest and hope someone stumbles across it. But if we don’t talk about it, no one will know it exists, no matter how game-changing it is.

We built Flight Deck in two weeks, so we haven't had a lot of time to document the journey, but here's the checklist we worked from to ensure work gets seen (and valued):

1. Own your narrative. Don’t wait for someone else to tell your story or wait until you get that pink slip. Do not outsource your reputation management. Share what you’re building, learning, or solving, before you need the recognition. Remember, reputation is what people say about you when you're not in the room. Most people are shocked that it's not snarky whispers, but dead silence.

2. Break It Down. Complexity isn’t a barrier; it’s an opportunity. Use analogies, stories, and clear language to make expertise accessible.

3. Share consistently, not just when you’re job hunting or launching. Posting once a quarter won’t cut it; share something every day. Build a habit of sharing progress, lessons, and even the messy middle.

4. Don’t confuse visibility with vanity. Posting about your work isn’t about being an “influencer.” Treat online presence as the equivalent of publishing a paper, giving a keynote, or being quoted in a magazine.

If you want to ensure that your work gets the attention it deserves, focus on sharing your progress, insights, lessons learned, and even your wildest ideas.

If you're ready to start but need a little push, check out the Write Like a CEO System Prompt I engineered based on my time as a professional journalist. Personalize it in a few minutes and show your AI of choice how to share your expertise with clarity and authority.

Stay dauntless out there,

Lori-Lee

PS: Want more insights like this? Subscribe to the newsletter and never miss an edition.

🎥 Cool if Real: This is digital art, and not a real product [yet]. The artist is Benjamin Bardou. Check out more of his amazing work here.