In a recent LinkedIn post, Jill Avey explores a critical, yet often overlooked, factor impacting career advancement: the importance of completing projects. Avey argues that unfinished work, even if nearing completion, remains invisible to decision-makers responsible for promotions, ultimately hindering professional growth.
Avey highlights a common scenario where individuals have multiple projects in progress, many of which are “sitting at 80%.” These include tasks like partially completed rebuilds, successful pilots that never expanded, or reports that are perpetually “one review away.” While acknowledging that this represents real work, Avey stresses that until a project is finalized, it offers nothing tangible for senior leaders to acknowledge.
“But until something is finished, there is nothing for anyone to say about it.”
The Cost of Invisibility
The core of Avey’s argument centers on the concept of visibility within an organization. When promotion decisions are being made, senior leaders often have limited time and information to assess candidates. As Avey points out, in these crucial moments, a brief summary of an individual’s accomplishments is sought.
If an individual has numerous projects stalled at the 80% mark, they lack a concise, impactful statement to offer. Avey writes:
“You have eight things at 80%. There is no sentence in that. So they say you are a strong operator.”
This label, “strong operator,” is described by Avey as a euphemism for someone whose results cannot be easily articulated. According to Avey, this lack of a clear, finished result is precisely what can keep an individual off the promotion list.
Crafting the “Promotion Sentence”
To combat this, Avey proposes a proactive strategy: focusing on completing one key project and articulating its impact. She advises individuals to identify a project with a compelling potential outcome and write the “sentence somebody else would say about it once it is done.”
Avey provides a concrete example:
“She rebuilt the reporting stack and cut the monthly close from nine days to four.”
In Avey’s view, such a sentence, which can only exist once work is fully completed, is what gets remembered and repeated in meetings where the individual is not present. She urges professionals to prioritize finishing projects completely, rather than leaving them “most of the way.”
Shifting from Tactical to Strategic
Avey connects the act of project completion to a broader career narrative. She suggests that consistently finishing work and articulating its impact helps position an individual as someone who can “think, communicate and operate strategically.” This strategic perception is vital for moving beyond tactical execution to leadership roles.
Avey concludes by emphasizing that unfinished work can weigh individuals down, while finished work, even if celebrated by others in one’s absence, contributes positively to their reputation. She encourages readers to focus on bringing projects to full completion to ensure their contributions are recognized and valued at the highest levels.
📝 About This Content
This article is based on insights shared by Jill Avey on LinkedIn.
📅 Originally posted on August 2, 2026 | View original post on LinkedIn →