The Invisible Work That Builds National Visibility

The Myth of “Doing Enough”

If you’re an early-career academic physician, you’ve probably had this thought:

“I’m giving great talks. I’m publishing. I’m showing up at conferences. Why am I not being asked to serve nationally?”

It’s a lonely and discouraging place to be. You scroll through the program for your specialty’s annual meeting and see names of people you trained with, or even taught, yet your name isn’t there. You start to wonder:

• Am I doing something wrong?
  
• Do I just not have the right connections?
  
• Maybe I’m not as good as I thought I was…
  

That nagging self-doubt can chip away at your confidence. You’ve invested so much time in the visible work such as presentations, manuscripts, and local leadership roles, and still it feels like you’re invisible to the larger academic community.

What I have learned: the work that gets you noticed isn’t always the work on stage or in print. Much of the visibility you’re seeking comes from the invisible work behind the scenes. And here’s the good news. This works. I’ve seen it transform my own career and the careers of hundreds of physicians I’ve mentored and coached.

What Invisible Work Really Looks Like

Invisible work doesn’t mean busywork. It means contributing in ways that build trust and relationships over time. These are the kinds of efforts that your colleagues quietly notice and remember when opportunities come up.

• Reaching out after conferences: Not just meeting someone at a poster session, but following up with an email, sharing your slides, or offering to collaborate.
  
• Joining working groups and committees: These smaller groups often have a big influence on who gets recommended for bigger roles.
  
• Peer reviewing or mentoring others quietly: Offering to review a junior colleague’s paper or helping someone else shine often gets noticed in ways you can’t predict.
  
  

Example 1 – Volunteering without a title: Early in my career, I had a real passion for medical student education. I wasn’t on a committee and didn’t have a title, but I approached the Academy’s education coordinator and offered to help. That small step led to an invitation to join an education steering committee. Later, I was recommended as chair of another group. I even ended up collaborating on presentations and coaching projects with colleagues I met there years later.

Example 2 – Peer reviewing quietly: I once agreed to review several manuscripts for a journal in my field, even though it was time-consuming and completely behind the scenes. Over time, those editors came to know me as reliable, thoughtful, and consistent. That credibility eventually led to being asked to serve on the editorial board and later as an Associate Editor, roles that raised my national profile and helped me get promoted.

Example 3 – Guideline and policy work: A colleague of mine leaned into service on committees that handled coding, insurance coverage, and national guidelines. It wasn’t glamorous work, but it was essential to the business of medicine. Because he consistently showed up and contributed, he became a go-to person when societies needed expertise, which positioned him as a leader in shaping national practice standards.

👉 That’s the power of invisible work. You start small, but you create ripples that grow into national visibility. And I’ve watched this same process work for hundreds of my friends and clients.

When You Need to Make Invisible Work Visible

Sometimes, invisible work doesn’t pay off until you shine a light on it.

Early in my career, I had a mentor who was supportive and collaborative. I wrote chapters, co-authored articles, and did the behind-the-scenes work that helped his projects succeed. But I wasn’t being put forward for courses or talks.

Finally, I asked him why. He was surprised. It had never occurred to him that those opportunities were one of my goals. Once I said it out loud, he was more than happy to sponsor me.

👉 The lesson? Don’t assume your mentors know your goals. And don’t be afraid to ask for sponsorship.

When I teach this to early-career physicians, the result is almost always the same. They have that one conversation, and suddenly the doors open. It’s not magic. It’s strategy.

Imagine This

Picture opening the program for your national meeting and seeing your name listed as a speaker. Imagine the email inviting you to serve on a guideline panel or to co-chair a committee. Think about how it will feel when colleagues introduce you not just as a great clinician or researcher, but as a recognized leader in your field.

That moment doesn’t happen by accident. It’s built on the quiet, steady, invisible work you’re willing to do, and the courage to make your goals known. I’ve seen it work for me, and it can work for you too.

What to Do Next 

Pick just one of these strategies and implement it this week:

1. Follow up with three new contacts from the last conference you attended.
   
2. Volunteer for a committee in your professional society.
   
3. Tell your mentor what you want so they can sponsor you.
   
4. Track your invisible work in your CV or promotion packet.
   
5. Say yes strategically to opportunities that align with your career goals.
   

The invisible work you do today, and the conversations you have about it, can set the stage for the visibility you want tomorrow.

And if you’d like to bring this mindset to your whole department, my coaching programs are designed to help teams support each other’s goals and build collective visibility. Because when one person’s invisible work pays off, it raises the reputation of the entire group.

"Doing great talks and publishing but still invisible? Learn the invisible work that builds national visibility in academic medicine, plus five proven strategies physicians use to get noticed, promoted, and sponsored."