Working with your manager
Tell people what you're getting better at
A micro habit for opening doors to development, and getting more direct feedback
Add “what I'm working on” to your next 1:1, share one or two things you're trying to get better at, and follow up with a short note.
- 10 minutes
- You and your manager
- Every month or two
- Conversation
Why this can work
People around you can't support your growth unless they know about it. When you say what you're working on, even casually, they know what to give you feedback on and can think of you when a chance to practice comes up. Often they'd never have guessed; a manager who dislikes public speaking may assume you do too.
Read moreHow to share development goals with your manager
You’ll come away with one or two people who know what you're working on and how to help.
- Pick one or two things.
What you're trying to get better at right now: running meetings, writing, estimating, speaking up. Check two things first. Would you want your manager to know, and could it plausibly be practiced where you work? If both are yes, it's a good one.
Tip: If your company can't offer it, it's still worth growing in. You may just look for practice elsewhere.
- Add it to your next 1:1.
A simple agenda item, what I'm working on. No grand declaration, just a heads-up.
To: your managerThanks for the time today. As I mentioned, here are a couple of things I'm working on getting better at lately: first thing and second thing.
If any feedback or chances to practice come to mind, I'd love to hear them.
Swap the highlighted parts for your thing. Works on Slack, in email, or said out loud. - Connect it to what the team needs, if it does.
If the skill helps with something your manager cares about, say so. It turns your goal into something they can use.
You“I think it would help with the planning reviews, since those tend to run long.” - Follow up in writing.
A short note afterward gives them something to come back to, and shows you meant it.
Tip: Signal effort, then invite support. That's the whole move.
Good times to repeat it: in your next 1:1when what you're working on changesa month or two later, with progress
Making it work for you
Every workplace is different. Here’s what to think about before you start, and what might get in the way.
Things to think about
People often assume others share their tastes, including their dislikes. Saying it out loud is sometimes the whole unlock.
What might make this harder
Keep it short, tie it to the team's work, and follow up in writing. Some managers engage more once they see it's concrete.
Questions people ask
Should I tell my manager what I want to improve?
Usually, if it's something you'd want them to know and something your company could plausibly help with. Managers can't point you to chances or feedback they don't know you want.
How do I bring up development goals in a 1:1?
Add a short agenda item, say what you're working on in a sentence or two, and ask them to tell you if they notice something or see a chance for you to practice.
What are good development areas to share at work?
Specific, practicable skills tend to work best, such as running meetings, writing proposals, or presenting to leadership. Vague ones like being more strategic are harder for others to help with.
Will sharing what I'm working on make me look weak?
It rarely does when framed as something you're actively working on. It tends to read as self-aware and invested.
Why this works, and where it comes from
A lot of people quietly work on getting better at something and wait to be noticed. The problem is that nobody around them knows what to notice. People can't support growth they don't know about. Your manager can't offer you a meeting to lead if they don't know you want one, and can't give useful notes on your writing if they don't know you're working on it.
Often what's in the way is plain assumption. A manager who dreads presenting may keep you away from it out of kindness, thinking they're sparing you. A peer who knows you're trying to get better at estimating will mention the estimate that looked off; one who doesn't will say nothing. When you say it out loud, you give the people around you permission, and a reason, to help.
The framing matters. Casual beats grand: a heads-up in a 1:1 lands more easily than a development plan. And where you can, connect it to what your manager or team is trying to do. When your growth helps them succeed, supporting it becomes easy. Some growth areas won't have a home at your company, and that's fine. Grow in them elsewhere and keep this conversation for the ones that can.
Signal effort, invite support. Then mention it again in a month or two with what you've tried. That follow-through is what turns a passing mention into something people remember about you.
Other simple things to consider
What to do next
More in Working with your manager
Help people get you
Do it with Truest and it goes on your permanent record, in a Career Vault your employer doesn’t own.
See how Truest worksAlready a member? Log in- Your growth areas, keptWhat you said you are working on getting better at sits on your Foundation page.
- How you work, written downWorking With Me turns how you work into a page you can point people to.
- A reminder beforePut it on your calendar and Truest reminds you before it starts.
Read this alongside your role page
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An exercise written by Truest, based on our experience. Last updated September 25, 2026. We sell a career membership; where that’s relevant above, we say so.