Author: Mara Ellison
-
Invisible Versus Visible Work: The Labor That Keeps Things Running Without Ever Being Seen
Invisible Versus Visible Work: The Labor That Keeps Things Running Without Ever Being Seen I did not always know how to describe the kind of work that left me tired without leaving much proof…
-
Why My Job Involves More Caretaking Than My Title Suggests
I didn’t enter this role planning to take care of people. But somewhere along the way, that’s what my day began to feel like. Before the Shift When I started, I thought my job…
-
Why Supporting Other People’s Work Became My Full-Time Job
I never intended for most of my hours to go toward other people’s work—but gradually, that’s exactly what happened. Before I Noticed How It Added Up At first, supporting others felt like occasional collaboration.…
-
Why “Glue Work” Keeps Teams Running but Rarely Gets Credit
There’s a kind of work that holds everything together—but it almost never gets referenced as the thing that makes anything work at all. Before I Had a Name for It I didn’t call it…
-
Why Feedback Stopped Feeling Like a Tool and Started Feeling Like a Judgment
On how feedback slowly shifted from information to evaluation of who I was. The Beginning of the Shift There was a moment when feedback felt like something functional—words meant to clarify, guide, or improve…
-
How I End Up Cleaning Up After Meetings That Aren’t Mine
No one ever told me I was the cleanup person—but I slowly realized that’s what I was doing. Before It Was “Cleanup” When a meeting ended, I used to close my laptop and move…
-
How Feedback Followed Me Even When No One Mentioned It Again
On how feedback lingers in the silence long after the voice has moved on. The Odd Afterlife of Feedback There have been moments when feedback was offered in a meeting, a message, a hallway…
-
Why I’m Always the One Taking Notes in Meetings
It didn’t start as an assignment, but somewhere along the way I became the unofficial recorder of everyone else’s conversations. Before Taking Notes Was “My Thing” In the early days of calls and meetings,…
-
What It’s Like Carrying Feedback Long After the Conversation Ends
What It’s Like Carrying Feedback Long After the Conversation Ends Quick Summary Some feedback does not end when the conversation ends. It keeps shaping attention, self-monitoring, and behavior long afterward. The lingering effect is…
-
Why I’m Praised for Being Supportive but Not Promoted for It
I hear “you’re so supportive” over and over, and yet it never seems to show up in any discussion of growth, opportunity, or advancement. Before I Noticed How Praise Worked When I first started…