Have you ever poured hours into a project, building the dashboards, cleaning the data, fixing the process only to watch someone else get the recognition? Maybe your manager presented your work as their own. Maybe a teammate repeated your idea and suddenly it was “brilliant.” Or maybe leadership praised “the sales team” without realizing you were the one behind the scenes making it possible.

It stings. And after it happens enough, you start to shrink back. “Maybe it’s not worth speaking up. Maybe I don’t need the credit.”

But here’s the truth: recognition isn’t optional. It’s not ego, and it’s not bragging. Recognition is directly tied to your career growth, your confidence, and the respect you earn inside the business.

For women in Sales Ops, taking credit can feel especially uncomfortable but it’s a skill you can and should learn. And when you do, you’ll start to feel a shift: your work is seen, your voice is heard, and your value is undeniable.

Why Taking Credit Feels So Hard

Sales Ops sits in a unique position. The role exists to make others successful. Sales reps, managers, executives. By design, you’re behind the scenes. And because you’re not customer-facing, your wins aren’t as visible.

But there are other layers, too:

• The support-role trap. Sales Ops is often labeled as “support,” which makes it easy for others to overlook the impact.
• Social conditioning. Many women are taught to downplay their wins, to be helpful but not “too loud.”
• The guilt factor. Taking credit feels like bragging, or worse, like stealing the spotlight.

No wonder it feels easier to let the recognition slide. But here’s the problem, staying silent has a cost.

The Cost of Staying Silent

When you don’t advocate for yourself, a few things happen:

• Your work gets overlooked in performance reviews.
• Promotions and raises pass you by.
• Others get credit for your contributions, which chips away at your confidence.
• Invisibility becomes the norm.

And the cycle continues.

Taking credit isn’t selfish. It’s the key to breaking this cycle. Because when you show the value of your work, you’re not just helping yourself, you’re also helping the company understand what Sales Ops really brings to the table.

Reframing Credit as Contribution

One of the biggest mindset shifts is this: taking credit is not about ego. It’s about contribution.

Think of it this way:

• It’s not “I’m amazing.” It’s “Here’s what I contributed that moved us forward.”
• It’s not bragging. It’s stating facts.
• It’s not stealing the spotlight. It’s stepping into the light you’ve already earned.

Examples of reframing:

• “I led the project that reduced manual entry by 30%.”
• “The dashboard I designed helped us spot pipeline risk earlier.”
• “The new workflow I built sped up onboarding by two weeks.”

Each statement highlights impact, not ego.

Small Actions to Practice Taking Credit

Like confidence, self-advocacy builds through small, consistent steps. Here are a few to try with examples of how simple it can look in real life.

1. Bring It Into 1:1s

Start with private conversations. Share your wins with your manager during regular check-ins.

What this can look like:

• “I redesigned the reporting template this week, and it cut update time by 20%.”
• “The dashboard I built helped us spot pipeline risk earlier, I’m excited it worked.”
• “The process I set up for new accounts is saving the team a lot of back-and-forth.”

Why it works: It eases you into the practice without the pressure of a larger audience. And it gives your manager language they can use to advocate for you in the room when you’re not there.

2. Highlight Process, Not Just Results

Don’t just say, “We closed a big deal.” Say, “The reporting process I designed helped us identify that upsell opportunity early.”

What this can look like:

• “Because of the automation I set up, we caught that renewal earlier than expected.”
• “The way we structured territories helped us spot whitespace for expansion.”
• “My clean-up of the CRM made it possible to see accurate pipeline this quarter.”

Why it works: It connects the outcome directly to your contribution, making the invisible visible.

3. Document Your Wins

Keep a “win list.” A simple running document of your projects, fixes, and contributions.

What this can look like:

• A Google Doc where you add one line each week about what you improved.
• A private Slack channel where you drop screenshots of praise or outcomes.
• Notes in your calendar reminding you of completed projects.
• A folder of before-and-after visuals (messy CRM vs. cleaned CRM).

Why it works: When review season comes, you have proof at your fingertips. It also helps you see your own progress, which builds confidence.

4. Speak in Meetings, Not Just Emails

When you share work over email, it’s easy for your name to disappear. Practice presenting even small updates out loud in meetings.

What this can look like:

• “I wanted to quickly walk through the dashboard I created before we dive into the numbers.”
• “One update from my side, I set up an automation that reduced the support tickets we get.”
• “Here’s what I noticed in the data this week that might help us prioritize.”
• “I’d love to give context on how we got to this result.”

Why it works: Verbal recognition sticks more. When people hear your voice with the win, they associate you with the impact.

Scripts You Can Steal

Sometimes the hardest part of self-advocacy is knowing what to say. Here are a few simple, non-awkward scripts you can use:

• “I pulled together the reporting that helped us spot this trend.”
• “The process I designed made onboarding smoother for the team.”
• “I’m proud of how the dashboard we built improved forecast accuracy.”

Why it works: These are factual, concise, and clear. They position you as the contributor without exaggeration.

Final Thoughts: Owning Your Work, Owning Your Worth

Taking credit isn’t selfish. It’s self-respect.

When you own your wins, you’re telling the truth about the value you bring. You’re showing leadership what Sales Ops really does. And you’re building a career where your contributions are seen, heard, and rewarded.

Your work already matters. Now it’s time for you to matter just as much.

Ready to Take the Next Step?

If you’re ready to practice speaking up, presenting your work, and owning your impact in a fun, supportive space, that’s exactly what we do inside my workshops.

👉 Click here to learn more and get updates on upcoming trainings

Let’s Keep the Conversation Going

Have you ever struggled to take credit for your work? I’d love to hear your story. Drop a comment below, send me an email, or DM me on Instagram, I’d love to chat!