YOUR WORK DOES NOT SPEAK FOR ITSELF—YOU DO

Gillis presents a new game plan for enhancing employees’ value to employers.

At the heart of this book is a process dubbed QTNT (an abbreviation for “quotient”), described by its creator as “pure simplicity” (though it does involve some arithmetic). QTNT employs a tool called the Accomplishments Inventory, which employees at all levels can use to determine their Personal Value Calculation (PVC). This information in hand, they can then “land terrific jobs, pay increases, advancement, and bonuses commensurate with their performance by producing these ‘living’ documents at the appropriate time.” Central to this project is Gillis’ contention that workers can’t rely on other people speaking up for them—they must do it themselves, and they should use QTNT to quantify that act and have the figures ready to hand. “Maintain a professional inventory of your ‘wins,’” Gillis writes. “No matter how large or how small, over time they add up.” Using math in addition to case studies, the author breaks down ways in which employees can map their own activities onto a company’s profits and growth and use PVC to identify their own contributions, all with the goal of strengthening their positions when it comes to seeking advancement in the form of raises or promotions. The appearance of mathematical calculations might be daunting for some readers, but the tone of brisk confidence Gillis uses throughout will convince his audience that self-advocacy is the only kind that actually yields results. (The author bluntly dismisses traditional performance appraisals given by employers: “They don’t work.”) One canny and effective move he makes is to stress to employers that it’s in their own best interests to promote QTNT among their staff. “Let them know this is not a competition,” Gillis writes. “This is about adopting an accomplishment mindset with a potential payout on the other side.”

A sometimes technical but ultimately stirring call to sing your own praises in the workplace.