Now, I am (like many Business Analysts) not a huge fan of blowing my own trumpet. I like to do my work quietly and well. On top of that, I am not a big talker, as I would much prefer being quiet and left by myself to dwell on my thoughts. Not all Business Analysts are like that, of course (hopefully not, because it comes with a host of challenges!). 

One of those challenges is being effective at getting the message out to the people who need to know what you can and have achieved. 

I have a story of when I was running a Business Analysis practice a few years ago. One of my team members came to see me every morning for a 5-10-minute chat about everyday things. We would start the conversation talking about the cats she was fostering or her commute that morning—just a bit of small talk. Then, we would move on to what she did the previous day and any issues she might be having. She almost never directly asked for assistance or anything like that; she just made sure that I knew exactly what she was doing, achieving, or having challenges with. Anytime there was a challenge she mentioned, she would assure me that I didn't need to do anything about it—she just wanted to mention it. 

She made sure I knew the good things she was doing, in a subtle and friendly way. We did this short routine every day and I never felt she was bragging or pushing herself for anything, yet I found myself promoting her over others. Why? Because I knew what she was doing and what she was achieving, and it was really that simple. Others had great things to say about her too, because of the same reason. She communicated enough to make sure people knew (plus, the right people knew) what she was doing, without having the reputation of being insincere, or bragging, or constantly chatting. 

On the other hand, I had another team member who would also come and talk to me almost every day. The conversations almost never had a clear point, and they were always negative and about problems. I found myself trying to avoid this person just because I didn't feel like having these pointless ongoing negative conversations—it was draining.

So, who would you think ended up receiving not only a huge increase but also a bonus? 

There were other great members in my team but all I knew of them was that they were too busy to make time to update me, and there was zero proactivity in terms of my relationships with those people. It was always me initiating and driving any conversations with them; they never took the initiative in any way to be proactive with anything that I was aware of. Where did they end up when it came to increases? Sadly, they ended up with good increases but not GREAT increases. The irony is that they probably worked harder than the person who came for a 5-10-minute chat every day or so.