Build credibility, boost opportunities, and make your work work for you.
Hey, have you heard of performance currency? If not, keep reading—you need to know about this. It’s one of the most underrated yet powerful assets you can build in your career. And no, I’m not talking about your paycheck (though, trust me, it’ll impact that too).
So, what exactly is performance currency? Simply put, it’s the value you create through your work—the kind that opens doors builds your reputation, and sets you apart. I first learned about this concept from Carla A. Harris in her book Strategize to Win. She defines performance currency as:
Intellect + Experience + Strong Execution x Multiple Occurrences
In other words, being smart or experienced isn’t enough by itself. You have to execute at a high level—repeatedly. The more you do this, the more valuable your performance currency becomes. And just like money in the bank, performance currency has value. The more you have, the more leverage you gain to create opportunities, extend your influence, and increase your worth.
Ready to dig into performance currency a little deeper, why it matters, and why you should be stacking up on it.
What Drives Your Performance Currency?
Imagine performance currency as the professional version of good credit. Just like a strong credit score gives you access to better loans, a strong track record at work gives you better opportunities. The higher your performance currency, the more people trust you to handle more significant responsibilities, lead important projects, and be included in key decisions.
Your performance currency is built on three main factors.
Work Ethic
Your work ethic is the foundation of your performance currency. It’s the standards you set for yourself, such as being reliable and disciplined.
- Do you show up prepared?
- Do you take ownership of your responsibilities?
- Are you the person people trust to get things done?
A strong work ethic means you don’t just do the bare minimum, you bring effort, focus, and accountability every time. Without this, the rest doesn’t matter.
Consistency in Delivering Positive, Valuable, and Meaningful Results
One good day or an impressive project isn’t enough. Your results must be consistent and of high quality, adding real value and impact. Delivering subpar or ineffective work doesn’t just stall your progress—it actively devalues your performance currency. The key is to execute at a high level, over and over again.
Exceeding Expectations
Meeting expectations will keep you employed, but exceeding them is what builds your reputation. Are you just checking boxes, or are you delivering work that makes people take notice? Exceeding expectations doesn’t mean overworking yourself, it means being proactive, anticipating needs, and finding ways to add value beyond what’s required. The more you do this, the more people associate your name with excellence and trust you with more significant opportunities.
When you master these three, your name becomes synonymous with excellence. And once people start associating your work with quality, reliability, and impact, doors start opening.
Why Performance Currency Matters
It Builds and Extends Your Brand
Your reputation is your brand, and performance currency gives it weight. Every time you deliver exceptional work, you’re reinforcing the idea that you’re the person who gets things done. And trust me, people talk. Managers, executives, colleagues—everyone notices who’s pulling their weight and who isn’t.
When your name comes up in rooms where promotions, raises, and leadership roles are discussed, your performance currency ensures that the conversation is in your favor. It positions you as an asset to the organization, someone worth investing in.
It Creates Career-Defining Opportunities
High-performance currency opens doors that talent alone cannot. You can be brilliant, but if no one can vouch for your ability to deliver consistently, you’re not getting that seat at the table.
Opportunities don’t always go to the loudest person in the room; they go to the person who has proven their worth over and over again. Want that promotion? That leadership position? That game-changing career move? Build your performance currency, and you won’t have to beg for it—it’ll be offered to you.
It Increases Your Worth
Salary alone does not represent the entirety of your worth; your influence, leverage, and ability to negotiate are equally important. When you have strong performance currency, you gain the power to:
- Negotiate better pay and benefits
- Choose the projects you want to work on
- Have a say in key decisions
- Be sought after for promotions and leadership roles
Companies and leaders will want to invest in you when you are known as a high performer. They’ll do what it takes to keep you. And if they don’t? That performance currency makes you a hot commodity for someone else who will.
The Consequences of Not Having Performance Currency
Ok, now let’s talk about what happens when you don’t have performance currency.
- People overlook you. Promotions? Leadership roles? The big projects? They’ll go to someone else.
- You fight harder to be recognized. Without a strong track record, you must constantly prove yourself to get a foot in the door, much less a seat at the table.
- You lack leverage. Negotiating a raise or new opportunity becomes an uphill battle if you don’t have receipts showing your value.
- You become replaceable. When people can’t attach your name to excellence, it’s easier for them to move on without you.
Oh, and for women, especially Black and brown women, the margin for error is slim. We don’t always get the luxury of “figuring it out as we go.” We have to show up strong, prepared, and consistent. Performance currency isn’t just a nice-to-have—it’s a must-have for career survival and success.
How to Build and Maintain Your Performance Currency
Don’t burn yourself out earning performance currency by doing the most just to be seen. You want to be strategic, consistent, and intentional with how you show up. Here are a few things I did you might find helpful:
- Master the Basics, Then Go Beyond – Get exceptionally good at your job. Then, find ways to add value beyond your role.
- Stay Consistent – One great project won’t cut it. Build a reputation for delivering excellence over time.
- Speak Up and Advocate for Yourself – Don’t assume people know what you bring to the table. Make sure they see your results.
- Align Yourself with the Right People – Find mentors, sponsors, and allies who recognize your work and can help elevate your name in the right spaces.
- Be Proactive, Not Just Reactive – Don’t wait for assignments; seek out opportunities to contribute at a higher level.
Lastly, Make Performance Currency Work for You
If you take nothing else from this, remember: performance currency is what makes people bet on you. It’s what keeps your name in rooms you haven’t entered yet. It’s also in your control. No one can take away your work ethic, your consistency, or your ability to deliver. The more you invest in your performance currency, the more control you gain over your career.
There is one more point I need to emphasize: currency only holds value in the right market. If you’re in a workplace where your contributions are ignored, your efforts go unrecognized, or no matter how much you deliver, you’re still overlooked, then it’s time to reassess. Performance currency is powerful, but only when it’s being exchanged in an environment that values it. And if your current workplace doesn’t? Take your currency elsewhere—to a place that will.
So, the question is—are you earning, spending, or running low? Time to make those power moves and start stacking your performance currency. Your future self will thank you.
