The Hidden Career Skill Nobody Teaches You: Giving Clear Updates

I’ve been around in tech for two decades now. Started with code, moved through roles, led teams, handled escalations, and been part of projects that went great — and those that went sideways.

One thing I’ve seen quietly define people’s growth — and this might surprise you — is this:

The way you give updates.

I’m not talking about status reports or polished project reviews.
I’m talking about those everyday updates — during standups, Slack messages, 1:1 calls, or just when someone asks “where things are at.”

That’s where most people unknowingly lose trust.
And they don’t even realise it.

💡 What Nobody Tells You

When you're new to tech, you focus on what you're told matters:

• Write good code
• Deliver on time
• Learn new tools
• Don’t break production

But no one tells you this:

You're always giving someone updates — and the clarity of those updates quietly builds or erodes their trust in you.

It’s subtle. It’s constant.
And over the years, it shapes how your leads, managers, and peers look at you — whether they admit it or not.

👇 Here’s What Happens in Real Teams

You join a team. You get a task.

You start working.

Then your manager asks:

“What’s the status?”

And you reply:

“It’s going on.”
“Just fixing some stuff.”
“Almost done.”

You think it’s fine.
They heard something, right?

But here’s what’s happening inside their head:

• “Almost done? What does that mean?”
• “Is it stuck? Is he behind?”
• “Should I ask again later or wait?”

That little moment — that one unclear line — plants a seed of doubt.

And when it happens repeatedly?
They stop fully relying on you.

Not because your code is bad.
But because your updates are foggy.

🧩 A Real Moment from My Past

I still remember a guy from my team a few years ago — very sharp dev. Let’s call him Rajat.

I gave him a moderately critical module to fix. He was confident.

But every time I asked for progress, I’d get things like:

“Almost there.”
“Fixing it.”
“Will ping when done.”

No specifics. No blockers. No timeline.

I didn’t want to micromanage. So I backed off.

But by the time QA got involved, we found major integration gaps that weren’t even mentioned.

It wasn’t that he didn’t work.
He didn’t update clearly.

The funny thing? He wasn’t lazy. He just didn’t think clarity mattered.

That’s when it hit me hard — this isn’t about talent.
It’s about predictability.

And predictable people get trusted more.
Trusted people get more responsibilities.
And that’s where growth comes from.

🧠 Why Clear Updates Work

It’s basic psychology:

When you reduce ambiguity, you increase trust.

Let me say it more directly:

• A manager doesn’t need hourly check-ins
• A lead doesn’t want fancy words
• They just want to know:
  • What’s done?
  • What’s in progress?
  • Any blockers?
  • Can they relax or should they worry?

That’s all.

You give them this clarity → they feel calm → they trust you.

You skip it → they feel unsure → they start second-guessing you.

And once doubt creeps in, it takes a long time to undo.

❌ Common Update Mistakes

Let’s not do theory. Let me show you what poor updates sound like — I’ve seen them hundreds of times.

❌ 1. The “It’s going on” update:

“Almost done. Just need to wrap a few things.”

No clue what’s done, what’s pending, and when it’ll be done.
It sounds casual. But it causes anxiety to the person above you.

❌ 2. The “Tech Dump” update:

“So I updated the pipeline, then realised Jenkins had cached the wrong image, and then I rolled back…”

Too much technical noise. No structure. Leaves people confused — especially if they’re not hands-on.

❌ 3. The “Silent Warrior”:

Doesn’t update at all unless asked.

Wants to be seen as independent. Ends up being seen as disconnected.

✅ How to Give Better Updates — Without Being a Corporate Robot

Let me share a structure I personally use and recommend to every dev I mentor.

It’s not a management trick — it’s just a simple way to make your thoughts clearer to others.

🎯 The F.I.R.E. Structure:

F – Facts → What’s already done
I – In Progress → What you’re working on now
R – Risks → Any blockers, issues, or early warnings
E – ETA → What’s coming next and by when

Simple. Short. Repeatable.

📘 Example: A Slack Update

Imagine someone asks:

“Where are we with the PDF upload?”

Here’s a F.I.R.E.-style update:

“Fixed the core logic and tested on 3 sample files. Currently checking large file uploads on staging. One size-related issue popped up — likely a server config. If resolved by EOD, I’ll deploy tomorrow by 2 PM.”

Now let’s break that down using the FIRE framework:

🔥 F – Facts → “Fixed the core logic and tested on 3 sample files.”
🔄 I – In Progress → “Currently checking large file uploads on staging.”
⚠️ R – Risks → “One size-related issue popped up — likely a server config.”
⏳ E – ETA → “If resolved by EOD, I’ll deploy tomorrow by 2 PM.”

It’s just 4 lines.
But it answers 5 questions your manager had without them asking.

That’s called being mature — not senior. Mature.

📈 What This Does to Your Career

Clear updates do more than inform.
They change how you’re perceived.

• You sound in control
• You sound dependable
• You make others feel safe around your work

And over time:

That safety → becomes trust → becomes responsibility → becomes growth.

It’s not magic. It’s habit.

🧑‍💼 One of My Real Turning Points

During one rough migration project, things were messy. Timelines slipping. Infra changes going live mid-week. It was a headache.

What I started doing was this:

Every 90 minutes, I dropped one tight, no-drama update in our shared channel. Not fancy. Just clarity.

Stuff like:

• “5 scripts deployed. No errors yet.”
• “Load test crossed 10k — DB stable.”
• “One config mismatch found. Will patch by 6 PM.”

That thread became the unofficial source of truth.

PMs, testers, even leadership started tracking me — not just the tool.

Monday morning, I got a personal message:

“Thanks for keeping everyone steady during that mess.”

It wasn’t about the code.
It was about clarity during chaos.

🧭 What You Can Start Doing Tomorrow

🔸 Use F.I.R.E. in your daily stand-up

Don’t wait for your manager to teach you this. Just start doing it — quietly.

🔸 When in doubt, write bullets

Forget full paragraphs. Use emojis or tags to break updates into parts.

🔸 Say what’s stuck — early

Don’t hide blockers. Tell them before they become someone else’s crisis.

🔸 Leave people with “What’s next?”

Always end your update with what’s happening next and a rough timeline.

🎯 Final Thought

Engineers often focus on doing things.
But careers grow when others feel confident about what you’re doing.

Clear updates are how you give that confidence — without needing fancy English or long meetings.

Just the right info, at the right time, in the right way.

So next time you’re asked:

“Where are we on this?”

Don’t shrug it off.

That’s your moment.

To either sound like “just another dev”…
…or someone who’s ready for more.

– Gaurav Sharma
(Still learning to give better updates myself 🙂)

📚 About This Series: The True Code of a Complete Engineer

This is just the first chapter in a blog series where I’m sharing things I wish someone had told me earlier in my career — not theory, but the patterns that actually shape how engineers grow, earn trust, and lead.

If this resonated with you even a little, you might want to:

• 👉 Bookmark the full series page — I’ll keep adding new chapters there.
• 👉 Follow me on LinkedIn — I post short, punchy takes there more often.
• 👉 Or just share this with someone in your team who’s quietly doing good work but struggling to get noticed.