If you're like so many women I know, and you feel like you’re doing everything right… But they are still not being seen as ready for that next level. I want to give you something really practical today.
If you came to the masterclass or you've been reading my previous newsletters, you know all about the perception problem:
At a certain point in your career, getting promoted is less about what you’re doing and more about how you’re being experienced as a leader. And many of you are unintentionally creating the perception that you're not quite there yet.
And the interesting part about this is that perception is often shaped by small shifts that happen every day. Meaning, chances are you don't need a massive overhaul!
So today, I want to walk you through 5 upgrades that I see make an immediate difference in how senior leaders perceive you.
Let's dive in…
1. From Updates → Decision Framing
I had a great call with my community recently where we talked about “Director-level updates” vs. “VP-level updates,” and this is the first thing I shared with them in terms of how to upgrade their updates.
Most leaders share what happened. Whether you're providing a project update or sending your weekly report, you'll focus on the ‘what'.
Senior leaders instead focus on what was decided – and why. They share decision-making logic and any tradeoffs that were made.
For example, instead of:
“We completed Phase 1 and are moving into testing.”
Your update sounds like:
“We completed Phase 1 and are moving into testing. We prioritized speed over additional feature development to meet Q2 targets, which introduces some QA risk we’ll monitor closely.”
The work that you're doing is exactly the same. The key is that you're framing things differently. The first example shows activity, while the other shows judgment.
2. From Agreement → Perspective
Early in your career, you’re rewarded for being collaborative and aligned. Saying yes, putting up your hand for extra and doing it all enthusiastically is probably what got you to where you are today.
Now that you're ready to step into a senior leadership role, this needs to change, because at senior levels, you’re expected to bring a point of view.
If you want to run the function or department, you need to demonstrate that you have opinions and expertise. Agreeing with everything is not going to achieve this.
Now, to be clear, that doesn’t mean being difficult or contrarian; it means sharing your thoughts in a way that adds to the conversation.
Instead of:
“That makes sense, I agree.”
Try saying:
“I see the direction. One thing I’d add is [insight], especially given [context].”
This way, you’re contributing to the conversation, not just participating in it.
3. From Responsiveness → Prioritization
This is another example of what worked early in your career now needs to change. Being responsive gets you recognized early on. You're known as the one who's quick to get things done and always on the ball.
But at more senior levels, constantly reacting can actually work against you. In fact, reacting and acting too quickly can send the message that you aren't thinking critically and understanding what's important.
And I get it – because this used to be me to a T! And I can remember a few times where this ended up hurting me, because instead of pausing and really thinking through a situation, I acted on the first recommendation, and our CEO ended up wanting to make some changes…
Too late!
Leaders are looking for your ability to think critically and prioritize what matters.
So instead of saying yes to everything and then immediately acting, start communicating your thought process:
“Given current priorities, we’re focusing on X. This means Y will shift.”
That shows ownership of resources, not just your ability to bang out work. There's a big difference!
4. From Involvement → Ownership
A lot of Directors stay very involved in the work. They’re in everything. They know everything. They're making sure nothing slips through the cracks.
And keeping your finger on the pulse isn't a bad thing, but it's not what's going to be rewarded. This is a big one, because many of the women I work with struggle here. What signals readiness for the next level is ownership.
One of my clients was convinced she was doing a VP-level job. In fact, when she looked at her VP colleague, she couldn't see the difference in what they were doing and what she was.
But within a few minutes of me analyzing the job descriptions, it was obvious: She was facilitating outcomes, and he was owning them.
Practically speaking, this means that instead of: “I’m involved in this project.”
You need to shift to: “I’m accountable for the outcome of this initiative.”
If you've already taken ownership, it's about communicating this to the right people. And if you haven't, you need to find ways to demonstrate this accountability and ownership so leadership can tell you're capable of it.
Think of an issue, risk or project that's on your radar – how can you take full ownership of the outcome and communicate that to your manager?
5. From Effort → Impact
This is another big mindset shift that can be difficult to make, but it's so important. And that is focusing less on how much you're doing and more on the impact you're creating.
Talking about how much you (or your team) are doing doesn’t land the way you think it does. You may believe it's getting you brownie points, but senior leaders are listening for impact. At this level in your career, they're no longer impressed with your ability to do a lot of stuff.
When sharing an update, instead of: “We’ve been working really hard on this”
Anchor it in the impact: “This is driving [result], which impacts [business priority]”
Here's the hard truth: effort is assumed. The impact you're creating is what matters.
It's all about demonstrating your thinking
If you zoom out, all five of these upgrades are doing the same thing:
They move you from showing what you’re doing to demonstrating how you think.
And that’s what gets associated with VP readiness.
Here's a quick exercise for you:
Take the last update you sent (or the last meeting you were in) and ask yourself:
- Did I share activity, or did I frame decisions?
- Did I agree, or did I add perspective?
- Did I react, or did I show prioritization?
- Did I participate, or did I own?
- Did I highlight effort, or did I connect to impact?
You don’t need to overhaul everything. Start by upgrading one interaction this week and see how it lands.
Here’s what I know from working with hundreds of women at this level: Most of you are already doing a lot of the right things. You have no problem working hard and getting results. But you're not always communicating that effectively to the right people.
These small shifts in how you communicate and show up are often the difference between “strong performer” and “ready for the next level.”
And if you’re ready to make that leap more quickly and more intentionally, this is exactly the work we do inside Own Your Seat at the Table.
We don’t just talk about what to do – we help you actually implement it in your real work, in real time. We go from the ‘what' to the ‘how' so you can actually create real change in how you show up.
Doors are closing soon, and we kick off next week!!
If you’ve been thinking about joining, this is your moment.
You can find all the details and grab one of the final spots here:
Until next time friends… ✌️💜
Katy
