Last week, I spoke about the blind spots that held me back from moving into a VP role. If you missed it, check out last week's newsletter here.

Along this same theme, this week I want to dive into the idea of not just being ready, but showing you're ready to the rest of the world.

Here's the thing: I bet that many – maybe even most – of you reading this, who have been trying to land that next promotion, are in fact ready for the next level.

You're producing great results, you're a strong people leader, and you have killer ideas.

But the longer we stay stuck in the same place, unable to continue to grow and advance in our careers, the more we start to doubt whether we're ready. We ask ourselves if we even have what it takes.

After all, if we did, we would have already received that promotion, right? Wrong.

Being ready and showing others that you're ready are two completely different things.

So in today's newsletter, I want to break down 3 myths that are keeping you stuck. Let's dive in…

Myth #1: When you're ready, you'll be promoted

As I already alluded to, this is just not the case, and it's one of the myths I hear often from clients who are feeling stuck and whose confidence has taken a hit.

We tell ourselves that once we're ready, the opportunity will come.

Reality: Your manager has priorities other than you and may not realize you're ready, even if you are.

They are thinking about a million things outside of who is working towards a promotion.

So what can you do?

The answer is to be the first person your boss thinks about when a new opportunity is being created. And to do that, you need to ensure 2 things:

1. That your boss actually knows you are working towards getting promoted (yep, many of you have probably not even had this conversation yet)

2. That your impact and wins are top of mind for them. The best way to do this is by providing consistent and regular updates so they are reminded of your awesomeness (a regular report is a great way to achieve this).

Bottom line: There's a big difference between being ready and people knowing you're ready. You need to fill that gap.

Myth #2: Positive feedback on your performance means a promotion

I've written about this before, and I see this all of the time. You're working hard, delivering results and getting consistent “Great job” feedback from your boss.

When you ask for feedback on your performance, they say something like, “Keep doing what you're doing.”

You interpret this to mean you're on the track to that next promotion. But that is NOT what this means at all, and often you end up shocked and disappointed when your colleague gets the role instead.

Reality: This type of feedback means only one thing: you're doing a good job in your current role. Nothing else.

By assuming this means your boss is planning to promote you, you are setting yourself up for disappointment.

Instead, when your boss tells you to keep doing what you're doing, get some clarity by saying something like this:

“Thanks for the feedback. As you know, I'm working towards getting promoted to a VP role (or AVP, Director etc.. you can fill in the right title). Does this feedback mean that I can expect to be promoted at the next cycle?”

Their answer may surprise you. If the answer is not a “Yes, absolutely”, this opens up the opportunity to ask what gaps you still need to fill.

Myth #3: Getting results is what matters most

Friends, I fell into this trap myself. I thought that if I hit goals and produced the results my boss wanted to see, I would automatically be promoted. This is just not the case.

Many high-performing clients of mine are confused when they're hitting targets and feeling successful, but are passed over for a promotion.

As I alluded to above, there's a difference between being great at your job and being the no-brainer choice for a promotion. And that difference comes down to being seen as ready to step into the next role.

Reality: Promotions happen when leadership believes you're already operating at the next level.

This means you need to be spending intentional time demonstrating to the people around you that you are already operating as a VP if you want a VP role.

If you're wondering whether you're doing a good job at this today, I've created a new quiz that I think you'll love:

Take my quiz – Are you VP-Ready? and find out whether you're being seen as someone who is ready to step into a VP role.

It's fast, brutally honest, and will let you know where you stand today so you can make the changes needed to get the role you really want. Have fun!

Until next time friends… ✌️💜

Katy