My guess is that getting things done is not your problem. You're no stranger to hard work. And you're willing to do the extra to have an impact in your role.
You have a reputation for being reliable and never dropping the ball. And of course, your team loves you because you invest in their development and coach them to be the best they can be.
So why on earth are you not yet in that VP role? Why aren't you being rewarded for all of this great stuff?
You've been plugging away in your career for 12, 15 or 20 years, and now you seem to have hit a ceiling.
Or have you?
Is this something that can be overcome?
The short answer is yes, you can break through this ceiling. But the first step is to understand the gaps that are keeping you from that VP role and determining where you need to focus your efforts.
In today's newsletter, I'm going to break down these three gaps for you. Let's dive in….
There are really only three things?
When I was trying to move from a frustrated director to a VP, it seemed like there were 100 areas where I was falling short. But the truth is, most of what I was doing wrong was all symptoms of the same problem.
One of the hidden blessings of being stuck as a director for so long and then finally becoming a VP was that I became somewhat obsessed with the idea of understanding what makes a great senior executive. I wanted to understand why we look at some people and immediately see them as ‘VP-material' and then see others as ‘not quite there yet'.
And I wanted to figure out how to translate those seemingly abstract qualities into real, tangible skills and traits that people can learn. The reason for this was that I wanted to help people who were getting stuck in the exact same place I was, instead of giving them unhelpful advice like, “Be more strategic”.
During my years as a VP and EVP, I started to notice patterns emerge with the people who were clearly executives and those who weren't ready. I then went on to start my business and coach dozens of women, where these patterns were confirmed.
I've now coached hundreds of women and can say with confidence that I know what makes someone VP-ready. And I know that even if you've been told you're not ready or you don't have what it takes, this is something you can change.
I'm living proof.
And when I take all of the little things that need to happen for you to make this transformation, they ladder up to three main gaps:
- The mindset gap
- The perception gap
- The habits gap
Let's get into each one:
The Mindset Gap
Maybe you're sick of hearing about mindset, or you assume that this can't possibly be what's holding you back. If that's what you're thinking, I invite you to be open.
Think about it this way: all events that happen in life are neutral. Your brain filter is what decides whether you interpret them as good or bad. If you have a mindset that is rooted in limiting beliefs, that filter is going to interpret things as negative. You are going to assume people are blaming you when maybe they aren't. You're going to doubt your ideas before you even share them. And all of these things are going to impact the way you show up as a leader.
The real power is that as you work on your underlying belief system, you actually change your thoughts, feelings, actions, and the resulting outcomes.
The mindset gap is going to be strongly linked to your ability to take on a VP identity, even before having the role.
Your mindset is the foundation for everything else. If your mindset is what's holding you back, I would argue that it's the first thing you should work on fixing!
The Perception Gap
If you think of the mindset gap as being internal, the perception gap is external – it's the way that you're being perceived by your manager, colleagues and the rest of the leadership team.
This, of course, matters a great deal, because your manager is not the only person making the decision about who gets promoted. Being seen as someone who is ready to step into that next-level role is crucial to being considered for it, and the best interview in the world is not going to change that.
This was the biggest gap for me when it came to stepping into a VP role. I was essentially doing a VP job without the title, and for the life of me, I could not get my boss (our CEO) to make it official.
At the time, I was incredibly frustrated because I was ‘doing the job'. The problem was that I was also unintentionally sending the message that I was not yet operating at a VP level.
It was only after I stepped into a VP role that I was able to look back and see what I had been doing wrong. As a friend of mine says, “When you're in the bottle, you can't read the label”. I was so stuck in my role that I was unable to see how I was contributing to the perception problem.
The good news is that there are specific traits and skills that allow you to do a 180 in this area, which is exactly what I did.
The Habit Gap
Most of you are probably not thinking about habits when it comes to getting that promotion. But the truth is that the small actions you take every day (without even thinking about it) have a huge impact on the way you show up at work.
When you have a habit gap, you always feel stressed and overwhelmed. You're overworked and exhausted. You may even be asking yourself if you want to get to that next level of leadership, because you're already on the verge of burnout.
When you figure this out, you're in control of your calendar and your time. You're intentional about what you focus on. You set yourself up for success every day with the tiny habits you've developed and are now automatic.
When I think about the biggest drivers for success, bias for action is one of them. Being able to take action on the things that matter will set you apart. The beautiful thing about cultivating the right habits is that they allow you to do this without even thinking about it.
That's powerful.
How do you know which of these is YOUR gap?
The first step to creating any change in your life is self-awareness. You can't change what you don't see. This was exactly my problem when I was a director! And many of us need a little help seeing our blind spots.
Almost every woman I've spoken to who has made it to the C-suite has told me that another, more senior woman pointed out these blind spots to her.
I wasn't lucky enough to have a person like this in my life. Maybe you aren't either. Which is where I come in.
In my free, live masterclass this coming week, I'm going to help you see some of your own blind spots. I'll share why so many people – especially women – get stuck at the manager and director level. Then, I'll walk through the three gaps that I shared today, and we'll do some interactive exercises so you can determine exactly where you are getting stuck, and I'll even share some tactical next steps you can take to get unstuck.
If you've been feeling stuck in your role, or you just want to fast-track your way to VP, this is for you.
I hope to see you this week!
Until next time friends… ✌️💜
Katy
