When I was a director, trying to get to VP, I asked my boss what I needed to work on. He said, “Katy, you need to be more strategic.”
I nodded. Went back to my desk. Worked harder. Put my head down.
In the next review cycle, I got the same feedback. “Be more strategic.” And the thing is, I got the exact same line for years. And nobody, not my boss, not HR, not a single person on the leadership team, ever explained what it actually meant.
It took me five years stuck as a director before I figured it out on my own. Five years!! And when I finally cracked it, everything changed.
So in today’s newsletter, I’m giving you the cheat sheet I wish someone had given me. Ten pieces of “feedback” you’ve probably heard, what your boss is actually trying to tell you, and a starting point for what to do about it.
Let’s dive in…
1. Your boss says: “You need to be more strategic.”
What they mean: “I see you executing, but I don’t see you thinking about the bigger picture. You’re reporting on activity instead of sharing insights.”
The fix: Block “deep work” time every week to think about trends and implications. When you communicate, connect your team’s outcomes to the company’s goals, not just what got done.
2. Your boss says: “You need more executive presence.”
What they mean: “Something about how you’re showing up doesn’t match the picture in my head of a senior leader.”
This one has bias baked into it, and it’s important to name that, but there are tangible things you do to change their perception.
The shift: 3 things: your language (stop ending recommendations with “does that make sense?”), your preparation (great presence usually means great prep), and how you take up space in a room.
3. Your boss says: “Keep doing what you’re doing!”
What they mean: “I love what you’re doing for me right now. I have no reason to move you.”
This is the most dangerous feedback because it sounds positive. It keeps you exactly where you are. If there’s no conversation about your next step attached to that praise, nobody is actively championing your promotion.
The fix: You need to own that conversation. Start asking specific questions about what gaps exist between you and that next-level role.
4. Your boss says: “You need to build stronger relationships.”
What they mean: “You’re doing great work, but the people who need to see it don’t know you well enough.”
Promotions don’t happen in a vacuum. Your boss often needs buy-in from other leaders. If those leaders don’t have a relationship with you, they’re going to hesitate.
The fix: Start putting regular 1:1s on the calendar with cross-functional peers and leaders.
5. Your boss says: “You’re too in the weeds.”
What they mean: “I see a great operator, not a leader who’s ready for the next level.”
If your team can’t function without you in the details, that’s a delegation problem. And it’s signalling that you’re essential in your current role, not promotable out of it.
The fix: Start asking yourself: what can only I do? Everything else needs to be handed off.
6. Your boss says: “You need to learn to influence without authority.”
What they mean: “You get things done with your own team, but you struggle to influence people who don’t report to you.”
At the VP level, most of your impact comes through influence, not direct control. This starts with relationships, so if you’re skipping coffee in the break room to bang out 30 more minutes of work, this might be why.
The fix: Create a stakeholder map and start intentionally building relationships with key cross-functional peers and leaders.
7. Your boss says: “You need to show more ownership.”
What they mean: “You’re waiting to be told what to do instead of seeing what needs to happen and proactively taking it on.”
Leaders at the next level don’t ask for permission. They see a gap, propose a solution, and offer to lead it. If you’re only executing on what’s assigned to you, you’re showing up as a manager, not a future VP.
The fix: The next time you see a gap, come up with a solution, present it to your boss and suggest you take the lead on it.
8. Your boss says: “You’re not quite ready yet.”
What they mean: “I can’t articulate what’s missing, but something is.”
This is the vaguest of all, and it’s frustrating.
The fix: Push back. Ask: “What specifically would I need to demonstrate for you to see me as ready?” Make them get concrete. If they can’t, that tells you something, too.
9. Your boss says: “You need to develop your team more.”
What they mean: “You’re still doing too much yourself, and your team isn’t growing because of it.”
Leaders who get promoted to VP have built a team that runs without them in the day-to-day. If you’re the one answering every question and solving every problem, you’re creating dependency, not leadership.
The fix: Give your team the training and permission to take more ownership over key initiatives.
10. Your boss says: “You need to think more commercially.”
What they mean: “You know your function really well, but you’re not connecting it to how the business makes money.”
At the VP level, every function is a business function.
The fix: Start learning the P&L. Understand how your team’s work impacts revenue, margin, or growth. When you can talk about your function in business terms, you’ll sound like a VP.
Here’s the pattern
If you look at all ten of these, there’s a common thread. None of them is about working harder. None of them is about being smarter. They’re all about shifting from how you show up as a director to how you need to show up as a VP.
As I love to remind you, it’s probably not a talent problem – it’s a perception problem. And perception is something you can absolutely shift.
I go much deeper on three of these in Monday’s episode of More Women Promoted. I break down exactly what “be more strategic,” “more executive presence,” and “keep doing what you’re doing” really mean, with specific stories and action steps.
If any of the ten above hit a nerve, you’ll want to listen to that one. Be sure you’re following the show so you get notified when it comes out on Monday!
Until next time friends… ✌️💜
Katy
