I get some version of this question all the time: “What’s actually different in the Director vs VP transition?” It comes up with my 1:1 clients. It comes up inside Success Builders. And it makes sense, because companies are surprisingly bad at answering it. You ask your manager and hear things like: “Think more strategically.” “Operate at a higher level.” “Expand your scope.” “Show more executive presence.” All technically true but not particularly useful. Even companies with

People love to tell ambitious leaders to “act like an executive.” Think more strategically. Be decisive. Own the room. Show more leadership presence. Useful advice, except for one small problem: What does an executive actually do differently? I’ve spent years trying to demystify that question because getting promoted to VP isn’t simply about becoming better at the job you already have. At some point, senior leaders have to believe they can hand you a meaningful part of the bu

No one tells you how invisible you can feel in a room full of senior leaders. You know your business. You’ve done the work. You may even know more about the topic than half the people in the meeting. And yet, somehow, you disappear. I remember sitting in meetings early in my career, listening carefully, taking notes, waiting until I had something smart enough to contribute. By the time I was ready to speak, the conversation had moved on. Or I would finally get the floor and g

Imagine your name comes up tomorrow in a talent review or calibration meeting. A few senior leaders are discussing who is ready for more scope, who should be considered for promotion, and where the organization should invest next. Then someone asks: “What about Maya? Is she ready for VP?” You’re not in the room, so you don’t get to explain the results you delivered, add context around the impossible project you inherited, or remind everyone how much your scope has grown over

“Do I need to leave my company to get promoted?” I hear this question all the time. Sometimes, staying feels impossible. You have taken on more scope, delivered strong results, and had all the right conversations, but the promotion still has not happened. At the same time, leaving feels risky. A lot of Directors and Senior Directors assume that changing companies means moving laterally, proving themselves all over again, and waiting another year or two before they can move up

During my 20 years in corporate and now as a coach, I have seen the same mistake cost talented leaders promotions. They treat their performance review like judgment day. They submit the paperwork. Walk into the meeting. Hear the verdict. Then find out what the company has decided their work was worth. That is a very passive approach, one that isn’t fit for an executive. Your performance review should not be something that simply happens to you. It is a rare opportunity to inf

One of my clients had a problem that sounds flattering until you are the one living it: Everyone treated her like a VP except the org chart. She was doing the work, but she didn’t get the title. Rachel was a Senior Director, but she was already sitting in the same meetings as the VPs, making similar decisions, and carrying work with comparable scope. Other executives trusted her judgment. She was included in strategic conversations. She had already demonstrated that she could

You can update your LinkedIn headline. Rewrite your resume. Choose three words you want people to associate with you: Strategic. Innovative. Transformational. It feels like you have positioned yourself for VP. But when promotion conversations happen, senior leaders still see you as a strong Director. You keep getting pulled into the same type of work. The opportunities coming your way look a lot like the ones you already have. That is because positioning is not a messaging ex

“Are you sure that’s the right direction?” I was presenting my yearly marketing strategy to the leadership team. I had done the research. I had benchmarks. I could explain exactly why I had chosen that direction. So when they started questioning it, I did what many smart, well-prepared leaders do. I defended the work. I walked them through the research. I explained my rationale. I added more evidence to prove I had made the right call. Except that was not what they were reall

If you're a Director wondering how to get promoted when you switch jobs and become a VP by changing companies, you're not alone. Many experienced leaders assume they need another lateral move before they're "qualified" for an executive role. In reality, the biggest obstacle is rarely capability, it's positioning. Here's the framework I teach Directors in tech to help them make a successful Director-to-VP leap without waiting years for another promotion. Something shifted in t

If you're a Director in tech aspiring to become a VP, confidence under pressure is one of the most important leadership skills you'll develop. The moments that shape promotion decisions aren't always your polished presentations, they're the moments when someone challenges your thinking. Senior leaders aren't looking for perfect answers. They're looking for someone who can stay calm, think clearly, and lead the conversation when the pressure rises. The strongest executives do

If you're a Director in tech trying to become a VP, learning how to delegate effectively as a leader is one of the most important skills you'll develop. Many high performers become the bottleneck because they're used to producing exceptional work themselves. But executive promotions aren't based on how much you personally deliver, they're based on how effectively you build teams that can deliver without you. That's why delegation isn't just a management skill, it's a promotio

If you're a Director in tech wondering how to become VP, the next 90 days matter more than you think. Promotion decisions rarely begin during performance review season, they start months earlier as senior leaders form opinions about who is already operating at the next level. That means you don't need to wait another year to improve your chances. You need a deliberate promotion strategy that changes how executives see your leadership. Six months ago, I shared a newsletter cal

One of the biggest mistakes high-performers make is assuming their work will tell the whole story. But the people deciding whether you are ready for more rarely see the full picture. If you're a Director working toward a VP promotion, your performance isn't the only thing leaders evaluate. They're also forming an executive narrative about you—often long before promotion conversations begin. Every meeting, update, decision, and interaction contributes to the story people tell

You hit the goals. Your reviews were strong. You took on more scope. You solved harder problems. You showed leadership. Then the feedback changed again. For many Directors, this isn't because they're underperforming, it's because the promotion expectations were never clearly defined in the first place. Now you need to be “more strategic.” Now you need “more visibility.” Now it’s “not the right time.” If you’ve ever felt like the closer you get to promotion, the fuzzier the ru

Your weekly meeting with your manager is one of the most important perception-building moments you have. If you're a Director aiming for VP, your executive 1 on 1 meetings are more than routine check-ins, they're some of your most important executive visibility moments. Many leaders treat these meetings as status updates. But senior executives are paying attention to something much more important: how you think, how you prioritize, how you make decisions, how you manage risk,

If you want to get promoted by the end of the year, July matters more than September. Most people treat promotion season like it starts when performance reviews open, when their manager finally brings it up, or when the org starts planning for next year. That's a miss. Promotion conversations don't begin during performance review season. Long before those formal conversations happen, executive leaders are already evaluating your promotion proof points, the evidence that shows

There's a lie almost every Director tells themselves at some point. And it feels so logical that you barely notice you're doing it. "The market is terrible." "Recruiters have disappeared." "No one is hiring at my level." "There's too much competition right now." You say it like it's the weather forecast, not a choice. But these aren't facts. They're protective stories. And yes, the market is more competitive. But that is not the full reason some leaders stay stuck while othe

One of the easiest ways to quietly undermine your executive presence is in your email updates. In fact, this is one of the most overlooked reasons strong performers stay invisible at senior levels. In a world of 17-slide updates, the person who can summarize wins. Because corporate is an inbox war zone. Senior leaders are triaging fires, meetings, decisions, and a flood of “quick updates” that are anything but quick. Most of it is well-intentioned. A lot of it reads like corp

Most people answer “Why should we promote you?” like they’re asking for a gold star. They answer “Why should we promote you?” as if leadership is evaluating effort, loyalty, or how hard they have worked. But at senior levels, especially when you are trying to get promoted to VP, that is not the decision executives are making. If you’ve ever felt unsure about what actually gets you seen as promotable at this level, I break that down further here. Senior leaders get promoted wh