Katie’s Plan for Getting Promoted to VP

As a consistent high-performer, Katie had a track record of being recruited into various career opportunities. However, that meant she hadn’t been very deliberate in where she wanted to take her career. 

Katie sought coaching to be more intentional in where her career was heading and to create the foundation to get there.

“I’ve been so fortunate to get brought into new opportunities but I’ve never chartered my own course. I felt stuck and unsure of how to identify what I want and the path to achieve it.”

Embracing Ambition

One of Katie’s first breakthroughs was accepting her ambition and high standards as core aspects of who she is. Katie had felt uneasy about her desire to strive, especially because she didn’t have many high-powered female role models. Additionally, she was conscious of societal norms that still perpetuate negative images of ambitious women. 

Once Katie acknowledged her inherent drive, we mapped out her strengths, identified the types of activities in her work that energized her, and explored several career possibilities. 

Another big milestone came when Katie landed on her career goal: she wanted to reach a VP of Solutions role within the next four years. With that goal in mind, we worked backward to develop her game plan.

We discussed the highest and best use of Katie’s skills and talents. Like many high-achieving managers, Katie struggled with delegation. She recognized that swooping in to support her team with low-level details was disempowering her team and prevented her from operating at a more strategic level. 

As we worked through that, Katie got more clear on the actions to take (and not take) to create a team culture of excellence and accountability, and keep her focused on where she could add the most value for her company. 

“I feel more sure of myself. I have really been taking stock of what I can do versus what I should do in terms of where I spend my time. In our onsites last week, I didn't take on as much as I normally would have, pushing the team to rise up.” 

Another core element was creating a plan to raise her visibility within her organization. She realized she had been relying on her boss to advocate for her, rather than actively building a diverse set of relationships across her organization – especially with senior leadership. 

The Path to VP

With newfound clarity on her career aspirations, we’re building a plan for Katie to achieve her goal of becoming a VP. 

This includes letting her leadership team know her ambitions and advocating for opportunities that will expand her skill set and provide valuable experiences. As part of this, we’ve worked on her personal brand and what’s most important to convey in her meetings with senior leaders. 

Katie also recognizes the importance of being more vocal and visible about her team’s accomplishments, and we’ve discussed how she can talk about her accomplishments in a way that feels authentic yet confident. 

“In the conversation with my Chief Revenue Officer, I wasn't shy about putting myself out there. I also feel more comfortable being direct with my manager and the other leaders on my team. Not to say I haven't been direct from time to time, but now I feel more confident doing it.”

We identified the soft and hard skills Katie will need to acquire on her path to a VP role. She’s actively validating this plan with more senior leaders in and outside her organization. By proactively identifying what it will take to land her ideal role, she can deliberately seek out opportunities that round out her skill set and provide the necessary experiences.

Finally, Katie is becoming more comfortable with building and nurturing a wider network to provide mentorship, guidance, and opportunities as she progresses in her career. By being intentional, Katie is positioning herself to leverage her network when she’s ready to make a move outside her organization. 

“Ava has been instrumental in helping me not only translate the things I’m thinking and saying, but also unlock the underlying ambitions I have. It has been so empowering to have someone in my corner who is willing to challenge me in ways I really haven’t been before. 

In just a few short months, Ava has helped me vocalize what matters most to me and then put pen to paper on how to get there. Not every exercise or conversation has been easy, but I can feel myself approaching my work differently. I am able to recognize my intentions and hold myself accountable to being intentional.”

If you’re looking to be more intentional in driving your career forward, schedule a free consult to learn how I can help.