Intentional Communication

I stayed a Director longer than I should have because of a single sentence I kept saying in meetings:

“I'm thinking we could do this, or maybe this. What are your thoughts?”

Without realising it, I was signaling that I wasn't ready for the next promotion.

I was telling the room above that I wasn't at the level where I could make the call myself. Even when I already knew what I wanted to do.

The shift I eventually made was to walk in and say, “I've been thinking through this problem, here's the plan I recommend, any concerns?”

That small change in framing moves the VP from having to do the thinking for you to simply reacting to a decision you've already made.

A small shift in wording but a big shift in how your leadership is perceived.

It is the difference between implementing the plan and taking ownership of the whole plan.

It communicates you are VP ready.

The same principle applies to conflict.

Escalating an issue tells them you can't handle it yourself, which is the opposite of what you want them to conclude if you're hoping for more scope and a bigger team.

A simple rule I implemented: every escalation to a senior executive must include my suggestion, or at minimum my perspective.

If you ask for a blank slate, you're pulling all the mental energy and ideas out of someone and asking them to sit back and produce it from scratch.

They are dealing with a thousand other decisions, the more you can reduce the cognitive load, the more you'll showcase ownership and your readiness for the next promotion.