Waiting for an invitation to the leadership table?
You don't have to wait.
Working with clients on their self reviews lately has made me reflect deeply. Many of us are wired to set goals around metrics and deliverables. But I want to share a leadership transformation story that changed my entire perspective on goal-setting.
It’s about a client who stepped into bigger leadership roles, and how it can reshape your 2025 goals.
They didn’t just up-level from Senior PM to Director of Product, they elevated themselves to be seen as a strategic peer to the C-suite.
2 truths became crystal clear from their journey:
- You don’t need to wait for invitations to join the big leagues.
- Once you identify as someone who is already operating at the next level, you won’t be able to help but invite yourself.
We worked on shifting their mindset from assuming that they needed permission to join strategic conversions, to bold self-leadership, one where they can invite themselves.
When they met their CEO, we worked on their confidence to share meaningful insights about market trends they’d observed.
Soon, they weren’t just attending executive meetings.
The CEO would seek their perspective directly, and other executives started treating them as a peer rather than just another director.
They had effectively created their own seat at the C-suite table, not by title, but through the value and strategic insight they brought.
Through our coaching sessions, we elevated their focus.
While others immersed themselves in product details, we worked on seeing the broader landscape - market strategy, business growth, strategic positioning.
Before long, they became the trusted voice for high-stakes customer and industry analyst presentations.
We also worked on reshaping their approach to relationship-building.
From day one, we strategized about understanding the perspectives of senior executives and sales leaders.
They learned to gravitate naturally to where strategic decisions were taking shape.
The spotlight grew brighter with each successful executive interaction.
The pressure felt intense at times, but we worked on reframing to remind them that these were signs of playing a bigger game.
As you think about your own path for 2025, this story highlights something crucial: Your impact grows when you start operating at the level you aspire to reach.
Through our work together, my client didn’t just wait for formal permission or an official invitation.
Their actions flowed from seeing themselves differently - a transformation we deliberately worked on.
The most powerful shifts happen when we evolve how we see ourselves.
In 2025, who will you choose to become?
You don’t have to wait to be chosen to play in the big leagues.
When your identity and mindset upgrade to the next level, your actions will follow organically.
And that is how you can up-level with more ease.
