I remember it like it was yesterday.
​
We were heading into promotion conversations amongst the leadership team at L’Oréal. I was certain my next promotion was a done-deal.

In the weeks leading up to this point, my boss was vouching for me. My performance reviews were glowing. I was delivering results well beyond my scope.

But then it happened.

The decision didn’t come down to my boss. It came down to my SVP. And her feedback?
​"She’s not ready yet."

I was crushed. I’d been led to believe this was going through. I thought I’d done everything right. But in 1 single meeting, with people who barely worked with me day-to-day, that promotion got shot down.

And this is exactly why too many smart women in corporate get overlooked as leadership-ready. It’s not because you lack the skills. It’s because the decision-makers can’t yet picture you in that bigger role.

Let me guess.

→ You deliver results, yet the feedback you get is "to be more strategic" or "I need to see more from you."
→ You’re told to "keep doing what you’re doing", while someone less experienced is promoted instead.
→ You’re praised for being dependable, but dependable doesn’t equal promotable.

This isn’t about competence. It’s about perceived readiness.

When I received that news from my boss, I set up a 1:1 meeting with my SVP to understand where the gap was coming from. As intimidated as I was to have that conversation, I'm so glad I did.

She shared feedback with me that my boss had never shared with me. Actionable feedback that helped me understand my own blind spots like the way I framed my project updates, the level of conviction I showed in my recommendations, and the critical thinking I could better showcase in leadership meetings.

So I doubled down on these exact areas and within just 2 months, I was promoted into my target role.
​
This is exactly the same situation I supported one of my clients on recently too. She was feeling stuck in her role, and found that having a younger sounding voice was preventing her from being viewed as leadership-ready. Within just 4 weeks of working together, she's now stepping into her new role confidently.

Why fixing this now is critical

The longer you’re seen as a reliable support, the harder it becomes to be viewed as leadership material.

Every performance cycle you wait is another cycle where someone else gets positioned for the roles you deserve. And if you don’t take control of that perception now, you risk staying stuck in the exact same role months or even years from now, even as your workload and responsibilities keep growing.

That said, perception can be shifted. It doesn’t mean becoming someone you’re not. It takes being more intentional with how you show up and communicate.

3 strategies to be seen as leadership-ready

1. Translate your results into leadership impact

One of the biggest reasons women get labeled as "not leadership-ready" is because their impact isn't distinct and visible towards those making the decision around their promotion.

You also want your impact to be tied closely to the outcomes that matter most to your leadership team. So instead of being stuck in the tactics and execution, focus on leveraged work that gets noticed.

When senior leaders look at performance, they’re not just asking "What did she deliver?". They’re asking:

→ How did she think?
→ What problem did she solve?
→ How did it move the business forward?

And that’s where women unknowingly get filtered out. You might recognize it in subtle ways:

• Your updates sound like task lists instead of outcomes.

• You share effort ("I worked with 5 cross-functional partners…") instead of effect ("That collaboration cut delivery time by 22%.").

• You assume leaders will connect the dots between your work and business results, but they won’t. They’re too busy.

To shift perception, you need to draw the line between what you do and what it means for the business.

Moving forward, whenever you talk about your work in meetings, emails, or performance reviews, run it through my 3-step filter:

1. Action (what you did) → Impact (what changed because of it) → Insight (why it matters)

"I led the onboarding rollout that cut new-hire ramp-up time by 30%, generating an incremental $500K in quarterly revenue. This data is also now informing next year's sales forecasts."

2. Swap adjectives for metrics: Replace words like successful, great, or important with real numbers like percentages, $ volume, time saved, efficiency gained, risk reduced, etc...

3. Link it back to company priorities. End every update by connecting to the bigger why.

"This directly supports our 2025 growth focus on customer retention."

Pro tip: Ask yourself, "If I were the VP in this room, how would I explain the value of my work to the board?" When you communicate from that lens, people stop seeing you as the person doing the work, and start seeing you as the person driving it.

​This was the direction I used with my client last week. She had previously struggled to get a seat at the table for key leadership conversations. Now, following my step-by-step approach and role playing it with me multiple times, she's confidently moving from one round to the next, supporting her promotion goals.

2. Call your shot before reviews

Don't wait until performance reviews to talk about your next step. By then, it’s too late.

Promotion decisions are often discussed months in advance and in rooms you’re not in yet. If you’re not proactively shaping that conversation, you won't be on the radar when the opportunity surfaces.

Remember, your senior leaders can’t champion what they don’t know. Your career goals aren't as obvious to others as you may assume, you need to say them out loud.

Use my 3-part conversation framework to open the door before review season even happens:

1. Anchor in value: Start off by sharing your recent impacts as this establishes credibility and confidence.

"I’ve really valued the growth in this role, especially leading [specific project or win]. It’s been exciting to see how it’s driven [result or business outcome]."

2. Declare your direction: Then, clearly state the next level you’re aiming for and why you’re ready.

"Looking ahead, I’m aiming to move into [specific role or level] where I can contribute more strategically and lead broader initiatives."

3. Invite partnership: This turns the conversation from "I want" to "Let’s plan this together." It also engages your manager as a partner, not a gatekeeper.

"From your perspective, what would I need to further demonstrate over the next 2 months to be the obvious choice for that next step?"

Pro tip: Time this right. Don’t drop this conversation during performance reviews as by then, budgets and promotion slots are already decided. Instead, bring it up after a big win when momentum is high, mid-cycle around the halfway point of the review period or in a recurring 1:1 with your boss.

[Check out my recent newsletter on How to run your performance review]

3. Show up in the room like a leader

It pains me to see amazing women walk into meetings with ideas that could change the business and leave unheard. They do the prep. They have the data. They know their stuff. But when it’s time to speak, they hesitate.

Why does this happen? Somewhere along the way, they were taught that confidence should look a certain way. Perhaps louder, bolder, more "executive." So they hold back.

But here's the thing. When you don’t speak up, leaders assume you don’t have a strategic point of view.

This isn’t a confidence issue. It’s a communication strategy issue, and we can fix that.

This is exactly what we focused on for my client who was feeling under-utilized in her role and ready to make a bigger impact. This 1 shift immediately changed the game for her and got her involved in 2 high visibility projects.

Follow my 3 simple steps to command attention in the moments that matter most:

1. Lead with the headline, not the history: Don’t build up to your point. Start with it. Then, from here, add more context.

"Here’s what we’re seeing, and the impact I anticipate on our Q4 target."

2. Tie your point back to business outcomes: It shows you're not just contributing but rather, influencing direction and decision-making.

"By streamlining this process, we can cut delivery time by 2 weeks. I've also already validated that with our supplier and got the green light. This is going to help ensure we hit our Q4 goal without requiring any extra budget."

3. Close with confidence, not caution: Instead of trailing off with "Does that make sense?" or "I could be wrong, but…", end your statements with stronger conviction and on a down note in your tone. That small shift changes how people perceive your authority.

"That’s my recommendation based on the data. I’m happy to walk through next steps."

Pro tip: Speak in outcome-based language. Replace words like "I think" or "I feel" with "I recommend" or "I propose." Those subtle adjustments signal more commitment and confidence in your message.

You don’t need to speak louder to be seen as leadership-ready, but you need to speak with intention.

You've got this!