In today's episode, you realize that you can be excellent at your job and still be invisible to those specific leaders who control your next opportunity.
Welcome back to Speak Up, the podcast for high-performing introverts, including you, social introverts where we reveal the charisma and communication secrets of A-listers so that you get the recognition and the opportunities you have earned.
I am your host, Laura Camacho, your magical executive presence coach, godmother, and strategist.
And by the end of today's episode, you'll know why your competence isn't translating into the right level of recognition and what's really holding you back.
Three markers of executive level communication that introverts often overlook, and a proven visibility strategy that plays to your introvert strengths, not against them.
Let's dive in.
Today we're talking about the emotional and professional cost of being quietly capable, because if you don't address this now, you're going to spend the next five years working twice as hard for half the recognition.
So you know we've all been told your work speaks for itself, and for a long time.
That actually is true.
But there's a point, usually around director level, where it doesn't work the same.
You're the go-to person for those problems.
Nobody knows how to solve the complex challenges.
People trust you.
You deliver, you make your boss look amazing, you present well.
You even have an incredible team, As one of my clients recently told me.
He said I'm great with one-on-ones and really good at public speaking.
But when I get in the room with those leaders that are a level or two above me, then I hold back like a classic introvert.
Maybe you're a director, senior director.
Maybe you're managing national teams.
You walk into meetings with your people and it's great.
But you go into those rooms with C-levels.
C-suites or cross-functional stakeholders that don't know you and you become forgettable, but not because you're not adding value, but because you're not sending those value signals, those value indicators when you talk about the work.
Communication markers that are probably missing.
Structure.
Number two, memorability.
And number three, emotional connection.
If you don't have those, you're going to get polite nods.
You're going to get that and that's it.
No follow-up, no invitation.
This has happened to me long ago.
Nice to meet you.
And then when you meet them again a few months later and they don't remember you.
That happened to me when I came back from maternity leave.
Many years ago, it's not fun.
One client was recently sharing with me that she had run into the new CEO and she said I know I didn't make a lasting impression because the next time we met he did not remember that we had already met.
This is not just Laura Camacho telling you what she and her clients talk about.
The research shows that introverts are significantly disadvantaged for high senior level promotions and visibility, even when high performing.
There's research from Harvard Business School that shows that introverts are Our disadvantage when it comes to promotion, salary increases, job assignments and general upward mobility.
We are underrepresented among upper management, not because we don't know how to lead, but because this is the thing, folks.
Listen carefully.
Organizational cultures, especially the heritage brands, the traditional industries.
They reward visibility, assertiveness, sociability over quiet, consistent competence.
Building an internal network matters for senior career success more than performance alone.
There is longitudinal research demonstrating a strong link between networking behaviors, both internal and external, and objective success as far as promotions and salary is concerned.
Another study shows the ability to mobilize social capital meaning relationships that you build through networking is strongly tied to career advancement.
In other words, doing great work is not enough.
People need to know who you are.
What moves the needle is who knows what you're about.
They know the work that you do and they like you.
They know, trust, and like you.
And we introverts have the strengths that the organizations need.
We are good at deep thinking, careful analysis, creativity, stability.
We are good at nurturing innovation.
We are focused on long-term results.
But the research shows and you've seen it that workplaces tend to equate quote-unquote leadership with sociability assertiveness extroversion, and that quiet but high performer is not considered senior leadership material.
That's a gap between actual value and perceived value, and that is what i'm talking about.
So the consequences for you and me can be that we don't get tapped for the high visibility project, our ideas don't make it to the top, We see other people with less competence leapfrog ahead.
You could also be considered the first to go in a round of layoffs.
It is true that when companies are considering laying off people, they often cut people who speak up less in meetings over those who don't.
The challenge is not usually the external stakeholders knowing you.
It's the internal ones.
So let's go over some myths that may be holding you back.
Some stories that you say, oh, well, I'm just not that kind of person.
And I know, me neither.
But you don't need to be a performer.
You need a strategy, one that works for introverts.
Another thing you may be telling yourself is that, oh, I'm just going to keep doing great work.
Eventually, they'll notice.
Well, they may notice or they may not.
Great work can be buried if nobody's looking for it.
Visibility and relationships matter even when you have fantastic work.
And then, and this is one I totally identify with.
I don't want to play that stupid game.
Yeah.
I want you to realize.
I mean, you can see it as a game, but you can also see it as a skill, a skill that you can learn without being fake.
It's not about changing your personality.
You need to have a strong personal brand inside your company, one that's tailored to your strengths of precision clarity reliability, insight all those good things we bring.
So that's your personal brand is one aspect.
Another aspect is the building the relationships.
These are things that go beyond your performance reviews, that nobody ever talks to you about unless you have an exceptionally caring manager.
You need to know the people two levels above you.
They need to know who you are.
You need to map influence points.
You need to map out who are the key stakeholders that you want to build a relationship with.
And that is going to be your ticket to a more rewarding job title.
Frankly, you don't have to stay stuck.
You don't have to be loud.
You just need to be seen.
So if you're someone who shows up strong with your team, thrives in public speaking, but then you freeze up or fade or ramble when you're in the room with senior executives, and then you regret that.
That's why i created the executive presence mastery system.
It's a in an intense coaching program to help you build the specific confidence and clarity around these exact moments.
It's not about changing your personality.
It's about having not more conversations but better.
So if you would like to be more top of mind for promotions or stretch opportunities, go to the show notes and there's a link to set up time with me or head up to speakupwithlauracom slash.
Speak up and book some time for us to see if this coaching program would be a logical next step for you.
I can help you build a visibility system and make the next conversation be the one that changes everything.
Have a fantastic day and I will catch you on the next episode.
