So the most dangerous place to be in 2026 is not entry level, despite all you're hearing.
It's actually mid-level.
Welcome back to Speak Up.
The podcast for high-performing introverts, including you, social introverts who have learned that being brilliant does not automatically make you more influential.
If you're already respected but starting to sense that your visibility doesn't quite match your capability, you are in the right place.
I am your host, Laura Camacho, your career accelerator and executive presence strategist.
And in this episode you'll discover why director level professionals are the most exposed layer in the age of AI and how to protect your earning potential.
The real reasons.
Promotions stall after you've been working 20 years in an industry and it's not competence.
And how to translate operational or technical expertise into strategic authority so that people trust your thinking at the executive level.
All right.
So some of you, this is not for everybody.
This is not about doing more.
It's not about being more productive.
I want you to do something different in your work.
Let's say that you've been working 20 plus years.
You're respected.
You're competent.
You probably feel pretty safe.
You've made it to director.
That's what I'm thinking, depending on the size of the company.
It could be senior director or even VP.
And yet it can feel like you're hitting a wall is not in your imagination especially.
You know covid really threw a monkey wrench and things and since then promotions have stalled.
Ai is creeping into your function, i think, no matter what it is.
Actually, the research shows that middle management is shrinking globally.
There's a mckenzie reports linked at the end of the show notes that says that generative AI is the most likely to automate middle layer cognitive work, the reporting, the summarizing, the coordinating functions.
In other words, the exact work that some of you have been rewarded for.
So the safest place seems to be right now entry level learning or executive decision making.
The squeeze is in the middle.
A lot of you have been so focused on doing great work that you don't even know what's going on outside your company, in your industry.
Your network may be almost entirely internal.
You haven't update LinkedIn in five years, maybe even more.
And you're confident because you're doing great work and you've been compensated.
But you're beginning to get worried about your growth, feeling like you've hit a rut.
You may even be thinking, like, does my voice even matter?
And you know it's a really can be a heavy question because, of course, you're super duper smart and experienced.
You've rolled out initiatives.
Whatever your domain is, you've been successful.
You may have international experience.
You may have AI exposure.
Now is the time to think about how you're showing up in meetings, for example, since that's the currency of business.
If you're still over explaining, going into detail.
You are losing the room.
You are not influencing because you're sounding like you're just stuck in the operations of your domain.
And you're going to see perhaps someone even less experienced speak with authority.
I'm sure you've noticed that there is a bias towards younger people.
I've seen some of the job postings for OpenAI or Anthropic, and they don't say it.
But they say it without saying it like they don't want you if you're over 30.
That's a thing, right?
It's not because it's so much affecting you, but it's because it can help make you lose your confidence and make you think well, maybe I am too old, or maybe I am too stuck, or maybe I'm not VP material, or maybe this is just my level.
You know, not that you're sure of that, but you may question your ability to move forward.
And that is what sucks away your confidence.
And you know, if you're in director level, if that level of compensation is going to affect you in lost earnings.
I mean we're talking at least 300000K, maybe 500000K, maybe more.
You're going to miss out on some board level opportunities.
Could be equity, could be influence in your industry.
But what I'm understanding is that AI may be replacing the operational middle layers first, right?
Because, especially if you're in operations, that's where it's easier to find ways for AI to save the company money.
What I want you to do is just stop working so hard or thinking that you need to work harder or be more productive.
That is not what you need.
You don't need more experience.
You need to not think it's your personality, not your personality.
It's positioning, it's perception management, it's strategic communication.
And here's a hard to swallow truth.
At the director level, Promotions stop being fully about competence.
That's just assumed, but it becomes.
Who trusts your thinking, who sees you as strategic, who experiences you as a peer, no matter your level?
That's a skill set.
That's not a trait.
So that World Economic Forum says that leadership and social influence are rising skills.
That's code for technical expertise is not sufficient.
But you already knew that.
I want you to start thinking about how are you positioning yourself inside and outside your company, right?
It's not that you need a new degree certification or more technical expertise.
What you need is an executive narrative.
You need strategic speaking habits.
I strongly recommend that you get external industry visibility.
That's the fastest way to make people see you in a different light.
That also means experience, get building a network beyond your companies and learning how to answer questions like a VP.
You know you want to have the confidence to know what your point of view is and why it matters because it does, but only if you use it.
So if you're at the director level senior director maybe and you're feeling stuck, you know you have more to say.
You're concerned about how AI is reshaping your industry and You have tons of experience, but you're concerned about your positioning folks.
That's what this is about.
You have not hit your peak.
You've got a lot more runway.
It's a communication and visibility ceiling, and that is totally fixable.
That's exactly why I have the executive presence mastery system.
It's about where we translate your operational depth into strategic authority.
You learn how to speak up in meetings with executive level clarity.
You have your professional narrative, aka personal brand.
It's increasing your visibility inside and outside your company.
So if this sounds like a logical next step for you, please set up time.
There's a link in the show notes in the first paragraph.
Or you can visit my website at www.speakupwithlaura.com slash speak up.
Have a fantastic day and I will catch you on the next episode.
