Chason Forehand

HR-4U INC.

My story consists of years of physical and mental abuse, drug addiction, homelessness, shame, self-loathing, incarceration and suicidal ideation.

I thought I was worthless.

I was offered a gift by someone in the culinary field that wanted to pay it forward, as it had been paid forward to them.  This set me on a path to get clean and see how I could pay it forward.

Forty-four percent (44%) of the U.S. makes below a living wage.
  
Poverty is on the rise.

Food Insecurity is at an all-time high.

How do we address these socioeconomic challenges with actionable change that breaks the cycles?

On the Advocacy side, we lock arms with End Workplace Abuse, Workplace Fairness, over 115 partners in 8 countries, to stand firm that people matter over everything else.  We are currently charging in the NY/NJ/CT area to help pass the Psychological Safety Act.

Our boots on the ground is our Transformation Kitchen(™️) program which builds strong communities of mentally and physically healthy humans that leave their addictions, violence, incarceration and past decisions behind to move forward in a positive way.  

With our Director of Student Wellness, Sarah O'Brien, we make sure those moving through our program are set up to thrive, not survive.

We are much more than a culinary training facility; we are a beacon of hope in the darkness.

Our first #TK is in Matagalpa, Nicaragua, working in tandem with Rayo de Sol to build a legacy of economic change.

Our next one will be in NY and we will be making more announcements soon.

If you would like to know more about our programs and how to get involved reach out here:
https://linktr.ee/chasonforehand

Founder

The Outlier Project

A dedicated professional development and growth community.  A special focus of The Outlier Project is to develop leaders who believe that companies and individuals alike succeed or fail based on the quality of the teams they build and the relationships they invest in.  We call this having a “People Over Everything” mindset.

Proud Audacious Member

Success Champion Networking (SCN)

The Success Champions Network is a B2B networking platform designed to connect like-minded businesses for genuine conversations, introductions, and growth opportunities. 

It aims to foster collaborations and substantial business growth through a community of professionals who adhere to the Success Champion's Code. Members gain access to actionable insights, immediate knowledge for business growth, and exclusive training programs. 

The network is not just about networking; it's about building a community, expanding business opportunities, and accessing practical knowledge to help members take their businesses to the next level.

Hospitality Table Member

Transform

The Transform Community is a dynamic network of professionals and leaders dedicated to enhancing their professional journeys through a dedicated online member experience. 

Members can leverage the collective wisdom of the community, engage in discussion forums, and access specialized groups. The community also offers real-time chats and a membership directory, providing rich resources and events to keep members connected and inspired.

U.S. Member

HR Consultations

I am the Founder and creator of a company designed to help small to medium sized Not-For-Profit, and Social Good organizations receive sound, expert advice, technical system assistance, and services without sales pressure and upselling. Our team has created a robust portfolio of helping many organizations thrive in tough economic times and a global pandemic.  We support our clients in every aspect of HR, developing policies, procedures, technical advice, developing programs and platforms to enhance their needs and put them on an empowered path of self-reliance.

Founder / Fractional HR

Spartan/LifeLab

As a senior leader of the organization, I was tasked with developing strategies for retaining the best talent, including how we recruited, engaged. and communicated with staff members across three countries and in multiple US states.  

My teams and I built the entire HR stack, award winning Safety Protocols for our warehouses, and all of the policies and procedures for the company.  We also developed, created, and marketed natural, food grade, nutrient-based supplements, and personal care products which were manufactured and distributed in the US.  

Our incredible marketing and Sales teams worked in tandem to double our YoY numbers in every division category, opening pathways to new markets, while solidifying relationships with Amazon, Walmart, Sally's Beauty, and others.  We developed strategies to increase our market space in traditional brick-n-mortar, B2B and B2C capacities while challenging ourselves for "what's next".

Our Warehouse teams went over 2 years without a single accident, maintained cGMP standards, and received excellent ratings from the FDA, Health Department, and other agencies, while shipping 100% on time to our partners each week.  This won us two coveted awards where we all shared the victory.

Director Of Operations

Founder of hr-4u.org▪︎Breaking down employment barriers▪︎People over Everything▪︎Neurodiversity Inclusion▪︎Disabilty Equality▪︎Military Ready

I believe in the power of people.

When we collaborate and work together we can move mountains, build communities, and conquer socioeconomic issues plaguing our cities.

Everyone should have a safe space to call home.

Everyone should have consistent access to nutritious food.

Everyone deserves to make a living wage.

I believe there is a way that companies and their teams can thrive.

At HR-4U INC, we are known for empowering change-driven companies and their leaders to advocate for and uplift their employees with living wages, worth, and wellbeing. 

Using a specialized grassroots approach, we empower change-driven leaders to stand up, speak out, and take action. This approach includes strategically collaborating with other nonprofits to shine a light on leaders who prioritize people first. 

This collaborative spirit stems from over 40 years of honing my “people-first” passion and experience in the Culinary, Human Resources and Diversity, Equity & Inclusion spaces. 

We are thrilled to announce that HR-4U has achieved the prestigious Platinum Seal of Transparency from Candid/GuideStar for the fourth year in a row. This remarkable accomplishment is a testament to our unwavering commitment and relentless dedication.

Our newest program, Transformation Kitchen™, is designed to provide participants skilled training, a strong sense of community, wellness checkups, healthy meals and living wage careers.

Find out how you can get involved to create positive change in your community.

We are a charitable 501c3 Nonprofit, incorporated as hr-4u inc., in Delaware.  We're on a mission to remove the roadblocks that create barriers to finding living-wage employment for all communities. 

How we affect change:

We create meaningful relationships with employers, of all sizes, that are already exhibiting equitable hiring behaviors, creating meaningful diversity measures, and align with our mission.  We also look for individuals that are coaching leader behaviors towards people over everything.

We shine a light on the successful behaviors of our Employer-Partners & Leader-Partners through social media avenues, video recordings, speaking engagements and other venues.  By shining this light on positive behaviors, we create change for all to see and witness.  As our partnerships grow, the intensity of our light will grow, creating organic change while supporting fantastic leaders that are changing the world.

At Success Champion Networking (SCN) we make real connections to help people learn, share, and grow, together.

I'm fairly new at the Hospitality Table, but these guys are like my family.

Our meetings are at 11 AM ET on Tuesdays for an hour.

I'm truly amazed by what Donnie Boivin has created, and how each incredible chapter has it's own vibe while keeping to the the core principles that make up what SCN is all about!

Noelle Labrie, Chef Simon Zatyrka, Todd Vahlsing and I are here to serve our members and guests.

Grateful to Ruth Mallon, Cristina Gia Luciano, Zev Gotkin, Neil Newman, Mike Porto, Daran Adair, Melissa Long, Kristen Chimack and others that make the Hospitality Table so amazing!

Special shout out to Paul McCarthy....you can never leave us buddy! 

If you're interested in connecting with incredible people, let me know & Ill get you situated.

#SCN #HospitalityTable #VC

Breaking the cycles of poverty, homelessness, and food insecurity with Transformation Kitchen™️ because everyone has a right to thrive, not just survive. “We don’t just flip eggs, we flip lives.”

The work I do doesn't sleep.

Breaking the cycles of poverty, homelessness and food insecurity takes intentionality.

I'm truly grateful to do the work.

I'm grateful 🙏 for people like Anna Morgan, Melinda Alcosser, and Katy Rey that give me the opportunity to tell my story and explain why we do the work we do.

I'll be in NYC March 28th with Rayo de Sol Nicaragua to promote our Transformation Kitchen work we're doing in Matagalpa.

You can get in-person tickets until March 23rd OR virtual tickets until March 26th.

I'll be in Tampa at Celebrate YOU with Katy Rey 
helping her amazing organization Fostering Hearts FL !

Tickets available now.

If you missed yesterday's #FunkyFriday with Corey Easterday you're going to want to rewind.  This guy is legit doing some amazing things.  

Hit up our podcast, Time2CHANGE on any platform that you like and give us a nod.

Go do some cool stuff today!

Do Good. Be Kind. Spread Joy.

Breaking the cycles of poverty, homelessness, and food insecurity with Transformation Kitchen™️ because everyone has a right to thrive, not just survive. “We don’t just flip eggs. We flip lives.”

Happy #FunkyFriday friends!

It's our time to drop those worries in the wastebasket outside and jump into the virtual roller-skating rink where we can:
🎆meet new people
🎆cheer on others
🎆learn something new
🎆have some fun

I'm schreeching the tires, running into the rink from in-person meetings today and WOW....do we have a #FunkyFriday drop for you today.  

Buckle up!

As I walk in the mood is vibing and the music is jiving!  DJ Prince (aka Amanda) is that Chaka on the mic?

I saw the Outlier VW Van in the parking lot and I see Tom has dropped off all of the awesome folks from The Outlier Project into the rink to celebrate with us!  Gracias!

Twenty #Outliers are in Matagalpa with Peter, Audra, and the team of Rayo de Sol Nicaragua building, painting and moving the needle!  

We can't wait to hear all about it.  I will be heading back this Summer to do some work with the team for #TKNicaragua and I'm excited!

Over at The Muse Tiki Bar my friends Noelle, Todd, Simon, Ruth, Paul, John  and Founder Donnie are chatting up all of the cool chapters we have in Success Champion Networking (SCN).

I'm honored to be the Member Chair for the Hospitality Table.  Reach out if you would like to know more about this amazing group!

On the other side of The Muse I see Melissa, Jerry, Nicole (Nic), and Derek talking about our first #TKCookbook available March 28th at our #CookingUPChange event (then globally in April).

Huge thanks to Melissa Carson who was our Signature Sponsor for the cookbook and GUIDING BRILLIANT WRITERS (GBW) PUBLISHING, LLC for the amazing work to put this together.

OK, I'm in line for my skates, so you know what that means.....it's time for the rink chatter....

Welcome to Season 8 of #Time2CHANGE! 

We are powered by the wonderful folks at Maono!

Current Sponsors:
Do Better Consulting
Melissa Carson 
Curious Elixirs
Saratoga Spring Water Company
Mid-Hudson Valley Federal Credit Union
PepsiCo Newburgh Distro 
HR Consultations
Chef Christopher Follari
Hudson Valley Kitchen 
Industrial Arts Brewing Company

Our #Time2CHANGE guest today Dr. Jeff Wetzler’s ASK method helps leaders unlock the hidden wisdom within their teams to drive stronger collaboration smarter decision making and lasting community‑wide impact.

Go to wherever you listen to podcasts and tune in AND grab a copy of his best-selling book "Ask" (📌link in the comments) !

💥Remember to like, download, and leave us a review on your favorite platform to listen in to podcasts💥

I've got my skates and it's time to go. 

Check on 3 people as my buddy Cindi says!

#FunkyFriday #ASK #Curiosity #TK #SCN #Outliers

Paul Upton

Want to get to your next Career Level? Or into a role you'll Love? ◆ We help you get there! | Sr. Leads ► Managers ► Directors ► Exec Directors | $150K/$250K/$500K+ Jobs

"With no exaggeration- Paul and the LeaderUP program changed my life!" – James
(See more in recommendations)

👉 Message me on LinkedIn

Why Senior Leads, Managers, Directors & VPs choose to work with me:
▶️ You want to break into your next leadership role, get promoted, or move to a promotional opportunity. Maybe you are seeking to break into your next level or senior leadership.

▶️ You're stuck in your current role, not much company growth, or growth opportunities. Or you do not like your current company/role and want to find a better one and level up your career to the one you deserve!

▶️ You're in a job search, you know you are good, but something is missing, you are not getting interviews, or are not getting offers!

▶️ You're tired of being frustrated & wasting time!

𝐀𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐦𝐞: I've spent the last 14+ years working at top Fortune 100 companies.
◾️ 10+ jobs over this time and 2 highly competitive leadership programs
◾️ 7 times promoted/found promotional opportunities (often they found me)
◾️ Most recently an executive director at a telecom leading an organization of 150+ people.

𝐈𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞 𝐈'𝐯𝐞 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐞𝐝:
◾️ What it really takes to stand out in the Top 1% of leaders
◾️ How to be a great leader and more importantly how to develop this in others
◾️ How to hire the best, I've done over 500+ interviews and hired multiple high performing 10X teams

I am one of the few career coaches who has leadership/hiring manager experience and knows what they are looking for!

𝐍𝐨𝐰 𝐈 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐩 𝐘𝐎𝐔 𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐞𝐯𝐞 𝐌𝐎𝐑𝐄 𝐒𝐔𝐂𝐂𝐄𝐒𝐒!

I have put these learnings together and have created the 𝐋𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐔𝐏 𝐋𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩 𝐓𝐨𝐩 1% 𝐂𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐂𝐨𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐦 to help leaders and aspiring leaders reach the next level and land their dream jobs/promotions. 

Are you someone who wants...
✅Wants more MONEY, TIME, FLEXIBILITY, and GROWTH?
✅Gets multiple offers and CHOOSES the best one for them?

And would rather...
✅Follow a proven step-by-step process that works!
✅With the 1:1 support, you need along the way!
✅That takes 70% less time & effort and 99% less frustration!
✅And finally, get that dream job that they deserve and are excited to jump out of bed for?

► LeaderUP Job Offer System & Coaching Program -  Reach out to learn more!

👉 Learn more: message me!

Founder, CEO & Chief Career Officer - Career Expert | Career Success Coach | Leadership Coach

👉 Message me on LinkedIn

I am one of the few career coaches who has Fortune 50 leadership & hiring manager experience. This gives me the perspective to know exactly what hiring managers (not just recruiters) are looking for in a Manager, Director, VP+, how to stand out, and what it really takes to be a top 1% Leader & Candidate!

I have partnered with recruiters, HR leaders, hiring managers, and leaders to understand and distill the most important qualities and traits of successful leaders and how to find these in candidates and develop them in leaders. 

Through all this and hundreds of interviews, I have learned what the Top 1% of candidates do and built a system that works to help leaders, aspiring leaders, and high performers learn these skills and get the jobs & opportunities they really deserve!

► I help YOU master YOUR resume + LinkedIn so you STAND OUT and get NOTICED

► I help YOU learn how to ROCK your interviews and build real, memorable connections with hiring managers & GET OFFERS!

► I help YOU learn the skills to negotiate like a PRO to get the best total compensation package possible

► I really care. My sole reason for LeaderUP is to help YOU find success and fulfillment in your career. Success YOU DESERVE and have earned by working harder, learning more, and putting in the effort to SUCCEED!

I have created the LevelUP Leadership Top 1% Candidate Coaching Program to help leaders get promoted and land their dream jobs using Top 1% Applicant Strategies, leveraging the top SECRETS learned from Expert Resume Writers, Recruiters, Hiring Managers, Leaders, and Top Candidates, as well as many failures, successes, and continuous improvement!

► LevelUP Leadership Top 1% Candidate Coaching Program

MESSAGE me on LinkedIn to learn more and how I can help you!
Email me at Leaderup.Program@gmail.com

A VP candidate walked away from a $280K offer.

Two weeks later, she proved “playing safe” is the real risk.  

She came to me as a Director. Strong track record. Clear VP potential.

A big brand posted a VP role.

Scope looked huge. Title looked shiny. Process dragged for 10 weeks.  

Panels. Presentations. Homework. Politics everywhere.

Final offer: $280K total.

Low range for VP in her market. Messy scope. Weekend “fire drills” baked into culture.  

Her words: “I feel I should say yes. Roles at my level feel rare.”  

My reply: “You do not need a VP title that pays Director money with burnout hours.”  

She declined. With grace. No bridge burned.

Next day we went all in on a different plan:  

• Clear VP narrative for her resume and LinkedIn  
• Tight value story for board, CEO, COO problems  
• Target list of growth companies that need decisive leaders  
• Direct outreach with short, sharp messages  

Within 10 weeks:

• Three new processes, all true VP scope  
• Two clean offers  
• One dream role  

Final package:  

• Real VP role  
• $52K more total comp than the first offer  
• Fewer direct reports, clearer charter  
• Culture that respects boundaries  

Same market. Same time.

Different result because she refused a misaligned “safe” choice.

Right now leadership hiring splits into two groups:

• Companies clinging to power with slow steps plus low offers  
• Companies hungry for leaders who decide, act, own outcomes  

Senior leaders win when they market themselves to the second group, not beg the first group.

Alignment over fear is the move that changes careers.

HR: We'd like to offer you the Director role at $165,000.

Her: I appreciate the offer. Based on my research and the scope of this role, I was expecting something closer to $195,000.

HR: That's above our budget. $165,000 is our max.

Her: I understand. I'm genuinely excited about this opportunity. Can I share something?

HR: Of course.

Her: In my current role, I reduced vendor costs by $2.3M annually. For a role at this level, I'd want to ensure the compensation reflects the value I'll bring. Is there flexibility in the total package?

HR: Let me talk to the hiring manager.

24 hours later:

HR: We can do $178,000 base with a $23,000 signing bonus.

---

She didn't beg.
She didn't threaten.
She didn't accept the first number.

She stated her value with evidence and asked if there was flexibility.

That one conversation was worth $36,000.

Most people lose thousands because they're afraid of one uncomfortable moment.

---

The offer is never the offer.

It's the opening of a negotiation.

Would you have asked—or accepted?

“We can’t promote you this cycle.”

90 days later she signed a Senior Director offer for +$72,000 more comp.

Her title inside the company: Senior Manager.

Her reality: running Director level projects, calming executives, fixing broken teams.

3 performance cycles in a row her VP said the same line.

"Not ready for Director. Maybe next year."

She did not lose skill. She lost patience.

When she came to LeaderUP she felt stuck, angry, tired.

We did three big moves.

1) We turned her hidden Director work into hard numbers.

• Revenue impact
• Cost savings
• Scope of people leadership
• Size of budgets under her control

2) We rebuilt her story for the external market at Senior Director level, not "high potential manager" level.

Interview stories, resume, LinkedIn profile. Every piece showed national scale leadership.

3) We used the LeaderUP 4x4 Marketing Method to get her story in front of hiring VPs.

Targeted outreach. Warm intros. Direct value messages.

Within 90 days she landed a national Senior Director role.

• Thirty four direct reports
• Seventy two thousand dollar raise
• Equity on top

Her old company tried to react only when she gave notice.

Too late.

Internal promotion games stay political in 2026.

The external market can feel more fair when you market yourself at the level you already operate.

How long have you been doing Director level work without Director level title or pay?

I walked away from a Fortune 100 Executive Director title.  
I wanted impact, freedom, and the right people instead.  

For years my identity came from:  

• Big logos  
• Large teams  
• The next promotion  

Stress climbed.  
Travel climbed.  
Politics climbed.  

My health dropped.  
Family time dropped.  
Joy at work dropped.  

On paper everything looked perfect.  
Inside I felt empty and trapped.  

My biggest fears before leaving:  

• Losing status  
• Losing steady pay  
• Disappointing people  
• Wasting fourteen years of work  

I stayed longer than I should from fear and habit.  
My body started to send clear signals.  
Sleep went bad.  
Energy went low.  
Sunday dread became normal.  

One day I realized my ladder leaned on the wrong wall.  
Safe did not feel safe anymore.  

I chose a different path.  

I took the same executive playbook I used for years:  

• How to stand out in the top 1 percent  
• How hiring leaders think  
• How promotion decisions happen behind closed doors  

Then I built LeaderUP.  

Now I help senior leaders land roles they love, with lives they can sustain.  
More money, more meaning, more space to breathe.  

Success for me no longer means title plus chaos.  
Success means work I care about, people I trust, a life I can keep.  

My hope: more leaders choose a new version of success before burnout makes the choice for them.

I was an invisible top performer for years.  

I became Executive Director when I finally changed my story.  

For a long time I believed numbers spoke for me.  

• Exceeded every target  
• Fixed broken processes  
• Saved millions in cost  

Yet I got passed over.  
Told to “be patient”.  
Watched others with more visibility move ahead.  

My work lived in slides, trackers, late nights.  
Not in decision rooms.  

The turning point came when a mentor said:  
“Your impact is strong. Your story is missing.”  

I stopped dumping data.  
I started sharing simple stories leaders could repeat.  

Instead of:  
“I reduced cost by 12% across three regions.”  

I said:  
“I found a way to save us millions without cutting headcount. Here is what changed for our teams.”  

Key shift:  
I made my impact clear, human, easy to retell in promotion talks.  

Here is what I did different:  

• Tracked every win with numbers and a one-line story  
• Framed work as problems solved for the business, not tasks done  
• Gave my manager short updates they could forward word-for-word  
• Shared credit with my team, claimed clear ownership for my part  

Promotions started to find me.  
Roles came to me, not the other way round.  

The move from hard worker to Top 1% leader is not more effort.  
It is a story of impact leaders cannot ignore or forget.  

Share your thoughts on this shift from invisible top performer to visible Top 1% leader.

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She was the ‘go‑to fixer’ for 7 years.  
One mindset shift, now she leads 28 people as Director.  

For a decade she lived in firefighter mode.  

Late nights.  
Weekend emergencies.  
Last‑minute saves before executive reviews.  

Leaders praised her hustle.  
They sent thank you emails.  
Promises of "next cycle" promotion.  

Title stayed Senior Manager.  
Pay stayed flat.  

Inside LeaderUP we named the pattern:  

• High trust in crises  
• Low trust in strategy  
• Seen as doer, not builder  

The market rewards builders.  

We built a new story for her career.  

She stopped volunteering for every rescue.  
She started owning cross‑functional programs with clear outcomes.  
She mentored two successors, then pushed work down to them.  
She translated wins into business language: revenue, cost, risk.  

Within 90 days recruiters treated her as Director level.  

Panels asked about her systems, not her late nights.  

Offer she accepted:  

• Director, national scope  
• Team of 28  
• 51% increase in total compensation  

Same person.  
New mindset.  
New evidence.  

Promotion arrived when she stopped proving she could take more tasks.  

Progress started when she showed she could build leaders & systems which worked without her.  

Firefighters keep lights on.  
System architects change level.  

Many high performers stay stuck in fixer mode for years.  

Career breakouts come when leaders shift from hero work to scalable work.

The job market is chaos.

Reorgs, layoffs, shifting markets.
Not bugs in a career.
Features of the game.

Your mindset must be the calm storm center if you want that promotion.

I led teams of 150+ people during big shakeups.
Whole org charts moved in one day.
Strong performers lost roles.
Average performers kept seats.

One pattern stayed clear.

The people who thrived did not chase the “safest” job.
They built the strongest position.

They had:
• Clear targets for their next role
• Strong, visible skills
• A proactive strategy, not a wait-and-see mindset

True stability came from inside:
• How they thought
• How they planned
• How they showed up in the market

A powerful shift helped me and my clients:

Move from “I hope things calm down”
To “I always build my options.”

That shift looks very practical:

• Sharpen your story
→ Clear value, clear results, clear next step

• Keep your network warm
→ One call, one message, one update each week

• Treat your career like an asset
→ Review it, invest in it, protect it, grow it

You do not control markets or reorgs.
You control how prepared you stand when they hit.

Use chaos as a signal.
Time to upgrade mindset, skills, story, network.

Your calm center in the storm becomes your unfair advantage.

She was told VP roles are rare in this economy. 100 days later, she chose between 3 VP offers.

First call, her voice shook.

“Paul, maybe I should wait. VP searches feel dead. I do not want to waste energy.”

She was not missing skill. She was missing confidence, strategy, communication.

We fixed each one.

Step one: we rebuilt her story for VP level.
Step two: we trained every single conversation.

Harvard professor Allison Wood Brooks said:
“Every person you know, every relationship in your life is a repeated sequence of conversations over time.”

Job search is the same.
Recruiters. Hiring managers. Execs.
Repeated conversations.

If you improve each one, results change fast.

We used a simple 4-part communication framework:

• Topics
She prepared 3–5 topics before every call: team goals, business pain, growth plans, leadership style.
No small talk drift. Clear, sharp conversations.

• Asking
Follow-up questions every time:
“Can you share an example?”
“How will you measure success in year one?”
She stopped selling. She started understanding.

• Levity
She let her personality show. Short stories. Light humor. Human, not stiff. That made her memorable.

• Kindness
Thank-you notes. Warm praise for the team. Respect for each person’s time. People felt great after talking with her.

Result:
• 14 screens
• 7 interview processes
• 3 VP offers in 100 days

The truth is: learning to be a stronger communicator gives you more respect, more influence, more offers.

Where do you need to upgrade your conversations to reach your next level role?

Hot take: For $150K+ leaders in 2026, playing it safe is the most dangerous career move.  
Here’s why.  

For years I thought safety meant:  
• Stay in one company  
• Keep my head down  
• Wait for the “right time”  

On paper I looked strong.  
Inside I felt smaller every year.  

I stayed in roles that no longer stretched me.  
I knew I could lead at a higher level.  
I kept telling myself, “One more safe year.”  

Each “safe” year did three things:  
• My market value grew  
• My salary stayed flat  
• My confidence quietly dropped  

The gap between my value and my reality got wider.  
I was not safe.  
I was stuck.  

For $150K+ leaders, risk needs a new meaning.  

Real risk looks like:  
• Stagnant skills → same problems, no new tools  
• Single income stream → one decision away from zero  
• Zero decision‑maker network → no one with power knows your name  

Safe on the surface.  
Danger under the hood.  

Smart risk looks different.  
Smart risk grows your options, not your fear.  

Pick one smart risk for this quarter:  
• Start one new conversation with a senior decision maker  
• Raise your hand for one visible project that scares you a little  
• Make one bold career move you delayed for years  

You will not win every time.  
You win more by taking clear, smart risks than by waiting for perfect safety.  

How long will you keep calling “safety” what is really slow career decline?

Director: "You said Q4 2024. It's now Q1 2026."

VP: "I know. Things keep shifting."

Director: "I've been running this division for 18 months without the title or the comp."

VP: "And you've done a phenomenal job."

Director: "Then promote me."

VP: "We need to wait for the next cycle."

Director: "You said that three cycles ago."

VP: "These things take time."

Director: "No. These things take courage. Yours."

...

VP: "Let's not be hasty."

Director: "I'm not being hasty. I've been patient for 18 months. That's the opposite of hasty."

VP: "So what are you saying?"

Director: "I'm saying another company didn't need 18 months to see what you keep postponing."

The director put in her notice that Friday.

9 weeks later...

New company.
Executive Director title.
$55K more in total comp.
The role she'd already been doing — except now she's paid for it.

Here's what kills me.

Her VP wasn't evil.
He just wasn't urgent.

And that's worse.

Because "wait" sounds reasonable.
"Next cycle" sounds fair.
"We'll revisit" sounds like a promise.

But it's not a promise.

It's a delay disguised as a plan.

And every quarter you wait is a quarter someone else won't.

The system doesn't reward patience.

It rewards the people who stop waiting.

♻️ Repost if you're tired of "next cycle."

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The first time a client said “your program changed my life,” I froze.  

My idea of success changed that day.  

He came to me exhausted, burned out from toxic leadership.  
Promotions stalled, effort ignored, pay stuck.  
On paper he looked strong.  
Inside, he felt invisible.  

We went to work together:  

• Clear story for his value  
• Target roles with real growth, not chaos  
• Interview skills that showed his leadership  
• Boundaries with work, plus space for family, health, joy  

Months passed.  
One night I sat alone in my office, inbox open, long day behind me.  

A message came in from him.  

He wrote about a new role, a supportive boss, double compensation, calm evenings with his family.  
He wrote about feeling seen, safe, respected for the first time in years.  

No bonus in my corporate career ever felt like that moment.  
No “exceeds expectations” on a performance review reached that deep.  

For years I chased:  

• Titles  
• Larger teams  
• Bigger budgets  
• Higher bonus targets  

Success meant more headcount, more zeros on numbers.  

That message broke that old scorecard.  

At a certain point in leadership life, money still matters, titles still matter, yet they move to second place.  

Top place goes to the lives you help shift:  

• People who escape toxic rooms  
• Leaders who stop repeating harm  
• Families who get a present, healthy parent back  

My work now runs on that fuel.  

Share if your own measure of success has started to change too.

If you wait to “feel ready”, you’ll still be in the same role next year.
Move now, fix later.

I talk every week with leaders who say:
“I’ll update my resume when things calm down.”
“I’ll start looking when the timing is right.”

Next month becomes next quarter.
Next quarter becomes next year.

Nothing changes.
Stress grows.

The uncomfortable truth:
You rarely feel ready before a big move.
You feel ready after you start moving.

In my own career, every promotion and big jump looked like this:

• I said yes before I knew every detail
• I learned fast while already in motion
• I fixed gaps as I went

From the outside it looked “strategic”.
From the inside it felt scary and messy.

But action gave me:

• Clarity on what I wanted
• Confidence from real wins
• Options when I needed them

Waiting gave me nothing.

If your role feels wrong, do not wait for:

• A perfect market
• A perfect resume
• A perfect plan

Move now, fix later:

• Write a rough target role list
• Message one person who can help
• Update one part of your LinkedIn
• Apply to one stretch role today

Small moves compound.
Silence and delay also compound.

How long have you been waiting for the promotion and career you know you deserve?

He almost waited another year.
Thank God he didn't.

...

He was an Executive Director at a fintech.
Running a 40-person org.
Owning a $22M P&L.

His VP took credit for everything.

Every board deck.
Every strategic win.
Every turnaround he engineered.

His name never made it above the fold.

He told himself the same story:

"Maybe next cycle."
"Maybe after this reorg settles."
"Maybe when the timing is better."

He'd been saying that since 2024.

Two years of maybe.

His hands would shake on Sunday nights.
He stopped mentoring his team.
He caught himself snapping at his kids.

Not because he was angry at them.
Because he had nothing left to give.

He was running on fumes.
And calling it "patience."

One night he was staring at the ceiling.
3:47am.
Heart racing for no reason.

He grabbed his phone.
Booked a call with LeaderUP

He didn't even think it'd work.
He just knew he couldn't do another year.

First session, we told him the truth:

"Your problem isn't performance. It's that nobody outside your company knows you exist."

He'd spent 4 years building empire
for a VP who treated him like staff.

We diagnosed the real career killer:
Zero external visibility.
Zero leverage.

So we executed.

Stopped talking about his "team size."
Started framing the $22M in outcomes.

We ran an **Influence Audit**.
Mapped the 12 people in fintech
who actually greenlight VP hires.

He reached 6 of them in 3 weeks.
Not pitching.
Solving their problems out loud.

Within 60 days:

Two VP conversations.
One final round.
One offer.

**VP of Operations.
$310K total comp.
A $55K jump.**

Direct line to the SVP.
No more credit stolen.
No more ceiling.

He called me after he signed.

He didn't talk about the money first.

He said:

"I slept through the night."

**He got his life back.**

Not because something changed in him.
Because he stopped waiting
for something to change around him.

Here's what nobody tells you:

"Waiting for the right time"
is just fear wearing a nice outfit.

The right time was last year.
The second best time is today.

Every quarter you wait
is a quarter someone less qualified
takes the role you deserve.

Stop waiting.
Start moving.

♻️ Repost if you're done
giving "maybe" another year.

Your resume is not a story of tasks.
It is a value report, and here are 5 steps to prove it.

Senior leaders do not get hired for “owned X”, “responsible for Y”, “supported Z”.

Senior leaders get hired for money moved, time saved, risk reduced, experience improved.

After hundreds of Senior Manager & Director resumes each year, I use a simple 5-step “Impact Rewrite” process.

Clients who follow this process often double interview rates.

Here is how I do it with them.

Step 1: Pull raw responsibilities
• Copy bullets from past roles
• Keep every line task-based for now

Step 2: Find the main business lever
For each bullet, mark one lever:
• Revenue
• Cost
• Risk
• Customer or employee experience

Step 3: Attach a number
Use any real number you can find:
• % change
• Dollar value
• Volume or time
Numbers turn noise into proof.

Step 4: Use the formula
Action + lever + metric

For example:
“Led cross-functional project”
becomes
“Led cross-functional launch that grew ARR 18% & added $4.2M pipeline in 9 months”

Step 5: Compare with target Director or VP role
• Open a job description
• Scan each bullet on your resume
• Check match with scope, scale, levers in that role

Senior leaders win when every line reads like a business case.

Not “busy”.
Valuable.

Your next step to Director or VP starts when each bullet proves impact in numbers.

Your calendar is full. Your promotion path is empty.  

That is not a time problem. That is a priority problem.  

Years ago my week looked packed.  

Back to back meetings.  
Decks.  
Fire drills.  
More meetings.  

My output was high.  
My stress was high.  

Yet I had zero conversations about my next role.  
Zero positioning with senior leaders.  
Zero movement toward promotion.  

One Friday I opened my calendar for the past month.  

I saw work for:  
• Projects  
• Teams  
• Stakeholders  

I saw almost nothing for:  
• Future roles  
• Key relationships  
• Strategic visibility  

My effort went to current-role tasks.  
My future got leftovers.  

I decided on a new rule for myself.  
Later I gave it to clients.  

Protect 60 minutes every workday for “future-you” work.  
Do it before you touch email or urgent tasks.  

Future-you work means:  
→ Reach out to senior leaders  
→ Book coffee chats  
→ Build trust with sponsors  
→ Share wins with the right people  
→ Map next-step roles offers  

No reschedule.  
No skip.  

Once I did this, leaders began to see me differently.  

More invites to key meetings.  
More pull into high-impact work.  
More offers without applications.  

Same 24 hours.  
New priority order.  

Careers stall when calendars ignore the future.  

Protect 60 minutes for future-you work today.  
Repeat next week.  
Let compounding do the heavy lift.  

Share one change you will make to protect those 60 minutes.

He was invisible on LinkedIn.  
6 weeks later, recruiters called him a top 1% candidate and chased him.  

Director of Customer Experience.  
Strong track record.  
Happy teams, higher NPS, lower churn.  

On paper he looked perfect.  
Online he looked silent.  

Dead profile.  
Generic headline.  
No content.  
No views from decision makers.  

Inside LeaderUP we ran him through our 4x4 Marketing Method.  

Step 1: Niche  
• We narrowed focus to B2B SaaS customer experience  
• We highlighted turnaround stories, not task lists  

Step 2: Headline + About  
• We rebuilt both to speak in numbers  
• Revenue saved, churn reduced, teams built  
• Clear promise: “Director who turns support orgs into profit centers”  

Step 3: Profile as landing page  
• Banner for his target roles  
• Featured section with wins, not files  
• Experience written for executives, not HR screens  

Step 4: 15‑minute daily system  
• 5 minutes: comment on posts from VPs, founders, recruiters  
• 5 minutes: share one short insight from his work  
• 5 minutes: send 2–3 targeted connection requests  

After 6 weeks:  
• Profile views up 10x  
• Inbound messages from two Fortune 100 companies + one high‑growth startup  
• He accepted a Director role without a formal application  

Truth in a noisy market:  
The market cannot hire you when no one sees you.  

Treat LinkedIn as a landing page for decision makers, not a static resume, signal strength rises fast.  

What would shift in your career if hiring managers saw you as a clear, must‑interview leader before you touched the apply button?

She built the entire department.
Someone else got the credit.

...

Three years as a Director of Revenue Ops.
Built the forecasting model from nothing.
Hired 9 people. Trained every one of them.

Her VP presented her work at QBRs.
Used her slides. Her data. Her language.

Never once said her name.

She told herself: 
"They see me."
"They know who did this."
"My time is coming."

It didn't come.

The company created an Executive Director role.
Her role. 
Her scope. 
Her team.

They gave it to an external hire.

She found out from a Slack announcement.

She sat at her desk for 20 minutes.
Staring at the screen.
Hands completely still.

That night she told her partner:

"If I don't make a move now, I never will."

Not next quarter.
Not after the next reorg.
Now.

She booked a call with LeaderUP.

First thing we told her:

"You don't have a performance problem.
You have an invisibility problem."

We ran the Visibility Playbook

Step one: Stop doing the VP's prep work.
Start presenting your own insights directly.

Step two: Build relationships one level up.
The people who approve headcount and budget.

Step three: Shift from executing to leading.
Delegate the dashboards.
Own the narrative.

She was terrified.

"What if they think I'm not a team player?"

We told her the truth:

"They already don't think of you at all.
That's the problem."

She executed for 11 weeks.

Started presenting at cross-functional reviews.
Built a direct line to the VP of Sales.
Proposed a revenue acceleration initiative.
Put her name on it.

A SaaS company in her network noticed.

They weren't hiring.
They created the role for her.

Executive Director of Revenue Operations.
$385K total comp.
A $85K jump.

Her old company still hasn't backfilled her.

Because they didn't know what she did.

That's the trap.

You keep waiting for them to notice.
They keep waiting for you to stay quiet.

Every quarter you wait is a quarter someone
else takes credit for your work.

The clock doesn't pause for loyalty.

It was never about her talent.

It was about who owned the story.

♻️ Repost if you're done being invisible.

The most expensive tax you pay isn't to the IRS.
It's the "Inaction Tax."

You’re miserable.
You’re underpaid.
You’re doing the work of a VP for a Senior Manager’s salary.

Yet, you stay. Why?

Because the devil you know feels safer than the devil you don't.
You tell yourself it's "safe" to wait.

I call it fear dressed up as logic.

Here are 5 lies smart leaders tell themselves to stay stuck (and the hard truth):

1. "I'll look after this project wraps."
TRUTH: There is always another project. The system is designed to overlap deadlines so you never come up for air.

2. "The market is bad right now."
TRUTH: Top talent moves in every market. While you hide in the weeds, your competition is taking the seats at the table.

3. "I have too much unvested equity to leave."
TRUTH: Calculate the hourly rate of your misery. Those options aren't worth your sanity or your health. And they can just be easily negotiated into the new role.

4. "My boss said promotions are coming next cycle."
TRUTH: A verbal promise is a corporate lie. If it’s not in writing, it’s a distraction tactic to keep the mule pulling the cart.

5. "I'm just grateful to have a job."
TRUTH: This scarcity mindset is exactly why they feel comfortable paying you 30% under market value.

Stop waiting for a lifeboat. 
The ship is sinking.

Build your own raft.

♻️ Repost if you needed this wake-up call today.

She kept losing to “internal candidates.”  

Until we turned her into the obvious external upgrade they could not ignore.  

Senior product leader. Six Director final rounds.  

Six times, the call came:  
“We went with an internal person.”  

She felt cursed.  
Strong resume, strong references, strong skills.  
No offers.  

When she came to LeaderUP, we found the real issue.  

Her stories stayed at team and feature level.  
Company panels hired for portfolio and risk level.  

They heard:  
“I own roadmaps, squads, launches.”  

They needed:  
“I own bets, risk, outcomes.”  

We rebuilt her story bank with my SERI style method:  

• Situation: portfolio tension, market shift, or revenue gap  
• Execution: options, trade‑offs, resource moves  
• Result: 12–18 month outcomes, not launch dates  
• Impact: risk reduced, upside unlocked, trust gained  

We added pre‑interview stakeholder mapping.  

For each person on the panel she knew:  
• their portfolio or product area  
• where they felt pressure from ELT  
• metrics which kept them awake at night  

Every answer now sounded like she already sat on their side of the table:  

• “Here is how I shaped our three core bets across the portfolio”  
• “Here is how I traded speed vs risk with legal and compliance”  
• “Here is how we moved X metric over four quarters”  

Next panel. Global tech company. Two strong internal front‑runners.  

Offer went to her. Director title. Meaningful pay jump.  

Internal preference loses power when you speak risk, bets, and outcomes in the company’s own strategic language.

Job applications feel like a black hole. Why does no one reply?

You’re a Director in tech. You know you have the skills.

But your talents are wasted in your current job.

Every time you apply, you wait.
No response.
No interview.
No offer.

You update your LinkedIn,
tweak your resume,
watch career advice videos.

Still, nothing changes. Frustrating, right?

Here’s what I see after 14+ years helping people level up:

- Most applicants focus on the wrong things.
- Endless tweaks don’t move the needle.
- It’s not about having a perfect resume.

The real game-changer? Strategic moves.

You need a clear roadmap:
→ Know your true strengths.
→ Market yourself to decision-makers, not just recruiters.
→ Show how you solve real problems.
→ Build connections that matter.
→ Get more interviews
→ Get more offers

When you do this, you stop being overlooked.
You start being noticed.

You turn “no reply” into interviews and offers.

What helped me—and hundreds of clients—was not more edits.

It was expert guidance,
A proven plan,
And knowing how to stand out in the Top 1% of candidates.

Time to normalize: High performance + Healthy boundaries + Smart strategy.

If you’re tired of feeling invisible, take action.
Don’t keep wasting your skills.

Want to see what works? We’ve created a free training: 3 HIRING MANAGER SECRETS to get to your next level or into a role you’ll love.

Throw “TRAINING” below and I’ll send it over.

What’s your take?
Are you focusing on tweaks, or are you ready for a new, strategic approach?

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Chason Forehand

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The Battle

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