Merkle DACH

- Trusted advisor for the leadership team in terms of IoT portfolio planning, managing and maintaining;
- IoT portfolio management from determining business requirements through translating into project deliverables, prioritizing projects in alignment with the strategy and reporting on the created roadmap;
- Process improvement and business transformation to support the strategy and Customer's objectives;
- Liasing with IT and Product PMO to ensure that projects and programs that enable transformation are prioritized in line with IoT platform requirements for change;
- Technically savvy to understand the underlying architecture of embedded devices and IoT platform in a Cloud (AWS).

Managing Principal Consultant

DXC Technology

Account Delivery Manager for new business development and delivery management for a customer in Telco sector. Planning and managing Account portfolio for new demands and service requests, and transforming them into software development projects delivered per schedule, within the approved budget and within the scope.
Managing multi-sited, international project teams consisting of internal resources and subcontractors.
A competent liaison between management, project team and the Customer.

Account Delivery Manager

Hewlett-Packard

Key responsibilities:
• Implementation of software development projects per schedule, within the approved budget, while maintaining revenues and project margin within the limits approved for the project delivery and maintaining Pre-sales budget within approved limits
• Proven experience in Project Management for the project delivery (Project planning, executing, monitoring and controlling, Closing, Risk management, Cost calculations, Forecast preparation) as well as in Project Management for the presales activities and proposal preparation (Bid Management)
• Managing multi-sited, international project teams consisting of internal resources and subcontractors
• Competent liaison between management, project team and the Client, assuring high Customer satisfaction
• Supporting Account Management teams in the area of Business development, new opportunities creation

Project Manager

Hulla & Co Human Dynamics KG

A Project Manager in charge of Capacity Building Projects within Implementation stream with the following key assignments:
•	Managed team of Key Experts
•	Managed project budget within approved profit limits and within schedule
•	Managed relationship with the end customer (Delegation of European Commission) and Beneficiary (Public sector end customers)
•	Provided Business analysis and Business consulting in the area of process improvement and process re-design for internal purposes

A Project Manager within HP Enterprise Services (former EDS) responsible for the scheduling (Project Plan preparation and tailoring); Risk Management; Cost Management. Managing a multi-sited team of subcontractor and client. Reporting to the board level and regional management.

A Bid Manager within HP Enterprise Services (former EDS) responsible for managing the proposal preparation, negotiation with the client and final offer submission. Activities include cost calculation using internal tools, risk management, project planning, project scope definition, managing of subcontractors, contract closing and negotiation with the client. Applying HP Global Method based on the PMI principles in an international environment. Substantial knowledge in the sphere of World Bank and Delegation of European Commission tender procedures.

Working in both roles on a local level and within the EEM (European Emerging Markets) region.

A Solution Consultant within HP Consulting & Integration Business Unit, covering mainly projects in Public Sector across EEM region, responsible for:
•	Business process analysis in the sphere of public financials and accounting
•	Quality Assurance and Testing for the implementation of various IT solutions
•	Presales activities as well as requirements specification, customization and implementation of the solutions and ongoing application maintenance, including implementation of software solutions for enterprise needs, training of end users and consulting services for large and complex  IT projects

Focus is on:  
•	HP reporting tools: HP OpenView Business Process Insight (HP BPI), HP OpenView Performance Insight (HP PI)
•	Data Warehousing and BI (SAP BI)

Solution Consultant Public Sector EEM

You’re a mid-level manager doing everything right, but still watching others move into senior roles ahead of you.

The truth is, most mid-managers get stuck at the same place: doing great work, but still being seen as the executor, not the strategic leader. 
Not the one with vision. 
Not someone decision-makers view as executive material.

I’m Marija, and for almost 20 years, I’ve helped Fortune 500 management teams bridge the gap between "get the stuff done" and "trusted advisor". I’ve learned that breaking into senior leadership has very little to do with more credential and everything to do with how you're perceived.

That’s why I created the Pathway to Senior Leadership workshop. 

In it, I’ll show you:
	• The career mistakes that quietly keep managers stuck in the middle
	• How to advocate for yourself without waiting for permission
	• And how to lead with influence, so the right people champion your next promotion
	
If you're tired of being overlooked, this is the strategy you've been waiting for. 

A clear, actionable plan to help you move into senior leadership in months, not years.

There are only 20 spots, so if you're ready to make your move, click the link in my Featured section and apply now.

Many women in cybersecurity are quietly leading.

But not enough are being seen as leaders.

That’s why I was thrilled to speak at Women4Cyber Serbia (W4C Serbia) Connect @Microsoft last Friday!

We didn’t just talk about AI and cybersecurity.

We talked about careers. 
Leadership. 
And the real traps that keep brilliant women stuck in mid-management.

From the Reliability Paradox to The Visibility Gap, 
we unpacked what it takes to move from being the expert in the room…
 
To being the one shaping the room.

It was also a privilege to join the panel "AI Transformation vs. Cybersecurity Challenges", and to see how leadership development is no longer optional, but essential and to share experiences with great ladies Mina Tomić and Petra K.

Especially in fast-evolving fields like AI and cybersecurity.

Thank you, Jelena Bratić and Women4Cyber Serbia (W4C Serbia) for inviting me, 
and for creating a space where ambition is welcome, and where more women are inspired to claim their seat at the senior table.

Let’s keep the momentum going.

Because technical depth is powerful,
But paired with leadership visibility, it becomes unstoppable.

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Marija Stevanovic

Management Consultant | Coaching managers to transition from middle management stagnancy to senior leadership flourishing | DM "CONSULT" to get started

Leadership doesn’t start when someone gives you permission.
It starts when you do.
 
I remember the thoughts that used to hold me back:
🚨 Am I ready for this?
🚨 Will my peers think I’m overstepping?
🚨 What if my manager doesn’t support me?
 
All valid fears.
But here’s what I’ve learned:
 
No one is coming to tap you on the shoulder.
The turning point isn’t a title. It’s a decision.
 
A decision to stop waiting for certainty.
A decision to act like the leader you want to become.
A decision to take ownership of how you show up, even before anyone asks you to.
 
Because here’s the truth:
➡️ The most respected leaders I know didn’t wait to be chosen.
➡️ They led through influence, not authority.
➡️ They asked better questions, drove better outcomes, and supported others consistently.
 
That’s when people noticed.
That’s when new opportunities started showing up.
 
Not because they got permission.
But because they stopped needing it.
 
If you’re waiting for someone to tell you you’re "ready"...
 
That moment might never come.
 
You get to decide who you want to be, and take the action to grow into it.
 
So the question isn’t: Will they let me lead?
It’s: Am I willing to lead anyway?
 
👇 What’s one action you could take this week to lead where you are?

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The year Lara finally stopped being "almost promoted"
 
Every review, they told her the same thing:
"You're almost there."
 
Next quarter.
Next project.
Next big initiative.
 
She'd led launches.
Revived broken teams.
Presented strategies execs later reused, without credit.
 
And still:
Almost.
 
That year, her peer (less experienced, less effective) was promoted above her.
For his "leadership potential".
 
She laughed. Then she cried. Then she got smart.
 
Because here's what she finally saw:
 
💡 Doing the job isn't the same as being seen doing it
💡 Excellence, alone, is invisible without positioning
💡 Half of "high potential" is just good lighting and louder confidence
 
So Lara flipped the script:
She stopped optimizing for praise.
She started optimizing for power.
 
➡️ Became impossible to overlook in meetings.
➡️ Tied her work to business metrics, not effort.
➡️ Asked for feedback like a future exec, not a grateful employee.
➡️ Took control of her own narrative.
 
The next time someone said "you're almost there"?
She replied: "I'm already there, leading. Are you?"
 
And that’s when the room shifted.
 
If your work is undeniable but your progress is invisible,
you're not in a pipeline, you're in a holding pattern.
 
Join my July workshop if you want the same results as Lara!
(dates and details coming soon)

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You're not just leading.
You're stabilizing.
 
When organizations go through change:
new leadership, restructures, shifting priorities - chaos rises.
 
And while others react or retreat, you hold the center.
 
You're the one who:
→ keeps the team grounded
→ translates vague vision into clear action
→ absorbs the anxiety so others can move forward
 
But here’s the paradox:
 
The better you are at creating calm,
the less they realize how much you’re leading.
 
Because smooth transitions don’t scream for attention.
They whisper: "everything’s under control".
 
And that whisper? It’s your leadership.
 
The kind that:
✅ preserves productivity in the face of confusion
✅ protects culture in uncertain times
✅ turns strategy into reality
 
This isn’t just being reliable.
It’s executive-level influence, and it deserves to be recognized as such.
 
Swipe ➡️ to see 5 hidden ways you shape organizational stability,
(and why that makes you a senior leader, even if they haven’t said it yet).
 
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5 hidden ways you shape org stability

You’ve led teams. Hit the targets. Played by the rules.
 
But in the boardroom, at the deal table, or on the exec floor

→ Your voice still doesn’t carry the weight it should.
 
You’ve likely been told:
 
"Speak with more confidence"
"You need to show more executive presence"
"Just be more assertive"
 
And yet, none of that advice teaches you how to actually command authority.
 
Here’s what starts to happen:
 
You hesitate in high-stakes meetings
You second-guess your judgment in real time
You sense your ideas land flat even when they’re sharp
 
Not because you lack substance.
 
But because you haven’t yet activated your leadership voice, the one that lands with power.
 
Here’s the truth:
 
🚨 You don’t need to be louder
🚨 You don’t need to perform confidence
🚨 You don’t need to mimic the room
 
You need to own the specific energy of someone who belongs at the table.
 
That’s what we’re working on in my upcoming 2-day workshop:
 
→ Pathway to Senior Leadership
🗓 June 16 & 17 (1 hour each day)
🔒 Just 20 seats, so it stays focused
 
You’ll learn how to:
 
✅ Speak with strategic clarity when the stakes are high
✅ Hold your space with gravity, without overexplaining
✅ Navigate tough rooms and power dynamics
✅ Build presence that’s felt before you speak a word
 
It’s designed for mid-level leaders stepping into senior roles where influence matters more than titles.
 
Apply here: https://lnkd.in/dgJ47rp7

The trap of operational excellence?
 
It keeps you so focused on delivering
that you forget to look where you're going.
 
Think about it:
✅ Your metrics are perfect.
✅ Your team delivers consistently.
✅ Your reputation for execution is solid.
 
But here's what 20 years of scaling teams taught me:
 
While you're heads down in operations,
the real career decisions are happening three levels up.
 
And you're not even in the conversation.
 
Why?
 
Because you're:
🚨 Perfecting reports instead of shaping strategy
🚨 Managing tasks instead of spotting opportunities
🚨 Delivering metrics instead of connecting market dots
 
The hard truth:
The person who decides your next role isn't your manager.
It's leaders you've never met,
making decisions about problems you should be seeing.
 
But you can't see them when you're buried in operations.
 
The shift?
Lift your head up.
Look at where the business is going.
Ask yourself: "What expensive problems am I uniquely positioned to solve?"
 
Because that's where the high-impact roles emerge.
 
Not from job descriptions.
But from the gaps between where the business is
and where strategic leaders want it to go.
 
Question is:
Are you building your reputation on execution?
Or are you positioning yourself for where you actually want to be?
 
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I've been in those closed-door meetings.
 
The ones where executives decide your future.
 
What they say about you when you're not there determines everything.
 
After 20 years consulting with leadership teams, I know exactly what gets discussed about mid-level managers.
 
And it's rarely what you think.
 
They're not debating your execution skills.
Your project delivery.
Your technical expertise.
 
Those are expected.
 
They're evaluating something much harder to measure:
 
Your leadership presence.
 
Last month, a client with perfect performance reviews was shocked after being passed over for senior leadership.
 
In the debrief, an executive finally told her the truth:
 
"You're great at your job, but I just don't see you at the executive table"
 
One sentence. Career stalled.
 
Because while you focus on deliverables, they're assessing invisible criteria:
 
1️⃣ Do you speak to business context beyond your immediate area?
 
2️⃣ Can you challenge senior leaders constructively?
 
3️⃣ Have you built relationships across departments?
 
4️⃣ Do you bring clarity to ambiguous situations?
 
5️⃣ Is your influence felt even when you're not in the room?
 
I've watched brilliant managers get overlooked because they never learned to navigate these unwritten rules.
 
That's exactly why I created my leadership coaching program.
 
To share the exact strategies to change how you're discussed when you're not there.
 
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7 Hidden Reasons You're Stuck in Middle Management
(And how to finally break through to senior leadership)
 
 
Most "leadership advice" is dead wrong.
Here's what actually keeps talented managers from reaching senior leadership:
 
1/ The Expert Trap
↳ You're too valuable in your current role. They won't risk moving you.
 
2/ The Good Soldier Syndrome
↳ Following every rule perfectly signals you can't think beyond them.
 
3/ The Execution Paradox
↳ The better you manage details, the less strategic you appear.
 
4/ The Permission Loop
↳ Waiting for the "right time" and permission to lead bigger conversations.
 
5/ The Reliability Curse
↳ Being the "safe pair of hands" makes you invisible for transformation roles.
 
6/ The Metrics Mirage
↳ Focusing on KPIs while missing market shifts.
 
7/ The Harmony Habit
↳ Avoiding necessary conflicts that drive real change.
 
Here's what's essential when breaking into senior leadership:
 
1. Strategic Presence
✅ Stop solving problems, start owning outcomes
 
2. Power Dynamics
✅ Lead through influence before you have the title
 
3. Risk Intelligence
✅ Make decisions that protect the company's future
 
4. Market Vision
✅ See opportunities others dismiss as threats
 
5. Executive Trust
✅ Speak the language that makes leaders back your plays
 
6. Change Leadership
✅ Drive transformation without formal authority
 
7. Strategic Voice
✅ Command attention before you enter the room
 
This is exactly what we master in my Pathway to Senior Leadership workshop.
 
Two days.
20 seats.
Zero traditional leadership fluff.
 
Ready to play at a different level?
 
Apply here: https://lnkd.in/dgJ47rp7
 
What's your biggest challenge in moving to senior leadership?
Share below 👇

When my title said "Senior Lead" but my voice still didn’t land in the room.
 
That was me.
 
I had the data.
The strategy.
The solution everyone would circle back to, three meetings later.
 
But in the moment?
 
I over-explained.
Spoke just a little too long.
And watched the conversation move past me.
 
I wasn’t unsure of my ideas.
But I hadn’t yet learned how to signal leadership without over-talking.
 
An exec finally said it:
"You know your stuff, but you bury it trying to prove it".
 
That hit harder than I expected.
 
So I stopped trying to sound impressive,
and focused on becoming impossible to ignore.
 
I learned to:
 
- Pause and hold space without rushing
- Say less with more intention
- Ask the kind of questions that shape direction
- Sound like a peer, not just a performer
 
Everything changed.
 
Over time, I led digital transformation teams of 60+ consultants.
Mentored numerous mid-level leaders into senior roles.
Helped consulting teams speak in a way executives instantly trust.
 
But it started by unlearning the instinct to over-speak,
and learning to lead the room with less.
 
If you’re a mid-career manager ready to get heard for the right reasons,
my upcoming workshop is for you.
 
DM me "Workshop" and I’ll send you the details.

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The paradox of transitioning into senior leadership:

 
You need visibility to advance.
But you were raised not to talk about your work too loudly.
 
Because you were taught:
→ Don’t brag
→ Don’t be too much
→ Let the work speak for itself
 
But in senior leadership, if no one sees your work, it doesn’t shape decisions.
Visibility isn’t ego, it’s influence.
 
So how do you grow into a more visible, strategic leader without feeling fake or pushy?
 
Here are 7 shifts that helped me, and the leaders I work with:
 
❌ Don’t: Wait for recognition
✅ Do: Share progress in context of business value
→ "We saved 10 hours a week by automating this process, freeing the team to focus on X"
 
❌ Don’t: Talk only about what you did
✅ Do: Highlight why it mattered and who benefited
→ "This change improved customer response time and helped the service team hit their KPIs"
 
❌ Don’t: Fear visibility as self-promotion
✅ Do: Frame it as strategic communication
→ People can’t support what they can’t see or understand.
 
❌ Don’t: Minimize your role in team success
✅ Do: Own your contribution and elevate others
→ "I led the rollout, and the team executed it flawlessly."
 
❌ Don’t: Wait for perfect certainty
✅ Do: Speak up with clarity and curiosity
→ Leaders are expected to shape conversations, not just respond to them.
 
❌ Don’t: Apologize for taking space
✅ Do: Share ideas with confidence and purpose
→ "Here’s what I see, and here’s one way we might move forward."
 
❌ Don’t: Treat visibility as optional
✅ Do: Build it into your leadership habit
→ Weekly check-ins, project updates, and 1:1s are all chances to share what’s working.
 
You don’t have to be louder. You just have to be visible for the right things.

Which one of these are you working on right now?
👇 I’d love to hear in the comments.

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I was in the room.
 
The meeting where decisions got made.
 
The one they don’t put on your calendar.
 
Where promotions get discussed.
And careers get decided.
 
I wasn’t in there to pitch.
I was in there to listen.
 
It was my job to advise senior leadership.
 
To understand what made them trust one person,
And overlook another.
 
And what I heard changed everything I believed about career growth.
 
They weren’t asking:
- Who works the hardest?
- Who’s the most qualified?
- Who puts in the most hours?
 
They were asking:
- Who makes my job easier?
- Who do I trust in front of the board?
- Who already acts like they’re one of us?
 
And that’s when it clicked.
 
Promotions aren’t rewards for effort.
They’re investments in perception.
 
In presence.
 
In who already plays at the next level.
 
That’s what nobody tells mid-managers.
 
You don’t need to be more credentialed.
You need to be repositioned.
 
Not louder. Not nicer. Not busier.
Just sharper.
 
This is what I teach in the Pathway to Senior Leadership workshop.
 
We’ll cover:
 
🚨 How you’re unknowingly signaling that you’re "middle-tier"?
✅ And what to do instead, immediately.
 
🚨 How to lead with influence when you have no formal authority?
✅ So people start echoing your ideas in rooms you're not even in.
 
🚨 How to advocate for your growth?
✅ Without sounding like you're begging for a shot.
 
You won’t find this in a LinkedIn carousel.
 
It’s not inspiration.
It’s a reframe.
 
And it’s going to live in your brain long after the workshop ends.
 
Seats are limited for a reason.
 
I want you focused, not one of hundreds.
 
Join us here:
https://lnkd.in/dgJ47rp7

The curse of the A-player is real.
 
And it's probably keeping you from senior leadership right now.
 
Here's the counterintuitive truth I learned:
 
The better you are at executing, the harder it becomes to break into senior leadership.
 
Why?
Because you've mastered the wrong game.
 
You see, while you're:
- Perfecting your presentations
- Optimizing your processes
- Managing every detail
 
The senior leaders are playing a completely different sport.
 
They're not looking for better managers.
They're looking for people who can see what others miss.
 
Example:
Last week, a client was preparing for a Steering Committee.
She had 47 slides. Perfect data. Bulletproof logic.
 
I asked her one question:
"What's the $10M insight everyone else is missing?"
 
She paused.
Then threw away 45 slides.
 
That's when her leadership presence emerged.
 
Here's what nobody tells you:
Senior leadership isn't an upgrade of middle management.
It's a complete operating system change.
 
And that's exactly what I teach in my Pathway to Senior Leadership workshop.
 
Not how to be a better manager.
But how to shift your operating system so others instantly recognize you as senior leadership material.
 
Two days.
20 seats.
 
Ready to play a different game?
 
Apply here: https://lnkd.in/dgJ47rp7

The moment that changed my career didn’t come with a title, a raise, or even a thank you.
 
It came when a project got off track.
 
The assigned leader was overwhelmed.
The team had no direction.
 
And someone casually said:
"Can you help clean this up?"
 
No promotion. No spotlight.
Just a quiet, messy problem no one wanted.
 
I just made things clearer.
More aligned.
Less reactive.
 
I made it easier for leadership to breathe.
 
And weeks later, I was in rooms I’d never been invited into before.
 
Same job title.
Same org chart.
But I was treated like someone who belonged.
 
That’s when I realized:
 
Leadership roles aren’t awarded, they’re recognized.

Not from effort, but from presence.
Not when you ask, but when you already act like you're there.
 
Executives are watching for:
✔ Who brings clarity when the strategy gets messy
✔ Who can speak in outcomes, not opinions
✔ Who already thinks in terms of risk, alignment, and trust
 
They’re not waiting for you to prove yourself.
They’re waiting to see if you already think like them.
 
This is the shift we create inside the Pathway to Senior Leadership workshop.
 
Not fluff.
Not frameworks.
Not another LinkedIn post that tells you to "just be confident".
 
Instead, we dig into:
✅ How to lead with influence when you don’t own the room
✅ How to stop getting seen as a reliable executor and start being viewed as a strategic partner
✅ How to make executives trust you with bigger bets
 
We start soon.
20 spots only.
You in?
 
👇
https://lnkd.in/dgJ47rp7

The hardest career decisions don’t come with clear answers.
They come with pressure, uncertainty, and one chance to bet on yourself.
 
I was weighing a move into a bigger role.
 
More responsibility.
More visibility.
And one other candidate in the running.
 
I hesitated.
 
Until my manager looked at me and said:
 
"You either take the risk, or the less-fit candidate becomes your manager".
 
That hit hard.
 
He wasn't pushing me, he was right.
 
Here’s the brutal truth mid-managers don’t always hear:
 
If you’re ready but waiting for full certainty, you’ll miss the moment.
 
And in leadership, someone less ready, less experienced, or less aligned will take the seat you hesitated to claim.
 
That’s how so many capable people get stuck.
 
Not from lack of skill.
But from overthinking the leap.
 
Here’s what I’ve learned since that moment:
 
✅ You grow after the title, not before it
✅ You earn influence by showing up before you feel fully ready
✅ The best opportunities rarely come with comfort attached
 
If you want senior leadership, it won’t arrive with a neon sign.
 
It’ll show up as a stretch.
 
A trade-off.
A chance.
A question:
 
Do you trust yourself enough to try?
 
That was the moment everything changed for me.
 
What was yours?
 
👇 Let me know in the comments.
 
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“Do they think like a senior leader yet?”
 
That’s the first question in every promotion conversation I’ve been part of.
 
After almost 20 years helping leaders make the leap, here’s what executives are actually listening for:
 
1/ Cultural Impact
❌ Not: "Team morale is good"
✅ But: "I’m shaping our future-ready culture"
 
2/ Change Leadership
❌Not: "We’re managing the transition"
✅But: "I’m building momentum for transformation"
 
3/ Stakeholder Influence
❌Not: "I got buy-in from the team"
✅But: "I’ve aligned competing stakeholder interests"
 
4/ Vision Translation
❌Not: "We’re implementing the strategy"
✅But: "I’m connecting daily work to our vision"
 
5/ Future Focus
❌Not: "We’re on track for Q2"
✅But: "Here’s how market shifts will impact our 2025 strategy"
 
6/ Strategic Foresight
❌Not: "I solved the client issue"
✅But: "This pattern suggests a larger market opportunity"
 
7/ Enterprise Mindset
❌Not: "My team exceeded targets"
✅But: "I’ve identified synergies across divisions"
 
8/ Risk Articulation
❌Not: "Here are the project risks"
✅But: "Here’s how industry changes threaten our position"
 
9/ Market Understanding
❌Not: "Customer satisfaction is up"
✅But: "I see an emerging market segment"
 
10/ Innovation Mindset
❌Not: "I improved the process"
✅But: "I’m reimagining our business model"
 
11/ Strategic Communication
❌Not: "Here’s what we did"
✅But: "Here’s what it means for our future"
 
12/ Resource Optimization
❌Not: "We need more budget"
✅But: "I’m realigning resources for future growth"
 
13/ Business Acumen
❌Not: "We’re under budget"
✅But: "I’ve identified new revenue streams"
 
14/ Problem Framing
❌ Not: "Here’s the solution"
✅ But: "Here’s the strategic opportunity"
 
15/ Decision Quality
❌ Not: "I made the call"
✅ But: "I’ve weighted long-term implications"
 
The difference is clear:
Mid-level managers talk about what they’re doing.
Senior leaders talk about what they’re seeing.
 
Want to master the signals that executives listen for?
 
Join my Pathway to Senior Leadership workshop where I’ll show you:
- How to integrate these 15 signals into daily conversations
- What language might be holding you back right now
- How to think + speak like a senior leader
 
Only 20 seats available.
 
Apply here: https://lnkd.in/dgJ47rp7
 
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"You're our most experienced project manager. We need you running our key initiatives."
 
That's what I heard in my review at HP, after years of delivering complex projects across EMEA.
 
I was stuck in the expertise trap, and I didn't even know it.
 
Here's what I discovered after transitioning from project delivery to strategic leadership:
 
The very excellence that makes you invaluable in delivery roles?
It's often what prevents you from being seen as a strategic leader.
 
I call it the "Reliable Expert" trap.
 
You're caught here because:
↳ You're the go-to person for complex problems
↳ Your track record in delivery is flawless
↳ Your operational expertise is unmatched
 
But that expertise becomes your ceiling when:
- Senior leaders see you as "too valuable" to move
- Your focus on execution overshadows your strategic potential
- Your reliability makes you invisible for transformation roles
 
I know because I've lived it.
And I've helped hundreds break free from this pattern.
 
The shift isn't about:
🚨 Being even better at delivery
🚨 Working longer hours
🚨 Taking on more projects
 
It's about transforming from:
 
❌ The person who executes strategy
✅ To the leader who shapes it
 
❌ The reliable executor
✅ To the trusted transformation catalyst
 
Ready to make this leap?
 
Join my Pathway to Senior Leadership workshop to learn:
✅ The exact pathway I used to break free from the expertise trap
✅ How to position yourself as a strategic leader (not just an expert)
✅ The language patterns that signal executive readiness
✅ Why your current strengths might be holding you back
 
Only 20 spots available.
For mid-level managers ready to transform from reliable expert to strategic leader.
 
Apply here: https://lnkd.in/dgJ47rp7
 
💜 Like if this resonates
♻️ Share with a manager stuck in execution mode
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I got passed over for senior leadership roles three times before I figured it out.
 
It wasn't my results.
It was my voice.
 
I sounded like someone executing tasks brilliantly.
Not someone shaping enterprise direction.
 
This pattern repeats with nearly every mid-level leader I coach:
 
They speak the language of management.
But senior leadership speaks a different dialect entirely.
 
The VP who finally told me the truth said:
"You sound like you're asking us what to do with your good ideas. Leaders tell us what we're missing."
 
That changed everything.
 
Your voice becomes your ceiling when transitioning from middle management to senior leadership.
 
Here's what creates the gap:
 
➡️ Mid-managers speak about what they control
💡 Senior leaders speak about what matters to the business
 
➡️ Mid-managers explain their process
💡 Senior leaders focus on the critical path
 
➡️ Mid-managers ask for input
💡 Senior leaders invite aligned action
 
➡️ Mid-managers sound thorough
💡 Senior leaders sound essential
 
The moment mid-level leaders stop talking like managers reporting up and start speaking like leaders addressing peers, everything changes:
 
✅ Their ideas get traction
✅ Their influence expands
✅ Their promotion paths accelerate
 
Because senior leadership isn't just listening to what you say.
They're assessing how you say it.
 
This transformation is at the heart of my Pathway to Senior Leadership workshop.
 
Break free from mid-management stagnancy.
Step into senior leadership flourishing.
 
Just 20 spots for ambitious mid-level leaders who are done with:
• Watching peers get promoted ahead of them
• Feeling stuck in execution mode
• Having their strategic potential overlooked
 
Limited enrollment closes this Friday.
 
Secure your spot: https://lnkd.in/dgJ47rp7
 
What's one thing you'd change about how you communicate in leadership settings?
Share below 👇

To mid-managers who are tired of being safest pair of hands in the room:
It’s time to be seen as the senior leader you already are.
 
 
Being great at strategy won’t get you promoted to senior leadership.
That leap demands more than intelligence: it demands visibility, influence, and presence.
 
But here’s the truth most firms won’t say out loud:
They often reward execution over elevation.
They miss the signals that show someone’s ready to lead at the next level.
 
Here are 10 signs you are ready to move into senior leadership:
 
1/ Enterprise Thinking
↳ Connects daily work to firm-wide outcomes.
 
2/ Leadership Curiosity
↳ Asks why leaders make the decisions they do.
 
3/ Self-Sufficiency
↳ Solves problems early, no reminders needed.
 
4/ Strategic Awareness
↳ Understands org dynamics and how to move through them.
 
5/ Earned Authority
↳ Gets sought out, even without the title.
 
6/ Courageous Candor
↳ Shares hard truths with precision and grace.
 
7/ Ownership Mentality
↳ Leads without waiting to be told.
 
8/ Talent Development
↳ Coaches others as second nature.
 
9/ Conflict Navigation
↳ Aligns teams without noise or drama.
 
10/ Team-Led Wins
↳ Lifts others to deliver big results.
 
💡 Pro Tip: The most overlooked sign of leadership?
They make everyone around them better.
 
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♻️ Share with a leader stuck in execution mode
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You haven’t plateaued, your strategy has.
 
 
Most mid-level leaders think they’re moving forward, when they’re just moving sideways.
If your next step doesn’t change how you’re perceived, it’s not a step up.
 
Here’s what’s really happening:
You keep getting offered more scope, more teams, more projects…
But it’s just more of the same.
 
It feels like progress.
But it’s the safest way to stay stuck.
 
This is the trap high-performers fall into:
🚨 Taking the "smart" next move that keeps you executing
🚨 Staying in roles that stretch time, but not perception
🚨 Hoping someone notices how ready you are
 
But here’s the thing:
No one gets promoted to senior leadership because they work hard.
They get promoted because they’re seen as a leader before the title arrives.
 
And how you make your next move determines everything:
Your visibility.
Your influence.
Your future.
 
That’s why I created Pathway to Senior Leadership,
A strategic workshop to help you stop chasing safe progress and start building real positioning.
 
Inside, you’ll learn how to:
✅ Spot the career decisions keeping you stuck in execution
✅ Lead with presence, even when you don’t have the title
✅ Build executive-level influence that gets noticed by the right people
✅ Make high-impact moves that put you on the radar for senior roles
 
You’ve already earned your credibility.
Now it’s time to shift how others see you.
 
→ Pathway to Senior Leadership
🗓 June 16 & 17 (1 hour each day)
🔒 Just 20 seats, so it stays focused
 
Apply here: https://lnkd.in/dgJ47rp7

"I'm doing everything right, but I'm still not moving up."


Petra, a brilliant product leader, told me this over coffee last week.

Her story?
→ Consistent top performer
→ Built high-performing teams
→ Delivered every project on time

Yet she watched as peers, often with less experience, got tapped for senior roles.

The breaking point?
When her boss said: "You need to be more strategic" (without explaining what that meant).

This isn't just Petra's story.
It's the story of countless mid-level managers stuck in the "reliability trap."

Too valuable to lose.
Too essential to promote.
Too busy executing to be seen as strategic.

But here's what changed everything for Petra:

She stopped trying to work harder.
She learned to position herself differently.

Three months later?
She was leading enterprise initiatives.
Getting invited to executive strategy sessions.
Being seen as "senior leadership material".

Want to know how?

I break this down in my latest Consulting Bits and Pieces newsletter: 
"The Hidden Truth About Why Smart Managers Get Stuck"

Plus, I'm announcing something special inside 🎯 
A live workshop where I'll show you exactly how to make this shift.

Only 20 spots available for the workshop.
For mid-level managers ready to stop waiting and start moving up.

Apply now: 
https://lnkd.in/dgJ47rp7

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