Jessica Sweet, CPCC, CEIP, LICSW

Executive Career Coach

Wishingwell Coaching

I am The Career Therapist. What does that mean? I help with all those sticky places where your mindset and emotions overlap with work. 

Getting clear on what you really want. 
Achieving that next level. 
Managing your anxiety. 
Stopping limiting beliefs or patterns that hold you back. 
Creating work life balance. 
(Re) Building confidence. 
Being the leader you really want to be. 
Putting all of your ADHD magic to work for you. 
Setting boundaries
Dealing with burnout. 
Recovering from toxicity
And more. . . 

WHAT YOU WANT:

You want make an impact, make money, find a great corporate culture, grow, learn and feel like you’re contributing. 

Is that really so much to ask? 

Nope.

But you know that you’re holding yourself back, and sometimes you wonder: do you need a therapist, or a coach?

How about both?

As a trained therapist (Harvard Teaching Hospital Psychiatry Training Program) and a certified coach x 14 years, I can help you feel empowered. 

WE COULD:

✔Gain the confidence to get a new job or advance even if you have battle scars from previous roles, haven't job searched in years, or feel stuck and confused.
✔Get past mindset blocks holding you back from having the career you want
✔Reset your boundaries
✔Make a career transition and find a job and company that's exciting, a match for your skills and experience, and pays!

SOME OF MY WINS INCLUDE:

✔Coached 100s of clients over 14 years to 6/multiple 6 figure jobs doing work in alignment with their values, skills and experience
✔Helped several clients start their own business
✔ Invited to write articles for/quoted in several leading business + career publications, including Forbes, U.S. News and World Report, The Huff Post, CNBC, Business Insider, Monster.com, and more
✔Helped clients increase salaries by as much at 100%
✔ Top 25 Career Coach + Forbes Coaches Council

If you're stuck, feel you're wasting your potential, or feel like we should talk, message me on LinkedIn or: jessica@wishingwellcoach.com

Executive Career Coach for Midlife Leaders

Forbes Coaches Council

I'm a member of this invitation only organization for leading career and business coaches.  My articles on career coaching, job search and strategy have been accepted and published on Forbes.com. Read them in my publications section. Collaborated with some of the top minds in the coaching industry.

Official Member

Executive Connexions Ltd.

Cambridge Health Alliance

Licensed Clinical Social Worker

Trained under top trauma specialists to learn about and practice cutting edge trauma treatment, and treat patients in 1-to-1 and group therapy settings.

Victims of Violence Fellow

Montgomery County Methadone Center

Counselor

My father hated his job but stayed for 30 years to support our family, even though it made him sick and angry. He could have done a million other things, but he couldn’t see the options. Instead, he was miserable until the day he up and quit. 

The rest of the family suffered, too. 

My first job was toxic and “not me." I quit without notice. 

𝗜 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗱: 𝗮 𝗷𝗼𝗯 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗲𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗺𝗶𝘀𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗻𝗼 𝘄𝗮𝘆 𝘁𝗼 𝗹𝗶𝘃𝗲. 

You’re not the kind of person who can feel one thing and do another.

💔 Your career isn’t working, and you're feeling: 
	
➔ Stress, 
➔ Burn out,
➔ Undervalued, 
➔ Mis-matched/Confused/Unfocused
➔ You need a job that's more than a paycheck

➡ You’ve wished for a career coach who can help with difficult emotions, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 has a solid, proven system. 

𝗧𝗵𝗮𝘁'𝘀 𝗺𝗲.  

⭐ 𝗠𝘆 𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹𝘁𝘆 𝗶𝘀 𝗰𝗼𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗺𝗶𝗱𝗹𝗶𝗳𝗲, 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲-𝗼𝗯𝘀𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗲𝗱, 𝗵𝗶𝗴𝗵 𝗘𝗤, 𝗝𝗮𝗰𝗸/𝗝𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗼𝗳 𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗱𝗲𝘀 𝗯𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗲𝗱, 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗳𝘂𝗹, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗵𝗮𝗽𝗽𝘆 𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗿𝘀. 

I use effective and proven career tools + systems I’ve created + refined over 15 years, + my therapy background.

𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗜 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗽: 

⭐ 𝗩𝗜𝗦𝗜𝗕𝗟𝗘, job search system + weekly group coaching + mental wellness/support. https://www.linkedin.com/redir/invalid-link-page?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwishingwellcoach%2ecom%2Fjob-search-coaching%2F

⭐𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲𝘁𝗲𝗹𝘆 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗳𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗖𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗿 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲, 6-month group +1:1 coaching program: https://www.linkedin.com/redir/invalid-link-page?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwishingwellcoach%2ecom%2Fjob-targeting-group%2F

⭐𝟭:𝟭 𝗖𝗼𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴, Get clear, make decisions + resolve emotional career conflicts.
https://tinyurl.com/coaching-chat

𝗖𝗹𝗶𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝘀𝗮𝘆:
“I cannot emphasize enough - if you are considering any of the topics on her page or listed above . . . - work with Jess.” Jeffrey Rapp, MBA, PHP

“I would recommend Jessica to anyone looking to resolve a career dilemma!!” Julia Wooding, MBA

“Her personalized approach, combined with her expertise and encouragement allowed me to make significant progress and achieve remarkable results in a short period of time.” Tim Freeze, Sales Leader

𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗯𝗲 𝗺𝘆 𝗻𝗲𝘅𝘁 𝘀𝘂𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆.
	⇨ Send me a DM and let’s chat.

𝗙𝗿𝗲𝗲 𝗖𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗿 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗰𝗲𝘀: 
https://wishingwellcoach.com/career-resources/

Jessica Sweet, CPCC, CEIP, LICSW 🇺🇦

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

She accidentally saw her colleague's offer letter.

Same title.
Same level.
Same responsibilities.

$47,000 more than her.

She had been there 6 years.
He had been there 6 weeks.

She requested a meeting with her VP.

VP: Market rates have changed. We can't adjust everyone.

Her: So loyalty is penalized?

VP: That's not how I'd phrase it.

Her: How would you phrase it?

VP: We value your contributions.

Her: But not enough to pay me fairly?

VP: Our hands are tied.

---

Her hands weren't.

She started interviewing strategically.
Not desperately. Strategically.
With LeaderUP's help.

She targeted companies that posted salary ranges.
She prepared like each interview was her only chance.
She negotiated like she already had the job.

8 weeks later: Director title. $71,000 increase.

Her old company posted her replacement role.

At the salary she had asked for.

---

The money is there.

It's just not there for people who don't ask—or don't leave.

Your loyalty won't be rewarded.

Your leverage will.

Agree?

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?

Leaving after 1-2 years isn't "job hopping" anymore.
It's career strategy in 2026.

Top earners will have 12+ jobs in their lifetime.

You're not "disloyal" for:
• Walking away from toxic leadership that drains your mental health
• Rejecting the 2% annual "raise" that's actually a pay cut with inflation
• Escaping a boss who takes credit for your work but blames you for mistakes
• Declining to sacrifice your life for a company that would replace you in 48 hours
• Refusing to stay where your skills are underutilized and your growth is stunted

The new loyalty is to yourself first.

Companies that retain talent:
Pay fairly, promote growth, and treat people like humans.

Companies that complain about "job hoppers":
Offer stagnant wages, burnout, and guilt trips.

Which one are you working for right now?

Every time I've "job hopped," my salary jumped 20-30%.
Every time I stayed "loyal," it rose 3%.

Your career is a marathon, not an arranged marriage.
Run it on your terms.

Have you made more with staying loyal and internal raise?
Or through switching jobs?

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're promoting someone else to Director.

Her: I've led this department for 3 years. We hit 147% of target.

HR: You're a strong performer, but we don't think you're ready for leadership.

Her: Who did you select?

HR: Someone from outside. He has "executive presence."

Her: What does that mean?

HR: He interviews well.

---

She trained that external hire for 4 months.

He asked her how she built the systems that made the team successful.

She smiled and said nothing.

4 months later with LeaderUP's help,
So she could "interview well" too.

She accepted a Senior Director role elsewhere.

$65,000 more.
Direct reports: 34.
Scope: National.

Three weeks into her new role, her old company called.

"The new Director didn't work out. Would you consider coming back?"

Her answer: "No thank you."

---

If your company can't see your value, stop trying to convince them.

The right company will compete for you.

Not make you compete for recognition you've already earned.

Would you have waited—or walked?

♻️ Repost to help someone stuck in the same situation.

They reality was she was leading the entire department.

His boss asked him to train the new hire.

"She's your backup," the boss said.

Six months later, he found out the truth.

She wasn't his backup.

She was his replacement.

Salary? $40,000 less than his.

He was the "Senior Manager restructuring" nobody told him about.

They wanted his knowledge at a junior price tag.

---

Here's what he did:

He didn't explode.
He didn't complain.
He started a strategic job search with LeaderUP that same week.

Within 90 days, he had three Director-level offers.

He accepted one with:
•	35% salary increase
•	Actual leadership scope
•	A boss who values transparency

His last day, HR asked for "knowledge transfer documents."

He handed them the same training manual he gave the new hire.

---

Companies will extract your value without recognizing it.

Don't wait to be told your worth.

Go find employers who already know it.

Are you ready to get to your next level?

Comment "Next Level" below and we'll send you the same playbook to get these 3 director-level offers.

4 years stuck at Senior Manager.

Every promotion cycle: "Not yet."

His VP's feedback:

"You're doing great work."
"The timing isn't right."
"Maybe next quarter."
"We need to see more visibility."

He led a $12M program.
He managed 18 people.
He presented to the C-suite monthly.

But he wasn't "Director material."

---

Here's what he finally realized:

The bar wasn't unclear.

The bar didn't exist.

They had no intention of promoting him.

He was too valuable where he was.

---

So he started with LeaderUP and
We changed his strategy:

He stopped waiting for permission.
He stopped believing "next quarter."
He started treating his job search like a second job.

Result:

Director of Operations.
New company. New industry.
$52,000 raise.
Clear path to VP.

Three months later, his old boss reached out:

"We're finally ready to promote you."

Too late.

---

Waiting for a promotion that's always "almost here" is not patience.

It's a trap.

If they wanted to promote you, they would have.

Would you keep waiting—or start looking?

He got the call on a Tuesday.
"We're eliminating your position."

12 years. Senior Manager. Gone in one conversation.

The next 48 hours could have been panic.

Instead, he called me.

So he started working with LeaderUP that same week.

Here's the exact playbook we ran:

Day 1-2: Positioning Reset
• Rewrote his LinkedIn headline to lead with outcomes, not titles
• Updated his About section with three quantified achievements
• Changed "Open to Work" settings to visible to recruiters only

Day 3-4: Targeted Outreach
• Identified 15 companies with active Director openings in his space
• Found 2nd-degree connections at each one
• Sent 22 personalized messages

Day 7: Interview
• One connection responded: "We actually just opened this role yesterday"
• Hiring manager call that afternoon
• Panel interview scheduled for Monday

Day 18: Offer

Director of Operations.
$67,000 more than his previous role.
Better title. Smaller company. More impact.

---

Layoffs don't end careers.

Slow responses do.

He didn't wait to "process his feelings."

He processed them while executing.

---

Your network is an asset. But only if you activate it.

Have you ever turned a setback into a setup?

Instead of just bouncing back, instead LEAP FORWARD!

The system wants you to wait until you break.

Jason was a Senior Director. On paper, he had it all.
In reality? He was drowning.

60-hour weeks.
Answering emails during his daughter’s recital.
Doing the work of three people because of a "hiring freeze."

He was stuck in the weeds. A glorified firefighter.
He waited 3 years for the VP spot.
They gave it to an external hire.

"You're too valuable where you are," they said.
That broke him.

He joined LeaderUP the next day.
He was terrified. He thought he was too old to pivot. He thought the market was dead.

We looked at his strategy. It was passive. He was waiting to be picked.

We stopped talking about his "responsibilities."
We started quantifying his financial impact.
We turned "Managed operations" into "Recovered $12M in lost revenue."

The result?
He didn't beg for a job. He attracted offers.

Jason signed as VP of Operations.
$75k increase in base comp.
Full equity package.

But the text he sent me wasn't about the money.
"I just had dinner with my family. No phone. Thank you."

The system wants you to wait until you break.
Don't give them the satisfaction.

♻️ Repost if you’re ready to reclaim your life.

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.

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.

She had 47 interviews.... ZERO offers.

Her resume was perfect. 
Her experience was solid. 
She was doing Director-level work with a Senior Manager title.

But every final round ended the same way:

"We decided to go with another candidate."

She couldn't figure out what was wrong.

So she started working with LeaderUP.

Here's what we discovered in our first session:

She was answering interview questions like an individual contributor.

"I did this. I managed that. I handled this project."

We rebuilt her entire interview approach using the SERI method:

Situation - Set the strategic context
Escalation - Show the business impact at stake
Resolution - Demonstrate YOUR leadership decision
Impact - Quantify the outcome in dollars, time, or scale

Her next interview?

Same company that rejected her 6 months earlier.

Different result.

Director of Program Management.
$58,000 raise.
Team of 22.

The difference wasn't her experience.

It was how she communicated it.

---

Most Senior Managers don't have a qualification problem.

They have a positioning problem.

Are you answering questions like a manager—or a leader?

Comment "Training" below if you want our free training on leveling up, just like this!

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.

He was passed over for promotion 4x.

He asked me why he wasn't getting promoted...

"Does your boss's boss know what you do?"

Silence.

He'd been a Senior Manager for 5 years. Consistently exceeded targets. Led the highest-performing team in his division.

But every promotion went to someone else.

So he started working with LeaderUP.

First thing we did: an influence audit.

We mapped every stakeholder who had a say in his promotion.

The result?

His direct boss loved him.
Everyone else had no idea who he was.

Here's what we changed:

1. Monthly visibility touchpoints
↳ Started sending brief email updates to skip-level leadership
↳ Not bragging—sharing wins, learnings, and upcoming initiatives

2. Strategic project selection
↳ Volunteered for one cross-functional initiative with executive exposure
↳ Not more work. Different work.

3. Executive communication style
↳ Shifted from detailed updates to outcome-focused summaries
↳ "Here's what we delivered and what's next" (3 bullets max)

4 months later:

His boss's boss requested him for a special project.

3 months after that:

Director of Strategic Initiatives.
$44,000 raise.

---

Hard work doesn't speak for itself.
You have to translate it for the people who matter.

---

Are you visible to decision-makers—or just busy?

7 reasons you're stuck at Senior Manager (That nobody tells you)

1. They're solving problems instead of preventing them.
↳ Directors don't fix fires. They build systems so fires don't start.

2. They're managing tasks instead of managing outcomes.
↳ Their boss doesn't care how busy they are. They care what changed because of them.

3. They're waiting for the promotion to act like a Director.
↳ Wrong order. Act like a Director first. The title follows.

4. They're invisible to the people who matter.
↳ Their boss's boss doesn't know their name. That's a problem.

5. They're competing with peers instead of elevating them.
↳ Directors build leaders. That's how they prove they can lead leaders.

6. They're underselling their impact in interviews.
↳ "I led a team" vs "I built a team that delivered $4.2M in cost savings." Night and day.

7. They're loyal to a company that's not loyal to them.
↳ Internal promotions have a ceiling. External moves break it.

---

The Director jump isn't about working harder.
It's about working differently.

Most Senior Managers are one strategic shift away from the breakthrough.
Which of these is holding you back?

Let me know below 👇

♻️ Repost to help a Senior Manager in your network level up.

Hard work doesn't speak for itself.
It just makes you a reliable workhorse.
They don't promote workhorses; they ride them until they collapse.

He was the "Fixer".

The guy you call at 10 PM when the server crashes.
The guy who silently cleans up the mess before the client notices.

He stared at his laptop screen. 1:17 AM.
His boss had just presented the quarterly results. Record numbers.

His boss got the bonus.
He got a "Good job, keep it up" Slack message.

He was invisible.

"I'm doing the work of a VP," he told me during our first call, voice cracking.
"But I'm getting paid like a Senior Manager."

He was trapped in the weeds.
He thought if he just worked HARDER, they would finally notice.

That is the great corporate lie.

HR isn't your friend. 


Let me repeat the important part:
Hard work doesn't speak for itself.
It just makes you a reliable workhorse.
They don't promote workhorses; they ride them until they collapse.

He was ready to quit. He said, "If nothing changes in 6 months, I'm done."

We didn't wait 6 months. 
We started LeaderUP coaching program immediately.

We deployed the **Visibility Playbook**:

1. Stop fixing problems silently. If they don't see the fire, they won't value the firefighter.
2. Shift language. We stopped talking about "tasks completed" and started talking about "revenue protected".
3. Bypass the blocker. We mapped the stakeholders who actually hold the budget and got him in that room.

The result?

He didn't have to beg for a promotion.
He presented a strategic roadmap to the SVP. The SVP looked at him and asked, "Why isn't this guy running the department?"

8 weeks later: Director of Operations.
$60k raise.
Equity package.

And he logs off at 5 PM.

If you feel stuck, stop waiting for permission to lead.
Take what is yours.

♻️ Repost if you are done being invisible.

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?

I review hundreds of Senior Manager resumes every year.

The same 5 mistakes show up again and again:

1. Leading with responsibilities instead of results.

↳ "Managed a team of 12" tells me nothing.
↳ "Built and led a team of 12 that delivered $4.2M in new revenue" tells me everything.

2. Burying the number that matters most.

↳ Your biggest achievement should be in line 1 of your summary—not page 2.
↳ If you saved $3M, that's your headline.

3. Using the same resume for every application.

↳ Each role needs a tailored version.
↳ Match their language. Mirror their priorities.

4. Listing skills nobody asked for.

↳ "Proficient in Microsoft Office" in 2025 is like saying you know how to use email.
↳ Include skills that differentiate you, not qualify you.

5. Writing like a job description, not a value proposition.

↳ Job descriptions list duties.
↳ Winning resumes prove impact.

---

The Director resume isn't about showing what you did.
It's about proving what you're capable of doing next.

Most Senior Managers are one resume rewrite away from doubling their interview rate.

---

Which of these mistakes are you making?
Let me know below 👇

♻️ Repost to help someone break through.

Hands gripping the steering wheel so hard his knuckles turned white.
He wasn't having a heart attack. He was having a realization.
He couldn't walk into that building one more time.

On paper? He was a Senior Director at a F500.
In reality? He was the office janitor.
Cleaning up messes. Staying until 8pm. Missing his kid's soccer games.

No raise in 3 years. "Budget constraints," his boss claimed.
(While the company posted record profits in Q3).

He had sent out 50 applications on LinkedIn. Silence.
He thought he was too old. Too expensive. Washed up.

That's when we spoke.
He was tired. He sounded defeated. He was ready to settle.

I looked at his resume. 
It was a tragedy.

It listed tasks. "Managed team." "Oversaw operations." "Attended meetings."
It screamed "Doer."

Companies don't hire SVPs to do. 
They hire them to lead.

We deployed the LeaderUP Resume Impact Formula.
We stripped out the fluff.
We stopped asking for permission.

"Managed team" became "Led 40-person unit to generate $22M revenue increase."
We stopped talking about responsibilities. We started selling ROI.

6 weeks later.
He didn't get an interview. He got a bidding war.
Two offers. Both $60k over his current base.

But the money didn't matter.
The text he sent me did:
"I just resigned. I feel like I can breathe again."

Stop waiting for them to notice you. 
They won't.

The system is designed to keep you exactly where you are—cheap, reliable, and stuck.

♻️ Repost if you're ready to take back control.

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?

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The Battle

Jessica Sweet, CPCC, CEIP, LICSW 🇺🇦

Paul Upton

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The Battle

Jessica Sweet, CPCC, CEIP, LICSW 🇺🇦

Paul Upton

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Performance Score.css-goub6s{font-size:var(--chakra-fontSizes-md);font-weight:500;color:var(--chakra-colors-gray-600);display:block;margin-top:var(--chakra-space-1);}Paul Upton's LinkedIn Performance

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