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
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👉 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

I don’t believe in dream jobs.
I believe in leaders who build trust, respect, and great workplaces.

A dream job means nothing if the culture breaks you.

Every day, I see workplaces that:

❌ Hurt mental health
❌ Damage relationships
❌ Block real career growth

But I also see how the right leader can change everything.

Bad leadership looks like this:

❌ Keeping secrets
❌ Ignoring feedback
❌ Forgetting to praise
❌ Avoiding tough talks
❌ Letting bullying happen
❌ Not helping people grow
❌ Showing bias and losing trust
❌ Thinking only about their own gain
❌ Making random choices that confuse
❌ Playing favorites and dividing teams
❌ Giving too much work and burning people out

Great leaders do the opposite:

✅ Set clear goals
✅ Act with honesty
✅ Put well-being first
✅ Cheer for new ideas
✅ Listen and show care
✅ Stay open and honest
✅ Accept people as they are
✅ Share feedback that helps
✅ Give real trust and freedom
✅ Make everyone feel included

✅ Work together and lead by example

I have spent years leading teams and hiring top talent.

What I know is simple:

People stay for respect, growth, and peace of mind.

If you are searching for a new role,
Pray for a leader who lifts you up,
Not a title that sounds good on paper.

Everyone deserves a workplace where they can thrive.

♻️ Share this with someone who needs to see what leaders can do.
➕ Follow me for more on leadership and career growth.

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70 interviews. 0 offers.
Next 10 interviews. 7 offers.
Here's what I changed...

Same person.
Different approach.

Here’s what changed:

- I stopped searching for that “right” answer
- I realized every hiring manager wants something different
- I focused on building real conversation, not rehearsed responses

The truth is:

- No one is perfect
- No answer is perfect
- Most people interview well enough to get in the room

But what makes you stand out?

It’s connection.

Hiring managers remember who understands their pain
Who listens
Who asks the right questions
Who shows they care about the work

Here’s how I flipped the script:

→ I listened first
→ I spoke honestly about my experience (no buzzwords)
→ I asked what frustrated them most about the role
→ I shared how I could help solve those headaches

Winning interviews are not about being the “ideal” candidate.

They’re about being real.
Being relatable.
Showing you want to solve real problems.

If you want more job offers—work on building trust, not perfect answers.

How do you approach tough interviews?
Has connection helped you stand out?

Comment "Connect" below if you want to learn how to build relationships that get results.

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.

Stop waiting for your boss to decide you’re ready. Start acting like the market already has. 

Same talk.
Different year.

“You’re doing great work... but not ready yet.”

Next year:

“Love your impact... need more time in role.”

Year three:

“Keep doing what you’re doing... almost there.”

Meanwhile:

• “Not ready for VP” but you lead VP-level initiatives  
• “Need more experience” after you deliver $2M in results  
• “Work on visibility” while you train executives in every town hall  

You are not “not ready.”

You are not their priority.

The truth is:

• Readiness is subjective  
• Promotions are political  
• Gatekeeping hides behind “development feedback”  

You sit in calibration meetings as a fly on the wall.

They say:

“Let us see one more year.”  
“Who would back this promotion?”  
“Can we afford to lose them if they leave?”  

Those decisions say more about their risk and budget than your talent.

Here is your permission statement:

You do not need their permission to know your worth.  

You do not need one more “stretch assignment” to prove what you already do.  

You do not need to stay stuck in “almost ready” while others leapfrog you.  

The moment I started working with someone outside my company who could look at my skills without politics or history, everything changed.

We mapped my real scope.  
We priced my value to the market.  
We built a story that matched my impact, not my title.

Offers showed up from places that saw me as already ready.

You are not asking for a favor when you level up.

You are correcting an outdated view of your value.

How many years have you been “almost ready”?

Exceeded all goals.
Still got “Meets Expectations.” That’s not feedback, that’s politics.

My performance review made no sense.
Until I realized it was not about performance.

Here is what it said:

- “Exceeded all goals” → Rating: Meets Expectations
- “Strongest quarter in 3 years” → “Room for improvement”
- “Led the most successful launch” → “Needs more visibility”
- “Team retention at 95%” → “Work on leadership presence”

Director title.
Top results.
Blocked promotion.

Every time I asked what to do next, the answer changed.

One quarter it was: “You need more cross functional impact.”
I did that.

Next quarter it was: “You need more executive presence.”
I did that.

Next cycle: “We need to see this level sustained longer.”

When the goalposts keep moving, you are not playing the game.
You are the game.

The truth is: that review was not about my growth.
It was about their needs.

They needed:

- My numbers high
- My team stable
- My cost in the same box

Working with a career strategist was the shift.

They helped me see the pattern:
They needed me performing, not promoted.

Once I saw that, everything changed.

I stopped chasing vague feedback.
I stopped waiting for permission.
I built a plan to get to a place that matched my value.

If your review says “excellent work” but your rating says “stay in your lane,” that is data.
Not about your worth.
About their priorities.

Has your feedback ever contradicted your results?

Imagine training someone for 6 months.

Then hearing they’re your replacement for the VP role you fought for.

That is what happened to a Director before they started coaching with us.

12 years in one company.
Top reviews.
Clear promise of “You’re next for VP.”

Then leadership came with a “development opportunity.”

“Can you mentor our new hire? Great exposure for you. A chance to show your leadership.”

For 6 months, they poured everything into that person:

- Strategy
- Stakeholders
- Politics
- How to run the team when things go bad

Late nights. Extra calls. Deck reviews. Shadowing meetings.

Then the town hall.

“We’ve decided to go in a different direction for the VP role.”

The “direction” was the person they had trained.
Announced as VP.
Public praise.

No warning.
No honest talk.
No path forward.

They smiled, clapped on camera, then went home and broke down.

Here is what changed everything:

Working with a strategic career coach helped them see patterns they had been blind to for years.

- Loyalty did not lead to growth there
- They were already acting like a VP
- The market would pay for that level of impact

We rebuilt their story.
Repositioned their experience.
Targeted true VP roles.

In a few short months, they landed a VP position at a new company that valued their leadership.

40% pay increase.
Real authority.
Real respect.

Same person.
Different employer.

Sometimes the people holding you back are not your competition-they are your employer.

Has this happened to you?

If a reorg already has a deck and you never saw a draft,
you’re not being “aligned.” You’re being moved.

It is never “just a reorg.”
Someone benefits.
Someone loses.

A Senior Director I spoke with led a 15-person team.
High performer. Strong results. Great reviews.

Then one Friday: “Strategic restructure to drive efficiency.”

By Monday:
• Team cut from 15 to 3
• Scope reduced by 60%
• New org chart already in a polished slide deck

They were told: “You are still valued here.”

But here is what changed:
• Their “consolidated” team now sat under a less experienced leader
• Their title stayed the same, but the work got smaller
• They now reported to a former peer
• Key responsibilities were “redistributed” with no discussion
• The announcement went out before they even had a 1:1

The uncomfortable truth:
Reorgs are decided in closed rooms.
If you are surprised, you were not in the room.

When you see these signs, you are not paranoid. You are being messaged.

You are being told:
• “We want your knowledge, not your power.”
• “We want your name on the slide, not your voice in the room.”
• “We want you to exit yourself so we do not have to.”

Strategic leaders see the pattern early,
rebuild their story, and move to roles where their scope grows again.

They stop asking, “Why is this happening to me?”
They start asking, “How do I position myself before the next move hits?”

Have you ever been blindsided by a “strategic restructure”?

Dear Manager-turned-Job-Seeker:
The Applicant Tracking System (ATS) wasn’t built to find talent.
It was built to eliminate humans at scale.

Reality check
• 75% of your résumé never meets human eyes.
• “Must have 10 years of GenAI experience” = recruiter copy-paste, not a real requirement.
• Perfect keyword match? You just joined a digital cattle herd 300 deep.

Want interviews?
⭐ Bypass the bot. Get warm intros.
⭐ Solve a visible problem before you apply.
⭐ Talk to the budget owner—not the HR gatekeeper.
⭐  Position yourself in a compelling way.

Swipe left on the algorithm. Swipe right on real conversations.
Tag someone still obsessing over ATS scorecards.

Leaving after 1–2 years is not “job hopping” anymore.
It is risk management in 2026.

Markets shift fast. Reorgs hit fast. Layoffs hit fast.
You are not “unstable” for:

• Leaving after a Reorg that quietly erased your path to promotion
• Moving when your scope explodes but your title and pay stay flat
• Exiting a “stretch role” that stretches only your stress, not your skills
• Walking away when “next cycle” becomes the answer for the third year in a row
• Choosing a company that values your impact over one that values your silence

The uncomfortable truth:
They have a strategy for their org chart.
You need a strategy for your career.

From what I see with $150K–$500K leaders every week:

Leaders who stay “loyal” to the wrong company get:
• 2–3% bumps and vague promises
• More work, same title
• A slow leak in confidence and energy

Leaders who move with intention get:
• 25–30% pay jumps
• Real Director/VP scope
• Leaders who can state their value in one clear sentence

I lived this in my own path.
Every time I moved with a clear target and story, my career jumped.
Every time I waited “one more year,” growth stalled.

The new loyalty is this:
Loyalty to your future.
Loyalty to your health.
Loyalty to the leader you are becoming.

Companies that deserve you:
Build real paths, pay for impact, and treat you like a grown adult.

Companies that shame “job hoppers”:
Use guilt, low raises, and fear to keep strong people stuck.

Your career is not a lifetime sentence.
It is a series of strategic moves you make on purpose.

If you’re not being developed, paid, and positioned…
𝘀𝘁𝗮𝘆𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝘀 𝗮 𝗱𝗲𝗰𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗼𝗼.

So choose one today:
A) Secure the internal path (with dates + scope)
B) Start the exit plan (quiet + intentional)

Comment “PLAN” and I’ll share the exact formula I use with $150K–$500+K leaders.

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He asked to leave early for his kid’s school event. Then he started to give me all the reasons. I told him, “You don’t need to explain. Just go.”  

Work from home? Fine.  
Come in late after a doctor’s visit? Fine.  
Block 2 hours mid-day for therapy, gym, or rest? Fine.  

I don’t need a full story for every calendar change.  
I need clear outcomes and honest communication.  

Here is what I care about as a leader:  
You deliver what you own.  
You keep your word.  
You support the team and the client.  

How you do that in a week will look different for everyone.  
Some move fast in the morning.  
Some hit their stride at night.  
Some need space in the middle to be a present parent or to take care of their health.  

The truth is: top talent does not stay where they feel watched.  
They stay where they feel trusted.  

When leaders obsess over chairs and clock time, they lose:  
Creative energy  
Real loyalty  
Their best people  

When they focus on impact and trust, they gain:  
Better decisions  
Stronger ownership  
Leaders who grow faster  

You are not a time-stamp.  
You are a leader delivering real results in a real life.  

The future of leadership is not “butts in seats.”  
The future is flexible work with clear expectations and real trust.  

How long will you keep treating grown leaders like kids who need a hall pass to live their lives?

HR: We would like to make you an offer of $265,000 plus a 30% annual bonus.

Candidate: Thanks. I'd like to have a deeper discussion. What does work-life look like on this team?

HR: It is a high-visibility role. Leaders here are expected to be “all in.”

Candidate: Can you be specific? What does that mean week to week?

HR: Most leaders are online late. Weekends happen when needed. We look for people who go the extra mile.

Candidate: Are there some clear boundaries around evenings, weekends, and vacations?

HR: At this level, we expect leaders to do what it takes to meet the goals.

Candidate: Then I will have to pass.

-

This is the shift I see every day with strong leaders.

They are not only asking:
“How much does it pay?”

They are asking:
“What will this cost my health?”
“What will this cost my family?”
“What will this cost my future self?”

Money is important.
Scope is important.
Title is important.

But so are:
Sleep.
Time with people you love.
Work you actually believe in.
Leaders who respect your limits.

The truth is:
Your next offer is not just a number.
𝗜𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝗮 𝗹𝗶𝗳𝗲𝘀𝘁𝘆𝗹𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁.

You are not only negotiating salary.
You are negotiating 𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗹𝗶𝘃𝗲.

How long have you been saying yes to roles that cost you more than they pay you?

You prepare for the snow.
But do you prepare to enjoy your life?

Over the last few days, we had a lot of snow.
As the storm came in, we did what most people did.

We prepared.

• Bought salt for the driveway and sidewalk
• Stocked up on food and water
• Picked up a stack of library books in case we lost power

Lists, tasks, "need to do" items.
All important. All smart.

I saw how easy it was to stop there.
To only plan for problems.
To only prepare for what could go wrong.

But life is not only about clearing the driveway.

Life is also about the snowman.

In the middle of everything, we went outside.
We felt the cold air.
We rolled snow into big, heavy balls.
We built a snowman.

Simple joy.
Zero productivity.
High return.

Here is what many high performers forget:

• You prepare for risk, but not for joy
• You plan for work, but not for play
• You protect your time, but not your energy

In careers, it looks like this:

• You update the resume
• You grind for the promotion
• You say yes to more work

But you forget to design a life you enjoy living.

Next time you prepare for the storm, ask yourself:
Where is the snowman in your plan?

What would change in your career if you prepared not only to survive, but to enjoy your life too?

5 things you say in interviews that kill your chances. Stop making these mistakes.

“Thanks, I think we covered everything. I don’t have any questions.”

As a hiring leader, when I hear this, my brain says:

“Pass.”

The truth is: your words in an interview sell you or sink you. Fast.

Here are 5 phrases that quietly kill offers - and what I want to hear instead. ➡️

1) “I don’t have any questions.”

To me this says: low interest, low prep.

Say instead:
• “What are the top goals for this team in the next 6–12 months?”
• “If someone excels here, what do they do differently?”

Curious people win.

2) “I’ll take any job right now.”

I know the market is hard. I get it.

But desperation makes me think you say yes to any offer, any culture, any job.

Say instead:
• “I am focused on roles where I can use my strengths in X and Y.”
• “Here is why this role and company fit what I want next.”

Clear focus beats desperation.

3) “Autonomy is really critical for me.”

As a leader, I need people who can take input and still own strategy and results.

Say instead:
• “I value clear direction at the start, then space to execute.”
• “Helpful feedback from my leader helped me do X and Y.”

Coachability is a MUST at $150K, $250K, $500K+ levels.

4) “I don’t have any weaknesses.”

When I hear this, I hear: low self awareness.

Say instead:
• Name one real gap.
• Show how you work on it.
Example: “I used to avoid hard talks with my team. I worked on it by doing X. Now I do Y.”

Owning your growth is a green flag. ✅

5) “I'm looking for a challenge.  My last company didn’t really challenge me.”

I may agree with you inside, however, it sounds dismissive rather than driven.

Say instead:
• “I’m looking for a role that pushes me to learn faster and take on bigger challenges — your team’s projects sound like the perfect environment for that.”
• “I learned a lot there, but now I’m ready for bigger challenges to stretch my skills.”

If you’re ready to elevate your interview game and position yourself as a top performer — connect or DM me.  Let's get you the offer, not just the interview.

Yesterday, you said “after this reorg.”
Last quarter, you said “after bonus.”
Last year, you said “when the market calms down.”

There is nothing more painful than watching your career stay smaller than your potential.

7 brutal truths about staying stuck in the wrong role:

1. You “research” but never commit  
↳ Reading job posts is not a search. It is scrolling.

2. You update your resume more than your strategy  
↳ Resumes without a clear target are just decoration.

3. You wait for the “right timing”  
↳ Timing does not rescue you. Positioning does.

4. You have “reasons” your company will change  
↳ Hoping your boss wakes up one day is not a plan.

5. You fear a no more than you fear wasting years  
↳ A no is short term. A stalled career is long term.

6. You wait for confidence before you move  
↳ Confidence follows action, not the other way around.

7. You know this role is done for you but you stay  
↳ You do not need more signs. You need a decision.

The market is shifting with or without you.
Reorgs are planned with or without you.
Your title, pay, and peace move only when you do.

How long will you keep paying the hidden tax of waiting for “later” instead of building the role and life you actually want?

Share this with someone who has outgrown their role but is still on the fence about their next move.

The hardest problem is the one you keep avoiding. I used to waste years on easier wins.

In my career and in business, I learned to “optimize” everything.

New projects.
New tools.
New ideas.

But I was avoiding the real work.

The truth is:
Your biggest risk is not one stupid decision.
Your biggest risk is spending years on the second, third, and fourth best moves.

I saw this first as a leader.

We had teams that were “fine.”
Leaders who were “okay.”

But “fine” was the problem.

The real issue was culture and talent.
Fixing that meant hard talks, new standards, and turning people who were not a fit.
Morale dropped before it got better.

Six months in, it looked worse, not better.
But it was still the right decision.

The same pattern shows up in careers.

You:
• Tweak your resume again
• Take one more “safe” internal role
• Say yes to more work without more pay

All smart moves on paper.
All easy wins.

But you avoid the hardest problem:

• Your company will not grow with you
• Your boss will not promote you
• Your role will never match your potential

Real growth feels heavy.
Real growth feels slow.
Real growth can hurt before it helps.

Here is what I learned:

→ Name the hardest problem
→ Remove every distraction that keeps you from facing it
→ Give your solution time to work, even when it feels worse at first

Many of you have half-built bridges in your career.
You were one hard year away from a new level.
You quit in month one.

How long have you been avoiding the hard move that would finally change your career?

You are not “playing it safe.”
You are paying a secret tax for every 6 months you stay stuck.

You tell yourself you are “thinking about” your next move.
You read job posts, watch the market, update your resume a little.

But you do not have a clear strategy.
You are not moving with a plan.

In this economy, that has a cost.

Here is what 6 more months of “testing the waters” with no strategy often looks like:
• Same title
• Same pay
• Same manager
• Same stress

On the outside, nothing looks wrong.
On the inside, you feel it.

You start to pay a slow tax every 6 months:
• Confidence tax → you start to think you are “not ready yet”
• Energy tax → Sunday night feels heavy every week
• Health tax → your body is at home, your mind stays at work
• Money tax → you push back higher pay and bonuses
• Market tax → the market moves, your skills and story do not

I paid that tax in my own career.

I said: “I will move when the timing feels right.”
“I will wait and see what happens after this quarter.”

I watched postings.
I “thought about” moves.
I stayed passive.

Fast forward one year.
Nothing changed for me.
The market changed around me.

Here is the truth I had to face:
I did not have a career problem.
I had a strategy problem.

In a strong economy, you might get away with passive waiting.
You send a few random applications, take a call or two, and something lands.

Today that does not work.

Hiring managers want:
• Clear story
• Clear value
• Clear direction

If you are not clear, they move on fast.

What changed everything for me was when I stopped “thinking about it” and built a real plan.

Here is what I did:
• I chose the exact roles and levels I wanted
• I got clear on the impact I bring in numbers
• I mapped the leaders and companies I wanted to target
• I aligned their needs to my core strengths
• I set weekly actions for outreach, networking chats, applications, and interviews

Once I had the right strategy, doors moved faster.
Not slower.

Recruiters reached out.
Leaders saw me as a top 1% candidate.
Promotional offers showed up that matched my value.

The uncomfortable truth:
Waiting feels safe.
Passive “thinking” feels safe.

But with no strategy, you are not safe.
You are stuck.

In this economy, safety comes from:
• Clear direction
• Clear story
• Consistent action

Not from staying in place for “one more quarter.”

If you feel stuck in a role you have outgrown, you do not need 6 more months of thinking.
You need 6 months of focused strategy.

How would your career look 6 months from now if you stopped testing the waters and started moving with a real plan?

"We just cannot change the comp band. This is the max for your level."

After 6 years of “exceeds expectations” and extra projects, that is what their manager told them.

No real talk about scope.
No clear path to promotion.
No honest data on their market value.

So they stayed.
They told themselves it was safe.
They told themselves next year would be different.

Inside, something started to break.

Confidence dropped.
Energy dropped.
Self-worth dropped.

They stopped asking “What am I worth in the market?”
They started asking “Maybe this is all I get.”

Then a friend pushed them to get the help they needed and to test the market with a clear story and role target.

Four and a half months later, they had three offers:
• Same scope the company said was “too senior” for them
• $42,000 more than they thought was even possible
• Leaders who could explain their value in one clear sentence

That changed everything.

They did not just resign from a company.
They resigned from a low view of their own value.

Here is the truth I see every week with strong leaders:

• They accept “next cycle” instead of checking their real market value
• They wait for a title instead of acting like the owner of their career
• They tie their worth to one manager’s opinion and one pay band
• They do Director-level work while letting self-doubt grow

Your value does not start with a resignation letter.
Your value starts the day you decide to measure yourself by impact and market, not by one company’s limits.

You take control when you:
• Get clear on the roles and level you really want
• Put numbers to your wins so you see your own impact
• Test your story with real leaders, not just job boards
• Decide that “safe” is not safe if it shrinks who you are

The uncomfortable truth:
If you wait until you are broken to move, you carry that damage into your next role.

If you upgrade your view of yourself first, you upgrade every choice after.

How long have you been letting one company define your value?

The next promotion wave is not about more effort.
It’s about clearer positioning.

Here is what I am seeing with Managers, Directors, VPs right now:

They are not getting stuck because of skill.
They are getting stuck because nobody can clearly see where they fit next.

Emerging pattern:

• High performers keep stacking responsibilities
• Titles stay flat for 3–5 years
• Reviews say not “obvious next-level leader”

The shift in companies:

They used to reward loyalty and effort.
Now they reward leaders who are:

• Easy to “place” in the org chart
• Easy to “sell” to senior leadership
• Easy to “explain” in one sentence

In an AI, automation, and layoff-heavy market, your value must be simple and clear.
“Hard worker” is too vague.

What works now:

• Clear target: “Next 12–18 months I aim for Director of X / Head of Y”
• Clear brand: “I lead enterprise transformations that convert complexity into clarity—and strategy into measurable results.”
• Clear proof: 3–5 business outcomes you repeat everywhere, not a long task list

The uncomfortable truth:
If senior leaders cannot explain you in one sentence, they will not fight for your promotion.

In LeaderUP, when clients tighten their positioning, two things happen:

• More direct outreach from hiring managers
• More “You are exactly what we need” conversations in interviews

Not more hustle.
More clarity.

What would change in your career if everyone in your org could explain your value in one simple sentence?

If you never question your choices, you wake up one day and wonder: how did I get here?

Wrong company.
Wrong boss.
Wrong partner.
Wrong life.

You did not choose it.
You drifted into it.

I see this with leaders all the time.

They work like crazy.
They say yes to every ask.
They accept pressure at work and pressure at home.

Then one day they crack.

The truth is:
You do not end up here by one big decision.
You end up here by a thousand small ones you never question.

You say yes to the role you do not want.
You say yes to a culture that drains you.
You say yes to a life you did not design.

You stop asking:
What do I want?
Does this thing help me get it?

High agency starts there.

High agency is:
- Choosing your career on purpose
- Choosing your partner and friends on purpose
- Choosing your rest on purpose

Low agency is:
- Taking the job because “everyone would kill for it”
- Staying in a company that burns you out
- Letting others decide when you are “allowed” to rest

As a leader, you also shape agency for your team.

Your hard workers watch you.
If you never unplug, they will not unplug.
If you never say “take the day, unplug,” they will not feel safe to stop.

Support at home.
Support at work.
Clear choices about what you want.

That mix is where history gets made in your career.

Not by luck.
By design.

How long have you been living on default instead of design?

You don’t need another certification.
You need a clear target, a message, and a strategy.

A tech leader told me:
“I need more time. I want to prepare, refresh, study. Then I start my search.”

Six months later:
No offer.
More courses.
Same result.

Here is what I see with many smart leaders.

They say “I am getting ready” but they:
• Fear a no
• Hide behind more learning
• Hope the perfect role appears

Preparation feels safe.
𝗔𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗳𝗲𝗲𝗹𝘀 𝘀𝗰𝗮𝗿𝘆.

The truth is:
More skills do not fix a weak story and a random search.

You can add:
• New tools
• New methods
• New cloud certs

If leaders do not see you as a clear solution, you stay a name on a list.

The leaders who land fast think in a different way.

They do not ask “Am I ready?”
They ask “𝗔𝗺 𝗜 𝗰𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿?”

Here is what they lock in:

1) Clear target

→ One level
→ One main lane
→ One type of company

Not “any senior tech role.”
More “Director of Platform Engineering in B2B SaaS, 200–2000 staff.”

When you get this clear, you know who to speak to.

2) Clear message

Your value story sounds like a business case, not a job title.

Not “I manage teams and projects.”

More:
“I lead engineering teams that cut waste in the stack and unlock new revenue. I turn slow, costly systems into fast, lean platforms that pay for themselves.”

Short. Strong.
Money and impact in one line.

Leaders care about:
• More profit
• Less cost
• Less risk
• Faster delivery

Your message must say:
“I help you win here.”

3) Clear strategy

You stop hiding in job boards.
You start moving toward real people.

You:
• Reach out to hiring leaders
• Build warm links in your lane
• Treat interviews as talks about business, not school tests

You show how you solve their pain today, not how many things you know in theory.

You do not need six more months of “getting ready.”

You need a few focused weeks to choose your lane, sharpen your value story, and move with a real plan.

What would change in your career if your message spoke money and impact as clearly as your skills speak tech?

Ehsan Ali 🚀

Top-Ranked Australian Career Coach | Helped 100+ Senior IT Pros Land $200K–$400K+ Roles | 2–4 Level Jumps. 30%–120% Raises. | Take the 3-Min Quiz & Uncover Your Hidden Growth Blockers

More skill doesn’t guarantee growth at senior level.

Not after 15–25 years.

Over the last 4+ years, I’ve worked with senior IT professionals across the spectrum.

From Senior S/W Engineers 
to Big 4 Directors 
and VPs of Technology.

And the same situations keep showing up:

• reshuffles, layoffs, politics, and quiet sidelining
• placed on PIPs despite high performance
• reliable, but no real pathway up

Different situations. Same root cause.

At senior levels, careers stop advancing on effort alone.
They advance through positioning and access.

If your experience isn’t positioned sharply and seen by the right decision-makers, doors stay closed.

I’ve lived it too.

After 22 years across delivery and commercial leadership, and $100M+ programs, I hit my own ceiling.

Not because I lacked capability. Because I lacked a strategy to convert it into the next level.

Today, I help Indian-origin senior IT professionals grow their careers by identifying their unfair advantage, then use it to create better roles, better pay, and more fulfilment.

Recent Wins:

🚀 Tim (Senior Director): 18 months without a role to two $300K+ offers in 10 weeks

🚀 Urvish (Senior S/W Engineer): laid off to Principal Engineer in 10 weeks, then Director in 12 months

🚀 Hesham (Architect): $200K to $650K+ package in 3 months

Those results come from one system: Value Amplifier Method™

If you’re assessing your next move:

👉 Take the 2-minute diagnostic (link in Featured)
👉 DM ROUNDTABLE to get invited to the next closed-door live session (limited seats)

Podcast Host & Producer

Australia's 1st Business & Career podcast featuring inspiring stories of Indian Expats who either successfully transitioned into entrepreneurship or excelled in their careers beyond the perceived limitations and ceiling

Ehsan Ali

“Being ready” is a myth.

You start.
You mess it up.
You figure things out.
You get better.

That line sums up my last 5 years.

In 2020, I walked away from a solid IT career.

Not because I had a plan.
Not because I felt ready.

I just knew I didn’t want another decade of playing safe and calling it success.

Then reality hit.

Covid.
Redundancy.
Savings I thought would last 2 years were gone in under 18 months.

Still no clear direction.
Still moving forward anyway.

One small decision changed things.

I started a podcast.

That single move put me in rooms I was never in before.
People doing well in corporate.
Others who had made the jump into business.

Patterns started to show up.

Success wasn’t luck.
It was structure.
The right people.
Leverage.

I hired a coach.
We broke down my story, strengths, and experience.

Career coaching stood out.

It took another 18 months to replace my income.
Nothing about it was smooth.

I learned this:

• Don’t build alone.
• Your environment shapes your speed.
• Guidance beats guessing.

Clarity doesn’t come first.
Action does.

♻️ Repost if this feels familiar
🔔 Follow Ehsan Ali for honest career growth conversations

Career Strategist for Senior IT Professionals | Rebuilding confidence and repositioning for 2–4 level jumps and $250K–$400K+ roles

I watched Vidya Balan say something I still haven’t been able to shake.

Early in her career, she was replaced from a film.
Labelled a "bad omen".

She went to meet the producer.
With her parents.

He showed clips from the movie.
Then looked at her parents and said:

“Does she look like heroine material from any angle?”
“She can’t act.”
“She can’t dance.”

She said for six months after that,
she couldn’t look at herself in the mirror.

Then she said this:

“You want to remove someone, do it.
But be careful with your words.”

Because words have power.

That hit close to home.

Early days after leaving corporate, I was scared.

I interviewed with a VP.
He liked me.
Said he wanted to hire me.

Then he disappeared.

Months later, I heard the “market feedback”.

That I was good for nothing.
Not delivery.
Not sales.
Not anything.

That kind of feedback doesn’t just hurt.
It messes with your self-belief.

I had a choice.

Succumb to it.
Or refuse it.

I’m grateful for the people who stood by me.
Who reminded me who I was when I started to doubt myself.

Instead of shrinking, I doubled down.

Not on explaining my past.
Not on defending results I had delivered.

But on building my coaching practice from scratch.
Quietly.
With full focus.

What followed still humbles me.

100s of life-changing breakthroughs.
People rebuilding belief in themselves
after PIPs, layoffs, rejection, self-doubt.

Through helping others rise,
my belief in myself rose too.

Then the income followed.
3–4x my corporate salary.

And sometimes… I get chills.

Thinking about this one question:

What if I had believed those words?

♻️ Repost if leaders need to read this before they speak.

Video credit: YouTube

Career Strategist for Indian-Origin Senior IT Professionals | Advancing into $250K–$400K+ next-level roles through strategic positioning, even in a crowded market

Leaders don't micromanage weak IT pros.
They micromanage the ones they can't replace.

Every manager calls it “oversight.”
It’s not.
It’s fear.

I’ve coached hundreds of senior IT pros over the last 4+ years.
And I’ve seen the pattern repeat:

Senior pros who’ve:
▪️Stabilized critical systems that everyone else avoided
▪️Made decisions that saved entire projects
▪️Pulled all-nighters fixing disasters nobody else could touch

…still get second-guessed.
Still get asked, “Why did you do it this way?”
Still get nudged to justify every call they make.

Here’s the truth most leaders avoid:
You’re not micromanaging incompetence.
You’re micromanaging irreplaceability.

And here’s what it costs top talent:
1️⃣ They stop raising risks early.
2️⃣ They pick “safe” moves instead of bold solutions.
3️⃣ They start planning exits quietly smiling in meetings while disengaging.

The cost to you?

Teams lose initiative.
Innovation stalls.
Your top performers quietly check out.

The fix isn't telling yourself to "trust them more."
It's letting go of control you never needed.

If this felt familiar, you already know why it matters.  

♻️ Repost if you've seen capable people get second-guessed instead of trusted.
  
🔔 Follow Ehsan Ali for senior IT leadership truths that actually work.

Early in our careers, we chase what we’re told matters.

Titles.
Certifications.
Big names.

And for a while, it works.

Then something changes.

People stop talking about your resume.

They talk about how it felt to work with you.

They remember:
• whether you made things calmer or heavier
• whether meetings felt clearer after you spoke
• whether problems shrank when you got involved
• whether they trusted you with messy things

That’s what sticks.

Two people can have the same experience.

One becomes reliable.
The other becomes remembered.

And remembered people don’t chase opportunities.

They get pulled into them.

Worth a second thought?

♻️ Repost if this resonates.
🔔 Follow Ehsan Ali for senior career strategies and tools.

* TRUTH BOMB *

Age 40–60 is the prime career time.

You’ve seen patterns.
Made hard calls.
You know what actually works.

Yet most careers stagnate quietly by 40.

Not because experience expires.
But because ambition gets trained out.

Nobody starts a long career aiming for average.

Yet most accept it.

They don’t fail.
They adjust expectations.

They stop asking hard questions.
They start explaining things away.

“Market is tough.”
“Ageism is real.”
“I should be grateful.”

After speaking with 2,000+ professionals
and helping 140+ rebuild their careers,
here’s the truth:

It’s not talent.
It’s conditioning.

Be reliable.
Wait your turn.
Don’t rock the boat.

That’s what slowly stagnates careers.

The ones who break through at 45, 50, 60
aren’t louder or luckier.

They choose strategy. 
Early.

If you’ve spent 15+ years in IT, delivered complex programs, and still feel underutilised, this is for you.

This month only, I’m sharing the same growth strategies my mid–senior IT clients pay $2,500+ per month for.

3 closed-door, small-group roundtables.
Free. By invitation only.

If your career feels slower than your potential,
DM me ROUNDTABLE.

♻️ Repost this for someone with decades left.
🔔 Follow me for strategic senior IT career frameworks.

Career Strategist for Indian-Origin Senior IT Professionals | $250K–$400K+ Tech Leadership Roles | 120+ Breakthroughs | Value Amplifier Method™

The most dangerous place in your career isn’t failure.

It’s being good at what you do in a role that no longer stretches you.

You’re trusted. 
You’re reliable. 
You’re low risk. 

People know they can count on you when things get messy.

From the outside, that looks like success.

But here’s the uncomfortable part.

At senior levels, comfort doesn’t always mean progress. 
Sometimes it means your name isn’t coming up when next-level decisions are made.

You’re still valued. You’re just no longer considered.

Nothing breaks. 
No feedback lands. 
No moment forces a decision.

So you keep delivering. And your boss keeps you exactly where you are.

That’s how careers don’t fall behind. 
They just stay still for too long.

♻️ Repost if this feels uncomfortably familiar 
➕ Follow Ehsan Ali for grounded career thinking

7 Things Your Boss Needs to Hear If You Want to Grow

Your boss doesn’t promote the hardest worker.
They promote the one they see as a leader.

And leadership?
It’s not just in what you do.
It’s in what you say.

After 20 years in IT and coaching, I’ve seen it all:
Talented pros left invisible.
Smart players passed over.
Leaders-in-waiting ignored.

Not because they lacked skills.
But because they stayed silent.

If you want your boss to notice you, start here:

1️⃣ “I have a suggestion to improve X.”
Leaders show vision, not just execution. Elevate.

2️⃣ “I’d like to take on more.”
Ambition speaks louder when paired with a plan.

3️⃣ “I made a mistake.”
Trust grows when honesty comes before excuses.

4️⃣ “I need help with…”
Strength isn’t silence. It’s seeking growth with solutions in hand.

5️⃣ “Thank you for trusting me with this.”
Gratitude builds loyalty more than results alone.

6️⃣ “Can we discuss my career goals?”
No one will own your future if you don’t.

7️⃣ “Can you give me feedback?”
The fastest growth comes from listening.

These aren’t just words.
They’re signals that tell your boss: I’m ready for more.

Which of these have you said out loud this year?
And which one still feels hardest to bring up?

I’ll be unpacking how and when to have these conversations in a small career roundtable this month.
DM ROUNDTABLE to join. Spots are limited.

♻ Share this to help a corporate buddy rise
➕ Follow me(Ehsan Ali) for real IT career moves, no generic fluff

7 Conversations That Get You Seen as a Leader

The most painful career years aren’t the bad ones.

They’re the quiet ones.

There’s no crisis. No blow-up. No obvious reason to leave.
Just a role that feels “fine”… and before you know it, another year is gone.

You’re still delivering. Still dependable. Still the person people lean on when things go sideways.
From the outside, everything looks steady.

But the momentum you expected at this stage just isn’t showing up.

And that’s the trap.

When nothing is wrong, you don’t course-correct.
You don’t pause long enough to question direction.
You just keep going.

Until one day you realise you’ve been working hard under the same ceiling for longer than you planned.
Same level. Same type of work. Same conversations. Same “maybe next cycle.”

If that quiet drift feels familiar, don’t brush it off.

It’s rarely a capability issue.
More often, it’s a direction issue.

And direction doesn’t arrive through patience.
It arrives through decisions.

♻️ Repost if this puts words to something you’ve felt
➕ Follow Ehsan Ali for grounded career strategy for mid-senior IT professionals

It’s rarely a skill problem.
It’s a reliability trap.

Most senior IT professionals don’t realise they're trapped in it until growth quietly stops. 

They don't get stuck because they lack capability.
They get stuck because reliability becomes their ceiling.

If you’re the person everyone depends on, this will feel familiar.

You deliver.
You fix problems.
You keep things running.

And without anyone saying it out loud, expectations shift.

You’re trusted to execute.
But not trusted to decide.

You become dependable.
Not promotable.

Work keeps increasing.
Your level doesn’t.

That’s the silent trade-off reliable professionals are never warned about.

The carousel breaks down 7 quiet traps that keep capable people stuck.

If you’ve ever felt:

• Needed, but not advanced
• Relied on, but not promoted
• Busy, but not moving

Swipe through.
You’ll recognise the pattern fast.

🔖 Save this if it hit closer than expected.
♻️ Repost for someone quietly carrying too much.
➕ Follow Ehsan Ali for no-BS career growth insights

7 Quiet Traps Keeping You Stuck at Mid-Senior Level

If you’re a 40-year-old IT professional,
You likely have 20+ years of career left.

Pause on that!

If you already feel stuck or under-recognised today,
What do you think the next 20 years would look like?

Staying in roles that don’t stretch you.
Hoping restructures don’t touch you.
Accepting work below your capability.

And if you’re laid off?

Update the CV.
Apply.
Wait.
Hear nothing.
Repeat.

How many times will you repeat that cycle
over the next 20 years?

That’s not a career.
That’s survival.

Here’s the uncomfortable truth:

Most professionals don’t get stuck because they lack talent.
They get stuck because they stop believing more is possible.

“I don’t know if I still have what it takes.”
“I didn’t keep up with the market.”
“I should be grateful.”
“I don’t want to rock the boat.”

Those quiet self-talks end more careers than failure ever will.

Most people wait for the market, their boss, or the next restructure
to decide their future.

What if instead, you took control?

Designed the next 20 years on your terms.
Built recognition, income, and titles intentionally.

That’s exactly what I’ll unpack in a small, private roundtable this Saturday.

It’s a strategy I’ve refined over the last 4 years,
and the same one my clients used to create outcomes they once believed weren’t for them:

• $200K → $650K+
• Engineer → Director (3-level jump)
• 18 months jobless → two $300K+ offers in 10 weeks
• Unknown → global Top 100 recognition

This isn’t for everyone.

It’s for senior IT professionals
who don’t want to spend the next 20 years in mediocrity and regrets.

If this felt uncomfortably familiar,
DM me ROUNDTABLE.

♻️ Repost this to help a senior IT professional who needs to read it
🔔 Follow me (Ehsan Ali) for real career strategy, not CV tips and generic advice

I’ve watched some of the most capable professionals in IT slowly switch off.

They didn’t struggle with the work.
They weren’t unskilled.
They just stopped being noticed.

Here’s the truth about leadership:
Appreciation isn’t about being nice.
It’s proof that you see effort.

It shows if their ideas and work matter, or if only results do.

Most leaders think:
"They’re paid. That’s enough."
Wrong.

When people feel unappreciated, they don’t complain.
They pull back.

They stop raising issues.
Stop volunteering solutions.
Stop owning outcomes beyond their role.

Work still gets done.
But leaders lose the energy, ideas, and loyalty that push teams forward.

Here’s what actually happens:

❎ Effort vanishes
❎ Feedback dries up
❎ Innovation stalls  
❎ Top performers quietly leave

This isn’t a people problem.
It’s a leadership failure.

Appreciation isn’t “good job” after it's done.
It’s noticing effort in the moment, not just after a win.

People who feel seen give more.
People who don’t… hold back.

Strong leaders don’t squeeze results.
They make people want to step up.

Question for leaders:
Do your people feel judged or truly seen?

♻️ Repost if someone on your team needs this.
🔔 Follow Ehsan Ali for leadership, career moves, and scaling teams that actually work.

7 Things You Tolerate 
That Are Quietly Shrinking Your Career

You may not have built this cage,
but you’re holding the key.

Here’s what it often looks like:

🔴 A boss who praises you — but never advocates for you
🔴 Work that keeps you busy — but doesn’t grow your value
🔴 A reputation that’s respected — but only inside your team
🔴 Loyalty that gets applauded — but not rewarded
🔴 Visibility that ends at your job title

These aren’t small annoyances.

They’re slow leaks draining momentum, visibility, and belief.

👉 Each of these has a fix.
Swipe through to see where you may be tolerating more than you realise.

Before the market decides for you,
there’s a short self-assessment on my profile.

Less than 2 minutes.
It shows how you’re currently being positioned, 
and where momentum is leaking.

♻️ Repost if someone in your network needs this mirror
🔔 Follow Ehsan Ali for career strategy that works today, not in 2010

7 Things You Tolerate That Are Shrinking Your Career

If you’re struggling to move to the next level in your career,
You already know this:

✅ Job boards don’t work
✅ The best roles go to people already in the circle

So you try to “network.”

But it feels off.
You sound like a job beggar.
They ghost you.
You start doubting yourself.

Then what?

You pull back.
Tweak the resume.
Update LinkedIn.
Apply again.
Even though you know it won’t work.

Meanwhile, your confidence fades.

Here’s the truth no one teaches you:

💥 It’s not your experience.
💥 It’s not your resume.
💥 It’s your conversation strategy.

Because at $250K–$400K+?

You don’t chase roles.
You build trust first.
You get invited in.
You shape offers around your value.

That’s why these private conversations matter.

They’re not casual chats.
They’re strategic career moves.

Top performers use them to:
– Unlock unlisted roles
– Build trust with decision-makers
– Get pulled into opportunities before they’re public

If you’re not having these conversations,
You’re not “early.”
You’re invisible.

That’s exactly what we break down inside my private senior-level roundtable.

Real scenarios.
Real conversations.

You’re not learning in isolation.
You’re pressure-testing your thinking with peers who already operate at this level, and seeing where your approach breaks.

No theory.
Just honest calibration on how these conversations actually land.

DM “ROUNDTABLE”
This is where stalled senior careers get unstuck.

♻️ Repost this if someone you know is stuck in job-board limbo
🔔 Follow Ehsan Ali for $250K–$400K+ career plays that actually work

Resumes Don't Open Doors. These 7 Conversations Do

“I should’ve left earlier.”

Many senior IT professionals regretfully share with me.

Not because they were failing.
But because they stayed long after the role stopped growing them.

They were paid well.
Relied on.
Praised.

From the outside, everything looked fine.

It wasn’t.

Here’s what was happening underneath.

Their workload grew.
Their influence didn’t.

They were trusted to fix problems.
Not to shape direction.

Their role got busier.
But never bigger.

Their voice mattered in delivery.
Not in decisions.

They kept things running.
But they stopped moving forward themselves.

That’s the trap.

Nothing feels “wrong” enough to leave.
Yet nothing feels “right” enough to stay.

So they stay.

Not because of loyalty.

Because of fear.

Fear of losing status.
Fear of starting again.
Fear of leaving a role that’s become comfortable and effortless.

And comfort has a cost.

It slowly drains
energy,
confidence,
and options.

That’s why, sometimes,
the real career leap isn’t moving up.
It’s walking away.

Staying too long isn’t loyalty.
It’s poor judgment.

♻️ Repost if this felt uncomfortably familiar
➕ Follow Ehsan Ali for posts on shaping careers

PS
I’m hosting a small, invite-only roundtable on Feb 7 with mid-senior IT professionals navigating this exact shift.

If you’d rather reflect privately first, there’s a short self-assessment in my Featured section.

Be careful about this as your career progresses.

At senior levels, most of what you do can be replicated.

Your role can be restructured.
Your responsibilities redistributed.
Your processes documented and handed over.

That’s the uncomfortable reality of modern organisations.

Experience alone doesn’t make you irreplaceable.

What I’ve seen, over and over, is this:

The professionals who keep moving forward aren’t always the ones with the best resumes or longest tenure.

They’re the ones people trust when things get messy.

Not because they know more.
But because of how they think.

They’ve seen systems fail at scale.
They know where risk actually hides.
They ask questions that prevent problems, not just fix them.

Technical skills can be hired.
Certifications can be matched.
Reliability becomes expected.

What can’t be copied is judgement under pressure.

The calm you bring into tense rooms.
The clarity you create when decisions stall.
The ability to see consequences others miss.

That’s what gets you pulled into conversations before roles even exist.

So if you’re still trying to look like what the system rewards, pause.

At this stage, your edge isn’t doing more.

It’s leaning into the perspective only your path has given you.

In a world built to standardise people,
the ones who advance are the ones whose thinking can’t be standardised.

♻️ Repost if this puts words to something you’ve been feeling.

🔔 Follow Ehsan Ali for grounded, real-world career insights that actually apply at senior levels.

Changing roles isn’t instability.

It’s what happens when a role stops stretching you
and starts repeating you.

Most senior professionals don’t stay because they’re growing.
They stay because leaving looks risky.

Because movement gets misread as a flaw.

Unstable.
Disloyal.
Hard to trust.

So they stay longer than they should.

The scope stays the same.
The learning slows.
The upside flattens.

But expectations keep rising.

That’s the trade no one spells out.

Companies optimise for continuity.
Markets reward relevance.
Careers only move when you move them.

Staying after growth has stopped isn’t loyalty.

It’s choosing familiarity
over the next version of your capability.

From the outside, everything looks fine.
From the inside, momentum quietly leaks away.

That’s how senior careers don’t fail.
They settle.

We all know someone.
Highly capable. Deeply loyal.
Stayed too long.
Still wishes they moved earlier.

♻️ Repost this for the person who needs permission to chase potential, not comfort.
🔔 Follow Ehsan Ali for grounded career truths shaped by lived experience.

You didn’t hit your 𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐫 𝐜𝐞𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠.
You learned to 𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐯𝐢𝐯𝐞 under it.

I’ve seen this with 𝟐,𝟎𝟎𝟎+ 𝐦𝐢𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐢𝐨𝐫 𝐈𝐓 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐟𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐬.

Not because you lack talent.
Not because you didn’t work hard.
But because you adapted.

To safe roles.
To being “reliable”.
To what felt realistic.

So when you speak to me, you say:

“I’m probably too late.”
“It won’t work in my market.”
“I’ve already tried everything.”

I’ve heard this from:
• An architect 𝐬𝐭𝐮𝐜𝐤 𝐚𝐭 $𝟐𝟎𝟎𝐊
• A senior director 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐚 𝐣𝐨𝐛 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝟏𝟖 𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐡𝐬
• An analytics and AI pro 𝐧𝐨𝐛𝐨𝐝𝐲 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐬𝐞𝐞

And yet:

• $200K → $𝟔𝟓𝟎𝐊+
• 18 months jobless → two $𝟑𝟎𝟎𝐊 𝐨𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐬 in 10 weeks
• Invisible → Global 𝐓𝐨𝐩 𝟏𝟎𝟎 thought leader

Same people.
Same markets.
Different approach.

Here’s the 𝟓-𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐩 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐜𝐞𝐬s I use to take clients from 

“𝐍𝐨𝐭 𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐦𝐞”
to 
“𝐈 𝐜𝐚𝐧’𝐭 𝐛𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐯𝐞 𝐈 𝐩𝐮𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐨𝐟𝐟.”
1️⃣ Career ≠ job
2️⃣ See your real power
3️⃣ Package your experience
4️⃣ Tell your story properly
5️⃣ Network like a pro
I break each step down in the carousel. 👉

♻️ Repost this if you know someone who’s too experienced to feel stuck.
🔔 Follow me (Ehsan Ali) for frameworks that make senior career moves strategic, not lucky.

The 5-Step Method I Use to Accelerate Career Growth

You can be very good at your work…
and still feel stuck.

Reliable.
Trusted.
Recognised.

Yet your role stays the same.

That’s the quiet frustration I see in senior IT careers all the time.

This week’s issue of The Shift breaks down why that happens
and the thinking shift that changes it.

If you’re a senior IT professional who’s delivering well
but not being trusted with bigger decisions yet,
this one is for you.

Click the image to read.
Move from reliable to promotable.

♻️ Repost for someone who needs this
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You can be very good at your work and still be stuck. Reliable. Trusted. Recognised. And yet… your role stays the same. If that sounds familiar, this 

Open article: The Shift | Issue #11 by Ehsan Ali • 4 min read

If you can’t clearly explain why you’re needed,
the room quietly decides without you.

And someone else gets the bigger role.

That’s how senior careers actually move.

Not on effort.
Not on tenure.
Not on how much you carry.

Those things make you useful.
They don’t make you necessary.

And being useful feels safe…
until you realise it’s also where careers stall.

At higher levels, decisions are made fast.
Often without you in the room.

The person who moves up is the one whose value is easy to explain:
– why them
– why now
– what breaks without them

If your impact needs a long explanation,
it loses force.

So you keep delivering.
You stay dependable.
You wait.

Meanwhile, someone else moves ahead.
Not louder.
Not smarter.
Just easier to place.

Over the last few years, working with 2,000+ senior professionals,
a pattern keeps repeating.

The ones who learned to clearly communicate why they were needed saw real shifts:
– 2–3 level role jumps
– $300K–$400K+ package moves
– senior roles created around their strengths

Most of them weren’t underperforming.
They were just being interpreted one level lower.

Same capability.
Very different results.

This isn’t a confidence problem.
It’s a communication problem.

When your value lands clearly, people pull you up.
When it doesn’t, they choose someone else.

♻️ Repost if relatable
➕ Follow Ehsan Ali for more

PS:
I’m hosting a small, invite-only roundtable soon with senior IT professionals working through this exact shift.

If you’d rather reflect quietly first, there’s also a short self-assessment quiz in my Featured section.

7 Career Traps Senior IT Pros Create Without Realising It

Not all career stalls come from bad bosses.
Or weak skills.
Or bad timing.

Most come from traps you build yourself.

They look like strengths.
They feel like professionalism.

They worked when you were mid-level.
Now they quietly cap your scope.

I see this daily, coaching senior IT professionals:

The hardest workers moving the slowest.
Not from lack of ability.
From patterns they never questioned.

Here are 7 career traps that show up as “doing the right thing”:

1️⃣ The Safe Pair of Hands
You deliver. Fix problems. Take on more.
Cost: Trusted but not expanded.

→ Shift from reliability to visible ownership.

2️⃣ The Quiet High Performer
Results are strong. Voice stays low.
Cost: Others define your value.

→ Frame your impact before it’s rewritten.

3️⃣ The Always-On Professional
Busy. Needed. Everywhere.
Cost: Activity replaces direction.

→ Cut work that doesn’t compound.

4️⃣ The Firefighter
Called in chaos. Calm under pressure.
Cost: Futures are decided without you.

→ Show up before things break.

5️⃣ The Low-Visibility Expert
Heads-down. Avoids politics.
Cost: Influence goes elsewhere.

→ Build proximity to decision-makers.

6️⃣ The Lateral Mover
New role. New logo. Same level.
Cost: Experience stops compounding.

→ Target stretch, not comfort.

7️⃣ The Approval Seeker
Careful. Aligned. Consensus-driven.
Cost: Bolder peers claim authority.

→ Decisive action earns leadership.

None of these come from laziness.

They come from success habits
that outlived their usefulness.

That’s how capable careers stall —
quietly, professionally, and without warning.

Which trap feels uncomfortably familiar?

♻️ Repost for a senior IT pro who delivers big but keeps plateauing
🔔 Follow Ehsan Ali for career truths most people learn too late

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The Battle

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