Latest / The Internal Move Podcast with Fexingo: Lateral Roles, Internal Transfers, and Staying at Your Company / How an Internal Transfer Can Change How Your Company Sees You
Transcript
- Lucas: So Luna, I was thinking about something a former colleague of mine did a few years back, and it's been stuck in my head ever since. She was a product manager in a division that was, frankly, struggling. Revenue flat, projects constantly slipping, and yet she was doing solid work, the kind that usually gets noticed. Luna: But it wasn't getting noticed, right? Because the whole division had a reputation, and she was lumped in with it. Lucas: Exactly. The numbers were mediocre, so leadership assumed the people were mediocre. Then she transferred to a high-growth team — same title, same level, same pay. But within six months, people were calling her a strategic operator. She hadn't changed how she worked. She'd changed the context, and that changed the perception. Luna: It's like a halo effect, but in reverse. The bad division cast a shadow over her, and the new team's shine rubbed off on her. Lucas: That's exactly the phrase I was looking for. And it's why I think we should spend today on something we haven't really covered: how an internal transfer can change how your company sees you. Not your skills, not your experience, but your actual reputation in the building. Luna: So this isn't about learning new things or getting a better boss. It's about managing your professional brand from the inside. Lucas: Right. And it's a real thing. There's actually research on this — how people attribute performance to the individual or the situation. When a team is struggling, even strong performers get tarred with the same brush. And when a team is winning, even average performers get credit for the glow. Luna: So the transfer is a way to change the situation, and with it, the attribution. Lucas: Exactly. And that's what my colleague figured out, maybe not consciously, but she did. She moved to the team that was working on the company's new flagship product, and suddenly her quarterly reviews were full of words like 'visionary' and 'high-potential.' Same work habits, same hours, but the context made her look different. Luna: It's almost unfair, but it's also a tool you can use. If you know the perception is sticky, you can deliberately choose where to be seen. Lucas: And that's the part I want to drill into. Because a lot of people think a transfer is just a lateral move on paper, and they don't realize it's also a reputational event. The question is, how do you make sure it works in your favor? Luna: Before we get into the playbook, I want to say something. We keep doing these episodes because we love the topic, and we're able to make as many as we do because a handful of listeners chip in monthly through buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo. Lucas: Yeah, it's literally what keeps this show ad-free and going. No big sponsor, just listeners who find it useful. If that's you, we appreciate it more than we can say. Luna: Alright, back to reputational arbitrage. So what's the first step? Lucas: First step is to be honest about your current reputation. You have to know what people think of you before you can change it. Ask yourself: if your name came up in a leadership meeting, what would they say? Probably not 'great engineer' or 'great marketer' — more like 'she's solid' or 'he's stuck in that failing unit.' Luna: And that's often invisible to us, because we're so close to our own work. Lucas: Exactly. So you need to actively gather that intel. Talk to a mentor, a former boss, even a peer in another department. Ask them directly: how do you think I'm perceived around here? You're not fishing for compliments, you're mapping the terrain. Luna: So then you can see if the transfer is actually going to fix the perception, or just move the problem somewhere else. Lucas: Right. Because not all transfers are created equal. Moving to a bigger team with more visibility is different from moving to a smaller team that's off the radar. You want to go where the company's attention already is, or where you can create it. Luna: So you're essentially choosing your audience. You're putting yourself in front of the people who make promotion decisions. Lucas: Exactly. And that's the second step: identify which teams have that visibility. Look at where the company is investing, which projects are in the quarterly all-hands, which leaders are seen as rising. That's where you want to be, even if the role itself isn't a glamorous one. Luna: Because being on a visible team, even doing the unglamorous work, is better than being on an invisible team doing great work. Lucas: And it's not just about visibility, it's about the narrative. When you transfer, you can frame it as a strategic choice. You're not escaping a bad situation, you're following the company's priorities. That's a story that makes you look smart and committed. Luna: So the transfer pitch is almost as important as the transfer itself. You have to sell it, not just to the hiring manager, but to everyone who hears about it. Lucas: Yes. And that's the third step: control the narrative. When you announce your move, don't just say 'I'm going to team X.' Say 'I'm excited to work on the new initiative because it's where the company is heading.' You're telling people that you're forward-looking, not just looking for an exit. Luna: And that's the difference between a lateral move and a career move, even when the title doesn't change. Lucas: Exactly. And the narrative doesn't stop at the announcement. You have to keep reinforcing it. In your first few weeks, make a point to introduce yourself to people outside your new team, especially those in leadership. Send a quick note to your old colleagues, not to say goodbye, but to say 'here's what I'm working on now.' Luna: So you're staying top of mind, but in a new context. Lucas: Right. And that's where the halo effect really kicks in. Once you're on a visible team, your small wins get amplified. People start attributing the team's success to you, even if you're just a small part of it. But you have to be present for that to happen. Luna: What about the risk that people see you as just trying to climb, or that you left a team in a lurch? Lucas: That's a real risk, and it's why you have to be careful about the 'why.' If you leave with grace, if you help transition your old teammates, people will remember that. You don't want to burn bridges, because the old team might have a different perception of you than the new one. You want both to think well of you. Luna: So it's not just about the new team, it's about maintaining the old relationships too. Lucas: Exactly. And there's another angle: the transfer can also change how you see yourself. When you're in a new context, you might actually step up your game. The expectations are higher, so you rise to them. And that self-perception shift can be just as important as the external one. Luna: So it's a virtuous cycle. You get the reputation boost, you start believing it, you perform better, and that reinforces the new reputation. Lucas: And that's the real power of a well-executed internal transfer. It's not just a job change, it's a rebrand. And I think we've seen it with that product manager: within a year of her move, she was promoted to group product manager. Was she more skilled than before? Maybe a little, but she was definitely seen as more valuable. Luna: So the transfer was the catalyst, not the reward in itself. Lucas: Right. And that's the takeaway I want to leave people with. If you're thinking about an internal transfer, don't just think about the role, the team, or the pay. Think about the message it sends. Think about how it changes the story people tell about you. Because that story is what drives your career. Luna: And if you can write that story yourself, you're ahead of most people. Lucas: So next time you're considering a move, ask yourself: what will people say about me six months from now? If you can't answer that, maybe you're not ready to move yet.