Latest / The Promotion Memo with Fexingo: Getting Visibility, Sponsors, and Executive Presence / The Career Visibility Audit That Fixed Her Promotion
Transcript
- Lucas: So the other day I was talking to a product operations manager who'd been passed over for a senior role three times. Three times. Her feedback was always the same — technically excellent, great team player, but somehow the promotion never materialized. Luna: That's frustrating. What was her manager saying? Lucas: Her manager was supportive, genuinely. But when we dug into it, the real issue wasn't her performance. It was that she was invisible to the two directors who actually had a say in the promotion decision. They knew her name, sure, but they'd never seen her work. Luna: So she had a visibility problem, not a competence problem. Lucas: Exactly. And that's what we're going to get into today — how to run a visibility audit, and how one specific manager used it to finally land that senior role. Luna: Before we dive in, I have to mention something quick. We're able to keep this show ad-free because a handful of listeners chip in a few bucks a month through buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo. It's literally what pays for the research and the editing time. Lucas: Yeah, it's a small group, but every single contribution keeps the lights on. No ads, no paywall, just solid career advice. If that's something you value, the link is in the show notes. Luna: And now back to the visibility audit. Lucas, what exactly is that? Lucas: So a visibility audit is a structured way to track every interaction you have with the people who influence your promotion decisions. It's not just about the quantity of touchpoints — it's about who you're meeting, what the purpose is, and whether you're following up in a way that leaves an impression. Luna: So it's like a stakeholder map, but with data. Lucas: Right. The woman I mentioned — let's call her Priya — she'd been keeping an informal log of her accomplishments, which is great, but no one outside her team ever saw it. So we built a simple spreadsheet with columns for the date, the stakeholder, the type of interaction — like a meeting, an email, a presentation — and the specific value she brought. Luna: And what did that reveal? Lucas: In the first two weeks, she logged seventeen interactions, but only two of them were with directors. And both of those were her just sitting in a meeting they happened to attend. She wasn't presenting, she wasn't leading the discussion. She was essentially invisible. Luna: So she had visibility, but not with the right people. Lucas: Exactly. And that's the key insight — visibility isn't just about being seen, it's about being seen by the people who make the call. So we created a target list of the five stakeholders who would be in the promotion committee, and we designed a plan to increase her meaningful interactions with each of them. Luna: How did she do that without being pushy? Lucas: She started by requesting thirty-minute working sessions with each director, framed around a specific problem she was solving. So she said, 'I'm working on X, and I'd love your input on Y.' That gave her face time without it being about her. She was genuinely seeking their expertise. Luna: That's smart. She's making it about them, not her. Lucas: Exactly. And after each session, she'd send a follow-up email summarizing what she learned and what she'd actioned. That turned a one-off meeting into an ongoing thread. Over four months, she logged about twenty-four meaningful interactions with those directors — that's roughly one per week. Luna: And did that change the outcome? Lucas: It did. When the promotion cycle came around, one of those directors actually brought her name up in the committee meeting, citing a project she'd led after one of their conversations. That wasn't an accident. She'd created a narrative that the decision-makers could champion. Luna: So it's not just about being visible — it's about creating moments that stick. Lucas: Right. And here's the thing — a visibility audit isn't just for people who are being passed over. It's useful for anyone who's gearing up for a promotion. You can run it as a proactive check, say six months before you want to be considered. Luna: What's the first step someone should take? Lucas: First, list the people who are in the promotion decision room. You might not know the exact committee, but you can usually figure out who your manager's peers are, and who the directors are in your chain of command. Those are likely candidates. Luna: And then? Lucas: Then start logging every interaction you have with each of them for two weeks. Don't change your behavior at first — just observe. You want a baseline. After two weeks, look at the data and ask yourself: where are the gaps? Are you seeing certain people regularly but others not at all? Are your interactions mostly passive — like sitting in meetings — or are you leading discussions? Luna: That sounds really actionable. How long should someone run the audit before they see results? Lucas: I'd say give it at least a quarter. Priya saw a shift in about four months, but it depends on your organization's rhythm. The important thing is to keep the log current — if you stop tracking, you'll go back to being invisible without noticing. Luna: And what about people who are in remote or hybrid environments? Is this harder? Lucas: It's actually easier in some ways, because every interaction is visible — you can see who's on the call, who's contributing. But you have to be more deliberate about it. In an office, you might run into someone in the hallway. Remotely, you have to schedule that. The audit forces you to be intentional. Luna: So the audit is a forcing function for intentionality. Lucas: Exactly. And the follow-up piece is critical. A lot of people meet with a director once and think that's enough. But the follow-up is what turns a one-off into a relationship. Priya's follow-up emails weren't long — just a few bullet points and a clear ask for feedback. But they kept the conversation alive. Luna: I love the idea of turning meetings into threads. Lucas: Yeah. And there's another piece — the 'impact summary.' Once a month, Priya would write a one-page summary of her top three accomplishments, tied to the company's goals, and share it with her manager and the directors. That gave them a ready-made talking point when they were championing her. Luna: So she was arming her advocates with ammunition. Lucas: Exactly. And by the time the promotion committee met, her name wasn't just a line on a spreadsheet — it was attached to a narrative of impact. That's what made the difference. Luna: That's really inspiring. I think our listeners can take away a concrete plan: list your stakeholders, log your interactions, and create meaningful touchpoints. Lucas: And remember — visibility isn't self-promotion. It's about making your work visible to the people who need to see it. When done right, it benefits everyone — you, your manager, and the organization. Luna: Great point. Thanks for joining us on The Promotion Memo. We'll see you next time.