Latest / The Promotion Memo with Fexingo: Getting Visibility, Sponsors, and Executive Presence / How a Career Narrative Led to a Senior Director Promotion
Transcript
- Lucas: So we've talked a lot about logs, audits, stakeholder maps — all the kind of analytical tools you can use to build a case for a promotion. But there's one thing that ties all of that together, and it's something that a lot of people skip. Luna: Let me guess — it's the narrative. The story you tell about your career. Lucas: Exactly. And I'm not talking about an elevator pitch, which we've covered. I'm talking about a full, structured career narrative — the kind that you can actually deliver in a conversation with your boss or a skip-level, and it feels like you're telling a story, not just reciting accomplishments. Luna: Right. Because a list of accomplishments is just data. A narrative makes that data memorable. Lucas: And I've got a specific case that I think shows exactly how this works. It's a product manager at a mid-sized tech company — I'll call her Priya. She was a senior product manager, and she wanted to make the jump to director. She had the track record — she'd shipped three major features, she'd grown her team from two to five, and she'd consistently hit her OKRs. But she kept getting passed over for promotion. Luna: That's frustrating. What was going wrong? Lucas: From what she told me, it was that she was presenting her case as a series of bullet points. She'd go into her review and just list out what she'd done. And her manager would nod, say 'great job,' and then nothing would happen. Luna: So the story wasn't landing. There was no emotional hook, no arc. Lucas: Right. So she decided to build a career narrative. And she did it in a really structured way — she used a three-act structure, like you'd see in a play or a movie. Act one: the setup. Act two: the conflict. Act three: the resolution. Luna: Okay, I'm intrigued. What did that look like in practice? Lucas: So in act one, she set the context. She talked about how the company was at a turning point — they were shifting from a startup mindset to a scale-up, and they needed product leaders who could build processes and mentor others. She positioned herself as someone who'd been part of that journey from the beginning. Luna: So she was framing her story as aligned with the company's evolution. Smart. Lucas: Then act two — the conflict. She talked about the specific challenges she'd faced: the time a major release was almost pulled because of a technical debt issue, or when two senior engineers threatened to quit because they felt overworked. She described how she'd navigated those moments, the decisions she made, the trade-offs. Luna: That's the part where you show your judgment, not just your output. Most people skip that. Lucas: Exactly. And then act three — the resolution. She tied it all together. She showed how her actions in those moments had directly contributed to the company's bottom line — she could name the specific revenue impact on one feature, and how she'd reduced churn by 15 percent on another. But she didn't just list those numbers. She wove them into the story as the payoff. Luna: So the numbers became part of the narrative arc, not just stats at the end of a report. Lucas: Yeah. And then she practiced delivering it. She told me she rehearsed it in front of her mirror, she recorded herself on her phone, she even told it to her partner until they could recite it back to her. And the goal wasn't to memorize it word for word — it was to make it feel natural, so she could tell it conversationally, whether she had two minutes or twenty. Luna: That's a good point. A narrative is flexible — you can compress it or expand it depending on the context. Lucas: Right. And it worked. She told the story to her boss during a casual one-on-one, and then again in a more formal setting with the VP. And this time, the response was different. The VP started asking her questions about her leadership philosophy, her approach to hiring. She was being seen as a leader, not just a senior individual contributor. Luna: And did she get the promotion? Lucas: She did. About three months later, she was made director of product. And she told me that the narrative was the single most important thing she changed. Luna: That's a great story. And it makes me wonder — how do you actually build your own narrative? I mean, we've talked about logs and audits, but how do you turn all that into a story? Lucas: Well, the first step is to identify your own three acts. Think about the context you walked into, the challenge you faced, and the outcome you created. And the key is to focus on the moments where you had to make a decision, not just the times when things went well. Luna: And that's where the career decision log we talked about in a previous episode comes in handy, right? You can look back at the decisions you recorded and pull the ones that have the strongest narrative arc. Lucas: Exactly. And then you want to connect your story to the company's story. That's what made Priya's narrative so powerful — she didn't just talk about herself. She talked about how her journey intersected with the company's journey. That's what gets the attention of executives. Luna: And that's also what builds executive presence, I think. When you can talk about your work in the context of the bigger picture, you sound like someone who's thinking beyond your own role. Lucas: Exactly. And I want to be clear — this isn't about fabricating a story. It's about selecting and structuring the real moments of your career in a way that highlights your judgment and impact. It's a curation, not a invention. Luna: Right. And it's worth noting that this doesn't just apply to promotions. Having a clear career narrative is useful for internal mobility, for jumping to a new company, even for networking conversations. Lucas: Absolutely. And it's something that you can keep refining as you grow. Your narrative at one level won't be the same at the next. It evolves. Luna: Speaking of sharing — you know, a lot of people have told us that this show has helped them think through their own career moves. If you're one of them, and you'd like to support what we do, you can buy us a coffee at buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo. It's a small way to keep the show going, and we appreciate every single one of you. Lucas: Yeah, we don't run ads, and we want to keep it that way. So if the show's been useful to you, that's the best way to say thanks. But let's get back to the narrative — one thing I want to emphasize is the importance of timing. Priya didn't just walk into a meeting and launch into her story. She waited for the right moments — a performance review, a skip-level meeting, a project post-mortem. Luna: So you're saying the story is only as good as its delivery. You can't just dump it on someone. Lucas: Right. You need a natural entry point. And you also need to read the room. If your boss is in a rush, you might only get to hit the highlights. That's where the compression comes in. Luna: And what about the actual language? Any tips on how to phrase things? Lucas: One thing that worked for Priya — she replaced phrases like 'I was responsible for' with 'I led' or 'I drove.' It's a small shift, but it changes the perception from someone who was assigned work to someone who took ownership. Also, using specific numbers and names of features or projects makes it more concrete. Luna: And what about the emotional component? Should you mention challenges or failures? Lucas: Definitely — but you want to frame them as obstacles you overcame, not as failures. Priya talked about the time a launch almost got delayed, but she focused on how she rallied the team and came up with a creative solution. It shows resilience, and that's a leadership trait. Luna: I love that. So the narrative is not about pretending everything's perfect. It's about showing how you handle imperfection. Lucas: Exactly. And one more thing — don't forget to include the 'why.' Why do you care about this work? Why do you want to lead? That passion is the thing that makes a story memorable. Priya mentioned she loved the challenge of taking a rough idea and turning it into a product that people actually use. That's the kind of thing that sticks with people. Luna: So, to sum up: pick your moments, structure it in three acts, focus on decisions, tie it to the company's story, and don't forget the 'why.' Lucas: You nailed it. And if you're listening and you've got a promotion in your sights, I'd encourage you to start drafting your narrative today. It might just be the thing that tips the scales. Luna: And if you want more actionable tips like this, you know where to find us. But until next time, keep telling your story. Lucas: That's it for today. See you in the next episode.