Latest / The Promotion Memo with Fexingo: Getting Visibility, Sponsors, and Executive Presence / How a Career Pause Led to a Promotion
Transcript
- Lucas: So I want to start with a question that might sound a little counterintuitive. When was the last time you deliberately slowed down at work, not because you were burned out, but as a strategic move? Luna: Deliberately slowing down? That feels like the opposite of everything we're usually told about getting ahead. Lucas: Right. And yet, I came across a story recently about a product manager at a mid-sized fintech company who did exactly that. She was two years into her role, hitting all her metrics, but she kept getting passed over for the director promotion. So instead of doubling down on output, she took two weeks off. Not a vacation, not a sabbatical—a deliberate pause to reassess how she was being perceived. Luna: Okay, that's bold. But how do you even frame that to your boss? 'I'm going to pause to strategize my promotion' doesn't exactly roll off the tongue. Lucas: Well, she framed it as a professional development break. She told her manager she wanted to step back to think more strategically about the next phase of her product roadmap and her own leadership growth. And honestly, the key was that she had a clear plan for what she would do with that time—it wasn't just a vague 'I need space.' Luna: So what did she actually do during those two weeks? I'm guessing she wasn't binging Netflix. Lucas: No, not at all. She spent the first week reviewing her last two years: what projects she'd led, what feedback she'd gotten, where she'd been visible to senior leadership. She kept a kind of 'visibility audit'—basically a log of every time she'd presented to executives, every time she'd gotten credit for a win, and where she'd faded into the background. Luna: A visibility audit. That's a great tool. But didn't she worry that being away would make her less visible, not more? Lucas: That was the risk. But she also used the second week to change the narrative. She wrote a one-page document titled 'Strategic Leadership Plan'—not a list of accomplishments, but a forward-looking plan for the next year. She identified three gaps in the team's execution and pitched herself as the person to close them. When she came back, she scheduled a meeting with her VP to present it. Luna: And that's what tipped the scale? Lucas: It helped. But here's the thing—the pause itself sent a signal. It showed she was thinking about the business at a level above her current role. Her VP later told her that the plan she presented felt like something a director would write, not a senior product manager. And within six weeks, she got the promotion. Luna: That's a powerful example. But I wonder—how do you know when a pause is the right move versus just looking like you're slacking off? Lucas: That's the million-dollar question. The research on 'strategic withdrawal' suggests it works best when you're already performing well but stuck in a visibility or perception rut. If your performance is actually lagging, a pause might look like avoidance. But if you're hitting your numbers and still not moving forward, it can signal that you're thinking bigger. Luna: So it's about recalibration, not escape. I can see how that could reframe your mindset, too. Coming back with a fresh perspective probably feels different than just grinding through. Lucas: Exactly. And there's a cognitive angle to this. When you step away from the constant firefighting, your brain shifts from what psychologists call 'task-positive' to 'default mode' network—that's when you make connections you wouldn't otherwise. That's why she came back with a plan that felt strategic rather than tactical. Luna: I love that. But I also think there's a risk of getting labeled as 'not committed' if you're not careful about how you frame the pause. How did she avoid that? Lucas: She was very intentional about the language. She called it a 'strategic reset' and made sure her manager knew exactly what she'd be doing. She even shared a rough outline of her plan before she left. So when she came back, it wasn't a surprise—it was a follow-through. Luna: That's smart. It's like she turned the pause into a project, not an absence. I imagine that also helped her team not feel like she was abandoning them. Lucas: Absolutely. She delegated her day-to-day responsibilities to a senior associate, which actually gave that person a growth opportunity. So her pause became a leadership development move for someone else too. That's the kind of thing that gets noticed. Luna: So what's the takeaway for someone who's feeling stuck but can't just take two weeks off? Is there a smaller version of this pause? Lucas: Definitely. You can do a 'micro-pause'—maybe a single day, or a half-day blocked off for deep reflection on your career trajectory. Or you can do a 'strategic Friday' where you spend the morning reviewing your visibility and planning next steps. The key is to build in that reflective space regularly, not just when you're desperate. Luna: I like that. A 'strategic Friday' sounds much more manageable. And it might even prevent the burnout that leads to a forced pause later. Lucas: Right. And that brings me to something else. We talk a lot on this show about concrete tools—logs, audits, portfolios. But there's a deeper principle here: sometimes the most productive thing you can do is stop producing for a minute and start rethinking. Luna: That's a nice way to put it. And it makes me think—we've been helping people with these strategies for a while now, and one of the things that keeps this show going is that listeners like you chip in through buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo. It's not a big ask, but it's what lets us keep making these episodes without ads. Lucas: Yeah, and we really appreciate those who do. It keeps everything independent and focused on the content, not on selling you something. So if you've gotten value from an episode like this, that's one way to say thanks. But let's get back to the strategic pause. Luna: Yes, let's. I want to dig into what happens after the pause. You mentioned she presented a plan—but what if your plan isn't well-received? How do you bounce back? Lucas: That's a real risk. But even if the plan doesn't land perfectly, the pause itself demonstrates a level of self-awareness that leaders often value. And you can iterate. She actually had to adjust her plan after feedback from her VP—she'd proposed leading a new initiative that wasn't fully aligned with company priorities. So she refined it and came back with a better version. Luna: So it's not about getting it perfect the first time. It's about showing you can think strategically and adapt. Lucas: Exactly. And that's a skill that's often more valuable than the plan itself. In fact, I'd argue that's what executive presence really looks like: not just doing the work, but shaping how the work is perceived and prioritized. Luna: That's a great way to frame it. So, if someone is listening and thinking about trying a strategic pause, what's the first step they should take? Lucas: Start by scheduling a one-hour block this week to do a mini visibility audit. Write down every significant contribution you've made in the last six months, and note which ones were actually seen by senior leadership. If the list is skewed toward 'unseen,' that's a signal you need a pause—or at least a plan to shift that balance. Luna: And that's something you can do without taking time off. I think that's a manageable first step. Lucas: For sure. And if you do decide to take a longer pause, just remember: it's not about disappearing. It's about coming back with a sharper point of view. That's what turns a break into a breakthrough. Luna: I love that. A break into a breakthrough. Maybe that should be the episode title. Lucas: It's a good tagline. But the real takeaway is that sometimes the best career move isn't to push harder—it's to step back, recalibrate, and come back with a clearer sense of direction. Luna: And that's something we could all use a little more of. Thanks for being with us, and remember to keep thinking strategically—even if that means taking a pause.