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Let’s talk about interviews for your next big role.

Specifically, why so many smart, experienced managers and senior managers crash and burn when they’re interviewing for director, VP, or principal-level roles.

Not because they don’t have the experience.
Not because they didn’t do the prep.
Not because someone else was more qualified.

It’s because of how they’re telling their story.

They’re showing up like the person who executes the play—not the one who designs the playbook.

Take Maya.

Maya led a $5M product launch at a fintech startup. She owned strategy, coordinated cross-functional teams, presented to the board, and delivered results ahead of schedule.

But when she interviewed for a VP role, here’s what she said:

Sounds solid, right?

Except it made her sound like a super-skilled doer. Not a leader.

The feedback? She didn’t seem "strategic enough."

And here’s the thing - Maya was strategic. She had incredible insight, vision, and execution chops. But she’d been taught to be humble. Let her work speak for itself. Don’t brag. Keep it team-first.

That mindset worked fine when she was rising through the ranks.

But now? She was aiming for VP.

At that level, you can’t rely on people to read between the lines. You have to connect the dots for them. You have to explain the impact you’ve made - and how you did it.

Here’s what she said in her next interview:

Same project. Different story.

This time, she named the stakes, framed her role as a driver of outcomes, and showed how her leadership moved people, processes, and priorities forward.

And guess what? She got the offer.

Here’s the truth most people miss:

You don’t get hired for what you did.

You get hired for how you think - and how you mobilize people, processes, and resources to accomplish what matters to the business.

Leadership-level interviews are not about showing that you were busy, efficient, or helpful.

They’re about showing that you can:

• Think strategically under pressure
• Mobilize teams and resources effectively
• Align people to a common vision
• Make smart tradeoffs with limited information
• Drive measurable business outcomes

That’s the shift.

How to shift from doer to leader in your interviews

If you catch yourself listing tasks or going too tactical, use this reframe:

🔁 Business Challenge → Leadership Action → Strategic Impact

Start by naming the business challenge or context. That grounds your story in the bigger picture and instantly positions you as a strategic thinker.

Let’s look at a few examples - and notice the pattern. The “bad” versions focus on activity. The “better” versions center on the business context, leadership decision, and result.

BAD:​
"I created a training program for new hires."

BETTER:​
"New hire onboarding was slowing down our growth and frustrating team leads. I designed a new training program that reduced ramp time by 40% and helped us hit aggressive headcount goals without sacrificing quality."

BAD:​
"I led daily standups and tracked sprint progress."

BETTER:​
"We were consistently missing delivery deadlines, and morale was suffering. I introduced a new agile rhythm, restructured sprint planning to reflect strategic priorities, and helped the team increase velocity three sprints in a row."

BAD:​
"I created reports for the executive team."

BETTER:​
"There was no reliable way for execs to see progress on cross-functional initiatives. I built a dashboard that flagged risk areas early, which directly influenced two high-impact roadmap decisions."

See the difference?

You’re not just saying what you did.

You’re showing why it mattered - and how it made your team or company more effective at reaching its goals.

That’s how leaders talk.

Use this as your pre-interview prep framework

1. Pick 3 wins from your recent role.
2. For each one, ask:
   • What was at stake?
   • What was the strategic challenge?
   • What leadership behaviors did I demonstrate?
   • What changed because of my work?
3. Use your answers to shape how you tell the story.

Don’t memorize perfect lines.

Just get clear on the thinking behind the doing.

Leadership isn’t about having the perfect answer.

It’s about showing that you can move people, processes, and resources in service of meaningful business goals - especially when the path forward isn’t obvious.

You’ve done the hard work to grow into a leader.

If you’re ready to learn how to communicate it in a way that gets you hired - let's book a call.

👉 Click HERE to book your free Career Strategy Call.​

We’ll get clear on where you are, where you want to go, and what’s getting lost in translation.

Know someone who's stuck at manager level despite being ready for more? Forward this their way - they’ll thank you later.

Until next week,

Beckie

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