Design the Conversation - Don’t Just Survive It
A newly promoted VP complained, “My boss never listens, and I hate every suggestion he makes. Honestly, if I’d known this was the gig, I’d have passed.” Classic growing pains: bigger chair, higher stakes, same old talk tracks that no longer work.
Conversations are the steering wheel of your career. But most of us keep driving with the parking brake on - rehashing the past, dwelling on what’s broken, or silently judging the other person’s IQ. To lead up the ladder, you need to design the exchange so both sides learn, decide, and move.
Use this two-part playbook:
Surface the gap (curious first, critical later.)
“Thanks for laying out your take.”
“I’m seeing it a bit differently, can I share?”
“What headwinds do you expect if we go this route?”
“Humor me: if we flipped the problem on its head, what might that look like?”
Close with a committed action—date stamped.
“Here’s my single next step: ___.”
“I’ll test this for two weeks and report back on __.”
“Let’s reconvene on the 15th to review what landed and what bombed.”
Every interaction leaves a footprint. Show up intent on shaping it, and you’ll stop blaming the promotion for the friction and start using conversation to lead - yes, even your leader.