This episode is part of the Elevated Leadership Podcast Series, co-hosted with Julianna Yau Yorgan. It is available here on The Uncommon Career Podcast and The Daring to Succeed Podcast.

Tired of Getting Overlooked?

Being great at the job and still getting passed over is maddening, I understand that.

The fix starts with clarity, then shifts into visibility—so leadership has real, repeatable reasons to put your name forward. In this conversation with Julianna Yau Yorgan, the focus is on recognizing the red flags, resetting expectations, and building a simple plan to make advocacy easy for decision-makers.

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Spot the Red Flags Early

If a leader isn’t championing growth, the signs show up fast.

When project doors stay closed, coaching and feedback go missing, and career conversations never happen, it’s a signal that advocacy isn’t happening when rooms get closed and names are selected. Gatekeeping—like withholding context you need to compete—belongs on this list too.

• Big projects arrive and your name never surfaces, despite clear interest and fit.

• Tasks are assigned, but coaching and feedback aren’t—meaning there’s nothing concrete to speak to on your behalf.

• Career path talks don’t happen; investment in growth feels low.

• Information is withheld that others receive, creating quiet disadvantage.

Check Expectations Before You Change Tactics

Sometimes advocacy is happening—just not in the way you probably expected. That disconnect can look like leaders speaking on your behalf and seeking opportunities, but not taking a specific extra step you’re hoping for. Before making a big move, confirm what advocacy should look like and get precise about the one missing piece.

Clarity comes first: define the goal and the help needed to reach it.

Share it. Agreement matters—and so does follow-through.

The best leaders will support what they’ve explicitly agreed to; the problem is when agreement happens and action doesn’t.

Turn “Yes/No” Into Owned Commitments

When approvals are framed as yes/no, a leader can nod and still do nothing. Use open-ended prompts that require a decision and a pathway, then mirror those words back later to hold the agreement. Swap “Would you approve me for Project X?” with “How do you think I can help on Project X?”

That forces alignment, creates a verbal commitment, and gives you language to reference next time.

Two Tracks: Manage Up and Self-Advocate (Do Both)

There are two clear routes—and they work best together.

First, manage up: help your leader advocate for you by making wins proactively visible with humble confidence. It isn’t bragging when it’s true; it’s the factual input your boss needs to choose you for high-impact work. Second, build visibility beyond the team: cross-functional exposure, mentors in other areas, and thoughtful use of platforms like LinkedIn.

• Share recent, relevant results in usable soundbites leaders can repeat.

• Seek projects that put your work in front of adjacent leaders.

• Build a mentor circle outside your lane.

Make Advocacy Frictionless, Build Elevator Pitches

Advocacy improves when remembering and repeating your impact is easy. Package accomplishments so they’re clear, memorable, and shareable—think a concise one-pager over ten dense pages.

The goal: help others see and restate your value quickly.

Second thing, know how to speak your work in an elevator—especially to your boss’s boss.

Name the initiatives, the business goals they advance, and the measurable effect. Then distill a long first-90-days list into three to five high-value, metric-rich bullets people can remember and repeat. For example, reframing a complex collaboration win as “6x faster cross-departmental alignment” makes results sticky and portable.

• Lead with business outcomes, not activity.

• Keep 3–5 bullets; each one carries a number and a why-it-matters.

• Repeat these talking points in 1:1s and meetings so leaders can reuse them.

That same exercise clarifies value for you, too—shifting mindset from “not sure what to say” to a concrete list of strengths ready for promotions and raise conversations.

When the Feedback Stalls, Interrogate Resistance

Sometimes the roadblock is the criteria itself. A boss might outline a checklist (A, B, C) as preconditions for promotion or visibility. If disagreement rises, pause and explore the resistance:

Do you truly want the outcome if unwilling to do those steps? Or is there something misaligned—resources, scope, timing—that needs renegotiation?

Also look for unspoken hesitation on the other side. Read between the lines. Who gets championed, and why? Some perceptions won’t be articulated unless you surface them.

Map the gap, then close it with targeted behavior and communication changes.

A Simple Sequence You Can Use

Clarity → Alignment → Ease.

• Get clear on the role you want and the specific experiences you need to get there.

• Align with your leader on expectations, assumptions, and milestones—turn commitments into open-ended agreements you can quote back.

• Make advocacy easy with short, metric-rich talking points your leaders can remember and share.

In Summary...

Vague goals make visibility exhausting. Define what “being visible” means, how you’ll know it’s happening, and what evidence will prove it. Specificity makes the plan doable—and the next step obvious.

Careers move in seasons. Leaving isn’t betrayal; it’s alignment. Set expectations for growth, care for people without overextending, hand off what truly matters, and keep the door open with kindness. That combination builds a reputation that outlasts any title and travels farther than any job description.

Choose growth, leave well, and let excellence carry your name forward.