Inside the Promotion Room

Why Your Best Work Is Keeping You Stuck and What To Do When You're At a Career PlateauCourtney O'Connell shares a solo episode on how high performers get stalled in corporate careers and what it actually takes to move into executive-level roles. She breaks down the difference between being a top performer and being seen as high potential, then gives a practical framework for spotting the blind spots that keep people stuck.Key topics

• In this episode, Courtney explains why hard work alone often stops working once you reach mid-career and why promotion decisions shift from output to perception, positioning, and leadership readiness.
• She shares her own career story at Deutsche Bank and later as an HR director, including the moment she realized she was being seen as a workhorse rather than a future leader.
• Courtney draws a sharp distinction between high performance and high potential, using the example of a manager’s workhorse versus the person who is already operating at the next level.
• She identifies three blind spots that stall ambitious professionals:
• She explains how behaviors that once got rewarded, like being the first to respond, overexplaining, or knowing every detail, can become liabilities at more senior levels.
• Courtney outlines three recalibrations needed for advancement:
• She offers a simple executive communication framework: headline, impact, recommendation.
• Courtney emphasizes that delegation is development, not dumping work, and that strategic work has to be deliberately made room for in the calendar.
• She argues that the biggest blocker is not ignorance but behavior patterns that have been rewarded for years and are hard to see from inside your own mindset.

Timestamps

00:00 - Why Courtney is talking about career plateaus now
01:26 - Hitting the wall after years of quick growth
01:56 - Watching promotion decisions from inside HR
02:52 - What the people getting promoted were doing differently
04:20 - The three blind spots that stall high performers
05:04 - The corporate reality behind promotion decisions
05:58 - Why managers worry about losing workhorses, not just high potentials
07:31 - Why high performance and high potential are not the same
08:37 - What a blind spot actually is
09:04 - When a perceived strength turns into a weakness
10:29 - How early career praise can become a later-career liability
12:20 - Blind spot one: positioning and not being known by decision makers
13:19 - How to test whether you are strategically positioned
13:47 - Blind spot two: perception and executive presence
15:14 - Blind spot three: leadership drag and staying trapped in execution
16:31 - Why recalibration is required for the next level
17:28 - Recalibration one: move from doer to leader through delegation
18:51 - The calendar test for spotting what must be delegated
19:21 - Recalibration two: move from expert to executive with concise communication
20:15 - Managing stress without spreading it to the team
20:55 - Leading through others by setting and holding standards
21:23 - Recalibration three: move from proving to positioning
22:41 - Why you must state your aspirations out loud
23:13 - Why knowing the advice is not the same as changing behavior
24:49 - The real payoff: work gets easier when you stop carrying everything
25:49 - Introduction to Executive Edge and who it is for

Interested in exploring Executive Edge? Get more information HERE. www.thepromoted.com/executive-edge

Remember - enrollment ends soon so don't delay!

What does executive presence actually mean and how do you navigate the corporate game without becoming someone you're not?

In this episode of Inside the Promotion Room, Courtney O’Connell sits down with former Chief People Officer and transformation leader Shari Chernack to talk about the unwritten rules of career growth. They unpack executive presence, mentorship, imposter syndrome, tough feedback, corporate politics, career pivots, and why ambitious leaders need to learn how to read the room while staying true to who they are.

Shari also shares a powerful reminder for anyone trying to move up: you own your career. Growth requires knowing when to stretch, when to adapt, and when discomfort is actually telling you to keep going.

00:00 - Welcome and why Shari’s consulting background matters

01:03 - Growing up in New York and almost becoming a lawyer

02:45 - Early marketing roles and realizing the work was not the right fit

03:35 - First consulting role in e-learning and change communications

05:31 - The dot-com bust and the decision to go to business school

06:52 - Learning change management from the inside out

08:06 - Why Dell’s transformation pulled her back into in-house leadership

09:55 - Returning to consulting, then leading a turnaround internally

11:39 - The hardest career pivot and losing the comfort of infrastructure

14:05 - Becoming a chief people officer and learning the role in practice

16:31 - The gap between theory and lived leadership experience

17:26 - “You always know more than you think, and less than you think”

19:34 - Mentors, sponsors, and the value of tough love

21:58 - What actually drove her career success

24:23 - Hiring people who want to outgrow the seat

27:23 - Knowing when you need complementary strengths on your team

30:10 - Moving into adjacencies and growing through stretch roles

32:49 - How to choose the right company and culture for your season of life

34:37 - Large organizations versus smaller, scrappier environments

38:34 - Career adventurism and building breadth through variety

41:50 - Managing imposter syndrome with evidence and experience

45:43 - Using feedback and 360s to see your impact clearly

47:24 - Why blunt feedback can be useful when it is delivered well

54:16 - A more grounded take on executive presence

57:57 - The real “corporate game” and how to play it well

59:54 - Trade-offs, visibility, and learning to show up differently

63:11 - Re-reading The Five Dysfunctions of a Team

64:38 - Her forthcoming book Leadership Retreat and its core idea

• The Five Dysfunctions of a Team by Patrick Lencioni Here

Courtney reconnects with a former Bank of America colleague for a conversation that goes further behind the promotion room door than most. Darrell spent nine years as a bank collector before making the pivot into HR, eventually rising to head of HR roles across financial services and biopharma, and he's candid about what it actually took to get there: the degrees earned while working full time with two small kids at home, the jobs he didn't get despite being "ready," and the toll of being what he calls a recovering people pleaser. "You can lie to your brain, you can lie to your heart, but you can never lie to your body," he tells Courtney, and the two of them dig into what happens when ambition outruns self-awareness.

This episode earns its place in the promotion room because of what Darrell has seen from the inside of actual talent discussions. He names the exact behaviors that quietly take people off the list for bigger roles, the difference between being productive and being strategic, and why "how you do things is more important sometimes than what you do." They also get into sponsorship as a two-way exchange, why executive presence is really about the energy you're putting off without realizing it, and the one question that separates a good career pivot from a bad one: are you running away from something, or running toward it?

Whether you're managing a team for the first time or eyeing the next seat up, this one leaves you with a real audit to run on yourself, not just a feel-good takeaway.

Timestamps:

00:00 - Welcome back and reconnecting after years apart
00:24 - How Courtney and Darrell first crossed paths at Bank of America
02:58 - The trajectory Darrell thought he was on, and the one he found instead
03:36 - The man behind the resume: growing up in South Bend, Indiana
04:40 - Wanting to wear a suit, and finding his own path there
05:14 - Leaving college, coming home, and landing in collections
05:43 - Nine years as a collector, then the pivot at thirty
06:38 - Learning to trust intuition instead of the plan
08:19 - Self-inflicted pressure versus family pressure
09:00 - Unpacking people pleasing: what it cost him
09:39 - "You can lie to your brain, but you can never lie to your body"
10:31 - The Body Keeps Score, and Courtney's own health wake-up call
14:51 - Head of HR at a fintech during an economic downturn
15:33 - Rebuilding HR from scratch at a biopharma company
16:58 - His biggest regret, and learning to let go of the work
19:03 - Tactics versus strategy: why busy isn't the same as effective
21:01 - The three biggest Achilles heels holding strong leaders back
23:06 - Is being likable actually a career strategy?
24:38 - The manager who shaped how Courtney leads
26:40 - The leader who taught him the wrong way to win
29:46 - Discretionary effort: the real payoff of leading with respect
30:14 - Sponsors and mentors: luck, intention, or both
32:42 - Courtney's take: there is no luck, only self-audit
33:12 - Knowing when it's time to leave
36:22 - Journaling, reflection, and the advice that changed his next move
37:38 - Running away from something versus running toward something
38:07 - What actually gets discussed behind closed doors in talent reviews
39:39 - Why sponsors beyond your own boss matter so much
40:41 - The right way to build relationships with senior leaders
42:21 - Executive presence, and why people are always watching
43:32 - Emotional containment without losing authenticity
45:15 - The one thing to start doing this Monday
46:15 - Book recommendation: The Untethered Soul

The Untethered Soul Book Here

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Links & Resources

Connect with Mandy on LinkedIn here

Book: The Trusted Advisor here

Book: The Gap and the Gain here

Be sure to LIKE and FOLLOW so you don't miss an episode!

• Be specific about what you want in your career

• Show evidence of hunger through actions, not just words

• Ask your boss what is keeping them up at night

• Take on the ugly work, not just the visible or fun work

• Build relationships before you need them

• Use rejection as a signal that you are actually trying

What Color Is Your Parachute Book here 

Four Thousand Weeks Book here 

#Networking #CareerAdvice #Leadership #PersonalBranding #Promotion

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Courtney sits down with Richard A. Hinton for a candid conversation about his path from early jobs in customer service to a long corporate HR career. They discuss the role of intuition, the reality of being “the only one” in the room, and how leadership, belonging, and self-awareness shape promotion and growth.

• Richard reflects on how strong leadership, authentic managers, and a CEO who truly practiced what he preached influenced the kind of leader he wants to be.
• Richard and Courtney compare notes on identifying good and bad managers, including why coaching, EQ, and multiple data points matter when evaluating a leader in an interview process.
• He opens up about feeling “other” as a Black, Jamaican, Indian, gay man in corporate spaces, the pressure to mask, and the emotional cost of trying to belong by overperforming and people pleasing.
• Richard discusses the identity reckoning that came after George Floyd’s death, how it forced him to confront self-hatred and burnout, and how he began rebuilding through self-awareness and self-compassion.
• He shares how intuition shows up in his body, why coaching helped him trust it, and how that inner voice ultimately led him to launch his own business.

02:21 - What Burger King taught him about customer service

05:32 - A Gillette internship that confirmed a future in HR

06:59 - Breaking into recruiting after college

12:48 - Why he almost ruled out construction too soon

13:31 - Trusting his gut and recognizing the right culture

15:54 - Why authentic leadership changed his career

18:31 - Learning from leaders with technical strength but low EQ

20:31 - How to evaluate managers before accepting a job

24:07 - How intuition feels in the body

26:53 - Coaching, journaling, and quieting the noise

28:56 - When the mind protects you too much

30:15 - Naming the inner critic and managing self-sabotage

33:46 - The lifelong learning mindset and becoming a better version of himself

34:32 - Early childhood experiences of feeling different

36:29 - Masking, people pleasing, and the pressure to blend in

37:44 - The emotional impact of identity loss and burnout

41:36 - How his identity crisis affected career choices

42:41 - What he would tell his younger self

43:49 - Slowing down, feeling emotions, and building self-awareness

45:14 - Losing a job and realizing career had become part of his identity

46:55 - What promotions conversations are really about behind closed doors

48:49 - Why business strategy matters for future-ready talent

51:16 - One simple Monday morning habit that builds trust and presence

Links & Resources

• Connect with Richard Hinton on LinkedIN
• The Gifts of Imperfection by Brené Brown here
• Let Them by Mel Robbins here

 Personal Branding at Work: Control Perception & Build Authentic Leadership with Lisa Williams

Key topics:

• Lisa's diverse career trajectory, from collections at a bank to internal coaching leadership
• The importance of self-awareness, values, and authenticity in career development
• Strategies for effective interview preparation and self-promotion
• How to develop and control your personal brand within professional settings
• The role of mentors, sponsors, and relationship-building in career success
• Managing perceptions and modulating behavior for authentic leadership
• Lessons learned about leadership humility, listening, and decision-making
• The significance of presence, vulnerability, and letting go of outcomes
• Recommendations for fostering curiosity through informational interviews
• Insights on building influence and sponsorship behind closed doors

Timestamps: 00:00 - Welcome and Lisa's background in HR and consulting

02:00 - Lisa's first jobs and early career insights

04:42 - The significance of self-awareness and career trial-and-error

06:39 - Navigating job transitions and learning from adversity

08:24 - Mastering interview prep with depth and impact

10:21 - Moving from finance to HR and consulting insights

12:50 - Morphing without losing authenticity

14:56 - The importance of values and authentic leadership

16:37 - Intentional mentorship and relationship strategies

18:19 - Defining success through choices and self-awareness

19:52 - Gaining clarity on career paths and future planning

20:22 - Building curiosity through networking and informational interviews

22:32 - Preparing for effective informational interviews

24:09 - Clarity and goal-setting in short conversations

27:26 - Managing personal brand and perception in leadership

29:11 - The importance of creative thinking and innovation in roles

32:48 - Authenticity and modulation of presence in different settings

35:35 - Behind-the-scenes truths about promotion and sponsorship

36:53 - Building influence and sponsorship relationships

39:08 - Leading and developing others before formal authority

41:50 - Wisdom for younger self: presence and letting go of control

44:56 - Favorite books: psychological thrillers and business insights

47:21 - Final thoughts and advice for career growth and self-awareness

Resources & Links:

Connect with Lisa Williams:

• LinkedIn

#PersonalBranding #ExecutivePresence #CareerGrowth #Leadership #SelfPromotion | 

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Denise Moss climbed from bank teller to VP of HR, but not before spending years stuck at the director level, watching less-qualified peers get promoted around her. In this episode, Courtney O'Connell sits down with Denise Moss (aka "Your HR Homegirl") to unpack exactly what changed.

Denise shares the real story behind her rise through corporate HR: starting as a temp receptionist, getting promoted to HR administrator in six months, and later volunteering for the systems implementation project no one else wanted (one that finally put her name in front of the C-suite).

She and Courtney break down why grit is a skill you can build (not just a trait you're born with), why "no" is a complete sentence, and why self-promotion isn't bragging, it's how decision-makers actually find out you're ready for more.

In this episode, you'll learn:

• Why being great at your job is not the same as being visible for promotion
• How to build the confrontation muscle if pushback doesn't come naturally to you
• The exact project-volunteering strategy that got Denise noticed by her company's COO
• How to set boundaries and protect your time without damaging trust
• What executive presence actually looks like in the room (hint: it's not arrogance)

If you've ever felt like you're doing the best work of your career and still getting passed over, this conversation is for you.

About the Guest:
Denise Moss ("Your HR Homegirl") is a former VP of Human Resources with a career built on grit, reinvention, and knowing when to raise her hand.

About the Host:
Courtney O'Connell spent 23 years in corporate HR, rising from administrative assistant to SVP sitting in the room where promotion decisions were actually made. She now coaches high-performing leaders on how to get seen, get sponsored, and get promoted.

Links:

The 5am Club Here

The 48 Laws of Power Here

Grit Here

Connect with Denise Here

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👉 Learn more at thepromoted.com

Keywords/Tags
career advancement, how to get promoted, corporate career growth, HR career tips, executive presence, workplace confrontation skills, career coaching, women in leadership, stuck at director level, how to get promoted at work, building visibility at work, career grit, corporate promotion strategy

What if the biggest thing holding you back from your next promotion isn't your technical skills… but how people experience you as a leader?

Today's guest is Michael Kubit, former Chief Information Officer and executive leader with decades of experience building teams, leading transformation, and making high-stakes leadership decisions.

In this conversation, we unpack why emotional intelligence is becoming more valuable (not less!) in the age of AI, how to make the difficult transition from individual contributor to leader, and what executives are really looking for when they decide who's ready for the next level.

Main Topics:

• Michael’s non-traditional career path and key learnings from early roles
• The role of emotional intelligence and vulnerability in effective leadership
• Building organizational culture through trust, conflict, and clear communication
• Recognizing when it’s time to pivot professionally based on values and environment
• The impact of technology evolution and skills to focus on in the age of AI
• Strategies for developing executive presence and impactful communication
• The significance of self-awareness and team fit in leadership success

Timestamps: 00:00 - Introducing Michael Cubit and his background

02:03 - Lessons learned from early roles in hotel maintenance and transferable skills

03:45 - How DIY problem-solving influences professional problem-solving

05:06 - From music tech to IT: The evolution of technological involvement

06:13 - The early days of university-based dial-up modems and internet progress

08:21 - Skills to prioritize in the age of AI and technological disruption

10:12 - The importance of soft skills and emotional intelligence in leadership

11:36 - Perception management and deliberate career development

12:45 - Recognizing organizational misalignment and knowing when to move on

14:10 - Navigating virtual communication glitches and resilience during remote recordings

20:23 - The significance of brand and reputation in career success

22:13 - Developing leadership authenticity and the balance between self-control and presence

33:48 - Communicating effectively and managing power dynamics as a leader

36:28 - Building trust and fostering healthy team conflict (Lencioni’s model)

44:38 - Moving from doing to leading: the evolving leadership pie chart

52:26 - The ability to distill complexity and demonstrate executive presence

54:45 - Understanding and managing emotions for better leadership impact

57:31 - The art of toggling authenticity — reading the room and showing up deliberately

60:27 - Recommended books for leading change and understanding energy and spirituality (Switch by Chip & Dan Heath, Becoming Supernatural by Joe Dispenza)

63:30 - The grounding power of nature and staying connected to self amidst professional demands

Resources & Links:

• Switch by Chip and Dan Heath
• Becoming Supernatural by Joe Dispenza
• Lencioni's Five Dysfunctions of a Team

Connect with Michael Kubit:

• LinkedIn

#EmotionalIntelligence #CIO #TechLeadership #CareerGrowth #Leadership

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