Anna Cosic

👋 If you’ve been successful in your career, but now seem to have plateaued - chances are you might have gotten stuck in the Workhorse Trap. 👀

While it can feel frustrating, it’s actually an invitation to uplevel to a strategic leader.

And once you do, you’ll get that career momentum and confidence back! 🚀

Getting to the Director level often happens for those who work hard, say yes and get things done well and quickly.

But as we move up and the nature of our role changes: our scope grows, we manage team members, we get more exposure to stakeholders, while the pressure goes up -

We often find ourselves in an unsustainable work situation with impossible demands and deadlines.

While our bosses and stakeholders start indicating that we’re no longer living up to expectations:

•Giving opportunities to others
•Telling us we’re not ready
•While giving vague feedback or none at all

This can feel confusing, frustrating and demoralizing…

Leaving us to wonder if we even have what it takes to get to the next level.

Or if we even want it, as it requires us to work late, skip vacations, and put our health and relationships on hold. And while we can do that for a while, as we look ahead and imagine the next 10-20 years…

We don’t want that, and frankly, we can’t keep up this pace.

And here’s what I know to be true: you shouldn’t have to.

The same things that make us high performers during the first half of our careers become a recipe for being undervalued and burnout during the second half.

There is a better way. I know because I’ve lived it, and have spent the past eight years helping other women achieve it.

If this resonates, know that you’re not alone. This isn’t something to feel guilty about. The rules changed, and nobody sent you the memo.

Save this if you needed this reminder. ✨

Your hard work should feel worth it. You should feel recognized. And you shouldn’t have to choose.

You pitched the idea. Crickets.
Chad pitched the same idea. Standing ovation. 🙄

If this has ever happened to you - I need you to know it’s not about the idea.

(And it’s probably not even about Chad.)

It’s about how the room has been trained to see you.

If your reputation has been built on executing, delivering, saying yes - the room isn’t yet expecting strategy from you.

That’s called positioning. And unlike a lot of things in corporate - positioning is something you can actually change. 🙌

Save this if this resonates 🤗

“I know I should be talking about my wins more. But it just feels icky.”

🙋‍♀️ If this is you - you’re not alone.

Most of us were taught that good work gets noticed. That keeping your head down is what people with integrity do.

But at this level, your manager can’t advocate for what they can’t see.

💡Talking about your work isn’t bragging. It’s giving decision makers the evidence they need to trust you’re ready for the next level.

Save this if it resonates. 🤗

Your boss said it. Couldn’t explain it.

Executive presence isn’t something you’re born with, or about acting like a man.

It’s the ability to project confidence, clarity and credibility so people trust you, follow you - and bet on you.

Now you know! The rest is practice. 🚀