I HELP YOU STOP BEING THE BEST-KEPT SECRET IN YOUR COMPANY

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Early in my career, I thought I had it all figured out. I was a high performer who delivered excellent results, hit every deadline, and earned strong performance reviews. When people gave me feedback, I mostly ignored it. My work spoke for itself, right?

Until the day I sat across from my mentor, frustrated and confused about why my career felt stuck.

"Let me tell you how leadership actually sees you," he said.

What he told me hit like a freight train. Leadership saw me as technically excellent but difficult to work with. Inflexible. Defensive when questioned. Unable to lead others because I couldn't see my own impact on them.

I was stunned. That's not how I saw myself at all.

Within 18 months of addressing those blind spots, I received my first promotion to senior manager. Not because my technical skills improved, but because I'd addressed the perception issues limiting me.

You deliver excellent work. Your performance reviews are strong. You're reliable, capable, and trusted with important projects.

And somehow, you're still stuck.

You watch others get promoted around you—people who seem less thorough, less dedicated, less qualified. It's so frustrating, and you're starting to wonder what you're doing wrong.

Here's the truth: You're not doing anything wrong. You're caught in what I call the "visibility trap."

But here's what most people don't realize: You might also be caught in one or more career-limiting blind spots that you can't see on your own.

The 5 Blind Spots That Keep High Performers Stuck:

1. The Impact Gap You think you're being direct and efficient. Others experience you as abrupt and dismissive. The gap between your intent and your impact is costing you opportunities.

2. The Feedback Void The higher you advance, the less honest feedback you receive. People stop telling you what you need to hear right when you need it most.

3. Pattern Blindness The same conflicts follow you everywhere, but you can't see your role in creating them. When the pattern follows you, the common denominator is you.

4. The Trigger Trap Certain situations hijack your judgment and make you react in ways that undermine your effectiveness—and you don't even realize it's happening.

5. The Defense Mechanism When you receive feedback that doesn't match your self-image, you explain it away instead of hearing it. This automatic response prevents real growth.

These blind spots create a reputation that follows you and limits every opportunity, even when you don't know it's happening.

Twenty-five years ago, I was troubleshooting computers in corporate training rooms. I made sure everything worked perfectly. I was always available, always helpful, always reliable.

I was also invisible.

While I was perfecting every detail, my colleagues were getting promoted. Not because they were better at the job—honestly, I often had to clean up after them—but because they understood something I didn't.

Being excellent at your current job doesn't make you promotable out of it.

That realization changed everything. Over the next 20 years, I figured out how to break free from the visibility trap. I advanced from IT support to manager, then director, VP, and eventually Chief Information Officer.

Not because I stopped doing excellent work, but because I learned how to make that excellent work visible and strategic.

After reaching the C-suite, I realized my most fulfilling work was helping other people avoid the years of frustration I went through.

I help professionals like you:

• Break free from the visibility trap that keeps excellent performers stuck
• Position themselves strategically for the advancement they deserve
• Build the executive presence and influence that accelerates careers
• Navigate workplace politics and relationships authentically

I also work with organizations that need strategic technology guidance—helping them with digital transformation, technology strategy, and building high-performing teams. After 20+ years in corporate leadership, I know what actually works in complex organizations.

 Most career coaches teach theory they learned in books or courses. I share what actually happened in the rooms where promotion decisions get made—because I was in those rooms for over 20 years.

I've experienced both sides of this challenge:

• Being stuck despite excellent work (as a frustrated mid-level manager)
• Making those promotion decisions myself (as a VP and CIO)

I know exactly what leadership evaluates because I was evaluating people myself:

• Technical skills matter, but they're table stakes
• Excellent work is expected, not remarkable
• What determines advancement is self-awareness, strategic thinking, and the ability to work effectively across the organization
• The gap between intent and impact is what leadership discusses when your name comes up

My approach is different because:

• I give you specific frameworks (5 Blind Spots, Visibility Trap, Strategic Positioning), not vague encouragement
• I tell you what you need to hear, not what you want to hear
• I understand the corporate environment because I navigated it successfully for over two decades
• I've solved this problem myself, so I know the work required and the results possible

Why This Works:

• More specific about your experience
• Shows the unique perspective (both sides)
• Names your frameworks
• Sets expectations (direct, honest coaching)

The Career Breakthrough Program focuses on three core transformations:

1. Discover Your Blind Spots Most high performers have no idea how they're actually perceived. The higher you advance, the less honest feedback you receive.

Together we'll:

• Identify the specific blind spots limiting your advancement
• Understand the gap between your intent and your impact
• Recognize patterns you've been missing
• Get clarity on what leadership actually sees when they evaluate you

You'll finally understand why advancement hasn't happened and what's actually holding you back.

2. Build Strategic Visibility Excellent work alone won't get you promoted. Leadership needs to know who you are, understand your impact, and see you as someone who can operate at the next level.

Together we'll:

• Position your accomplishments to get noticed—without self-promotion
• Build key relationships that create advocates
• Connect your work to business priorities leadership cares about
• Create opportunities to demonstrate strategic thinking
• Ensure your impact is visible to decision-makers

You'll transform from someone who's great at execution to someone leadership sees as ready for bigger responsibilities.

3. Transform Your Impact Once you understand your blind spots, you need practical strategies to address them and change how others experience you.

Together we'll:

• Develop systems to get honest feedback consistently
• Build the capability to receive difficult input without defensiveness
• Create new patterns that replace old limiting behaviors
• Practice new approaches in real workplace situations
• Measure progress and adjust as needed

You'll develop the external self-awareness and strategic positioning that determines who advances and who stays stuck.

"Prior to working with Mary K., I was struggling with my confidence and constantly concerned about how others perceived me. Following several months of coaching, I observed notable changes within myself, and my manager also recognized my growing confidence. Subsequently, I received a promotion, and my confidence empowered me to effectively lead an additional team." — Y.J.

"I felt stagnated in my role and wanted to grow. Mary K. developed an actionable plan and identified essential resources. My job role changed significantly within a few months. I got promoted within a year." — A.N.

We start with understanding exactly where you're stuck and why. Then we build a strategic plan that positions you for the advancement you deserve—without compromising who you are or asking you to become someone you're not.

This isn't about playing politics or taking credit from your team. It's about ensuring your excellent work gets the recognition it deserves.

Ready to stop being the best-kept secret in your organization?

Let's start with a conversation about where you are and where you want to go.

Email me directly: maryk@impactful-futures.com

"The same strategic thinking that took me from IT support to CIO now helps my clients achieve the career advancement they've been working toward."