More Women Promoted

More Women Promoted

Are You Actually VP Ready?

Jun 8, 2026 · 31 min · 12 segments

Being VP-ready and being seen as VP-ready are two very different things, and the gap is rarely what you think it is. Take my free quiz to find out exactly where you stand…

Being VP-ready and being seen as VP-ready are two very different things, and the gap is rarely what you think it is. Take my free quiz to find out exactly where you stand: morewomenpromoted.com/quiz Have you ever been told you need to be "more strategic"? Or that you need to "demonstrate more readiness" before that next promotion? Vague feedback like this is exactly what kept me stuck for years as a director. Here's the truth most leaders won't tell you: VP readiness has almost nothing to do with how well you're doing your current job. The skills that got you to director are table stakes at the next level. What gets you the role is a completely different set of skills that nobody has explicitly taught you. WHAT YOU'LL LEARN - Why being VP-ready and being seen as VP-ready are two completely different things (and which one is actually keeping you stuck) - The four specific areas leadership uses to evaluate whether you're ready, broken down with concrete examples - The most common ways high-performing women unintentionally signal "not ready" without realizing it - What strategic thinking actually looks like at the VP level (and why getting more certifications won't get you there) - Where to start if you've been investing in the wrong skills and didn't know it RESOURCES MENTIONED - Are You VP Ready? - free quiz: morewomenpromoted.com/quiz - Connect with Katy on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/katy-mcfee-3880b4a - Weekly newsletter: morewomenpromoted.com/newsletter **Curious what it's like to work together?** Send me a message on LinkedIn or Instagram (Katy McFee) and tell me what you are working toward, and we can take it from there. Save your seat for the Visibility & Recognition Workshop at workshop.insightstoactioncc.com. Join me live in Ottawa, Canada, on October 23rd. Save your seat at owntheroomsummit.com. Remember, there's room for all of us at the table.

Being VP-ready and being seen as VP-ready are two very different things, and the gap is rarely what you think it is. Take my free quiz to find out exactly where you stand…

Katie’s Failed VP Bid0:00 – 2:12

0:00

Some of you have heard my story about when I was a director and trying to get that VP role unsuccessfully for lots of years.

0:10

When I think about that time, in many ways, I was capable of operating at the VP level.

0:17

I already had great strategic ideas.

0:20

I was essentially ready in many ways, but I had serious blind spots in terms of what VPs actually need to prioritize to be effective, and how to demonstrate to the people around me that I was ready.

0:36

The whole I didn't know what I didn't know.

0:38

And I can remember working with an executive coach and saying to him, "My boss is telling me I need to be more strategic." And so we were talking about, you know, what were the things that I was doing, and what was I focusing on, and I was sharing with him, "This is how I'm planning out.

0:50

This is how I'm planning the org chart out one to three, five years from now.

0:53

This is how I'm thinking about this problem." And he said to me, "Katie, this is strategic stuff.

1:00

You are thinking strategically." And he was kinda stumped about why my boss was not seeing it, and I was stumped about why my boss was not seeing it.

1:08

And it took me a long time to have this epiphany about how being ready and being seen as ready are two very different things.

1:23

Now, in my case, I had the capability of leading at that next level, but I did not yet understand how VPs prioritize their time and really lead strategically.

1:37

So I still had a bit of a gap.

1:39

But the problem that I see so often is that, just like me, most women out there don't have a clear picture of what VP readiness actually looks like, which is why they're either not showing it or not building it.

1:58

So that's what I want to dig into with you today.

2:01

What does it actually mean to be VP ready? Because I don't think anyone has ever clearly defined this for you, and my friends, that is a problem.

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Katie’s Failed VP Bid0:00 – 2:12

0:00

Some of you have heard my story about when I was a director and trying to get that VP role unsuccessfully for lots of years.

0:10

When I think about that time, in many ways, I was capable of operating at the VP level.

0:17

I already had great strategic ideas.

0:20

I was essentially ready in many ways, but I had serious blind spots in terms of what VPs actually need to prioritize to be effective, and how to demonstrate to the people around me that I was ready.

0:36

The whole I didn't know what I didn't know.

0:38

And I can remember working with an executive coach and saying to him, "My boss is telling me I need to be more strategic." And so we were talking about, you know, what were the things that I was doing, and what was I focusing on, and I was sharing with him, "This is how I'm planning out.

0:50

This is how I'm planning the org chart out one to three, five years from now.

0:53

This is how I'm thinking about this problem." And he said to me, "Katie, this is strategic stuff.

1:00

You are thinking strategically." And he was kinda stumped about why my boss was not seeing it, and I was stumped about why my boss was not seeing it.

1:08

And it took me a long time to have this epiphany about how being ready and being seen as ready are two very different things.

1:23

Now, in my case, I had the capability of leading at that next level, but I did not yet understand how VPs prioritize their time and really lead strategically.

1:37

So I still had a bit of a gap.

1:39

But the problem that I see so often is that, just like me, most women out there don't have a clear picture of what VP readiness actually looks like, which is why they're either not showing it or not building it.

1:58

So that's what I want to dig into with you today.

2:01

What does it actually mean to be VP ready? Because I don't think anyone has ever clearly defined this for you, and my friends, that is a problem.