Jun 1, 2026 · 23 min · 8 segments
You've been told to "be more strategic" but no one ever explains what that means. In this episode, I decode three of the most common pieces of vague promotion feedback and tell you what your boss is…
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When I was a director trying to get promoted to VP, I remember asking my boss what I needed to work on, and he said, "Katie, you just need to be more strategic." And I remember thinking, "Okay, but what does that actually mean?" I didn't ask.
And guess what? The next time we had the conversation, I got the same feedback again, "You need to be more strategic." So this time I decided to research what this might mean.
I Googled, "What does it mean to be strategic?" And this was also when I hired an executive coach.
However, the next time we had the conversation, I got the same feedback again, "You need to be more strategic." In fact, I got the same exact line for years, and nobody, not my boss, not the leadership team, not even my executive coach, ever explained to me what it actually meant.
And it took me five years as a director before I finally figured it out, and when I did, everything changed.
But I think about those five years, and I think if someone had just decoded what that feedback meant, I could have gotten there so much faster and, frankly, less painfully.
Welcome to More Women Promoted with me, Katie McFee, former exec turned leadership coach.
I believe you can be a successful exec without getting an MBA, and create a career and life that you love without burning out.
Think of this podcast as a mix of girl talk plus what you wish they'd taught you in business school.
I'll always give it to you straight, so if you're ready for some real talk, let's do this.
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When I was a director trying to get promoted to VP, I remember asking my boss what I needed to work on, and he said, "Katie, you just need to be more strategic." And I remember thinking, "Okay, but what does that actually mean?" I didn't ask.
And guess what? The next time we had the conversation, I got the same feedback again, "You need to be more strategic." So this time I decided to research what this might mean.
I Googled, "What does it mean to be strategic?" And this was also when I hired an executive coach.
However, the next time we had the conversation, I got the same feedback again, "You need to be more strategic." In fact, I got the same exact line for years, and nobody, not my boss, not the leadership team, not even my executive coach, ever explained to me what it actually meant.
And it took me five years as a director before I finally figured it out, and when I did, everything changed.
But I think about those five years, and I think if someone had just decoded what that feedback meant, I could have gotten there so much faster and, frankly, less painfully.
Welcome to More Women Promoted with me, Katie McFee, former exec turned leadership coach.
I believe you can be a successful exec without getting an MBA, and create a career and life that you love without burning out.
Think of this podcast as a mix of girl talk plus what you wish they'd taught you in business school.
I'll always give it to you straight, so if you're ready for some real talk, let's do this.