Most career coaching conversations start the same way:

👉 “I want more.”
More recognition.
A better title. Better pay.
A promotion that finally matches the effort.

But here’s the twist: when I ask, “What about the invisible promotion you’ve already given yourself?” … I usually get crickets.

Because here’s the truth: before you ever get the official title, you have to live into the invisible one. You have to be playing the part before you get the part. It’s the audition before the casting. The race you win before you get the medal.

That’s the invisible promotion before the actual one.

Before you roll your eyes, here’s why this matters

Organizations don’t move at the speed of your growth. Performance always outruns process. Titles lag behind impact. Here’s the science of it:

• Recognition lag: Studies on workplace bias show that leaders are notoriously bad at spotting gradual growth; they only notice big, dramatic moments. Which means your steady leveling-up? Often invisible.
• The Peter Principle: This classic theory says people rise to the level of their incompetence. But what it misses is the middle ground: the long, invisible stretch where you’re already performing at the next level… while still sitting at the old one.
• Politics are real. Titles cost money. Promotions disrupt hierarchies. Change threatens egos. None of that moves as fast as you.

So, if you’re waiting to be crowned before you start acting like a leader, you’ll stay waiting. Here’s what the research says about crowning yourself:

• Role congruity bias: people recognize you as “ready” after you’ve already demonstrated it. Not before.
• Mirror neurons: humans unconsciously model what they see. If you don’t step into the part, no one can reflect it back.
• Motivation theory: the brain thrives on self-perception. When you see yourself operating at the next level, confidence compounds, which makes others see it too.

In other words: if you don’t give yourself the invisible promotion, no one else will.

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Sneaky traps that get in the way of claiming that invisible space

1. The comparison game.
   ​You look sideways and think, “But they have the title, and I don’t.” Instead of focusing on the growth you’ve already stepped into.
2. The assumption game.
   ​You assume someone else is keeping score. That if you just keep your head down, someone will magically notice. (Spoiler: they don’t. They’re too busy keeping score on themselves.)

HEADS UP: Both games keep you small.

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Okay fine; you got me. How can I better claim my invisible promotion

• Track the higher-level work. Write down the strategy you’re setting, the systems you’re fixing, the influence you’re building.
• Name it out loud. Start sentences with: “In my [next role] capacity, here’s how I’ve been operating…”
• Build your “audition tape.” Every story, every win, every time you’ve already acted at the next level goes into your case file.
• Claim the story. Instead of, “I’m waiting for recognition,” try: “I’m already showing up as the person they’ll promote.”

The invisible promotion isn’t about faking it. It’s about practicing it. You’re proving (ding ding ding to yourself first) that you’re already there.

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The invisible promotion before the actual one isn’t just a step in your career. It’s the test. The medal always comes after the race, never before.

So if you’ve been doing the work without the title, don’t just stew in frustration. Use it. Collect it. Name it. Step into it.

👉 And if you’re ready to stop waiting for recognition and start building the case for your next role, let’s talk. Because the invisible promotion only becomes visible when you claim it.

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My best, always,

Shar