You're watching it happen again.
Someone who started after you just got promoted. Someone who seems less qualified is leading projects you should be leading. Someone is rising while you're... staying exactly where you are.
You're working hard. You're doing your job well. You're checking all the boxes.
So why aren't you moving up?
Here's the brutal truth: doing good work is table stakes. It's not what gets you promoted.
I talked to women who've been promoted multiple times. Who've risen from entry-level to VP. Who now make the promotion decisions themselves.
And they all say the same thing: there's one move that separates people who rise from people who stay stuck.
Ready?
Raise your hand even when you're scared.
Kim Kanary is now VP of Marketing at multiple major brands. But she wasn't always in leadership.
She tells a story about a pivotal moment early in her career. Her boss left. No one knew who would take on the work. The team was overwhelmed. Everyone was buried.
"I found myself volunteering," Kim says. "I'll take this on. I don't know how to do this, but I'm gonna ask questions and figure it out."
Notice what she DIDN'T say:
She raised her hand when it was scary. When she didn't know how. When everyone else was silent.
That experience? "Really helped propel me in my career."
Jennifer Fitzgerald is now in Strategy and Operations at EY, one of the Big Four consulting firms. She's been promoted multiple times.
Her secret? "Raise your hand when something comes up and everyone has a full workload. Eventually you'll be the first person they think about when something big happens."
Read that again.
Eventually you'll be the first person they think about.
When your boss has a high-visibility project, a stretch assignment, or an opportunity to present to leadership, whose name pops into their head first?
The person who's consistently raised their hand. The person who's volunteered when it was hard. The person who's proven they'll figure it out.
Not necessarily the person with the most experience. Not necessarily the person with the best credentials.
The person who shows up.
No. Absolutely not.
This isn't about saying yes to everything. This isn't about having no boundaries. This isn't about burning out.
It's about being strategic about WHICH opportunities you jump on, especially early in your career when you're building your reputation.
The difference:
Random hustle culture: Say yes to every single thing, work 80-hour weeks, sacrifice your health and relationships, hope someone notices.
Strategic career building: Raise your hand for high-visibility projects that will teach you something valuable, even if they're scary. Say no to busywork that doesn't move the needle.
Know the difference.
Jenna Hagerich has promotion after promotion on her resume. She went from entry-level at Aramark (a Fortune 200 company) to VP of Business to Business Marketing over 15 years. Now she's a Senior Brand Manager at Campbell's.
Her secret? "How does the team measure success? Align yourself to that. Ask your supervisor what success looks like in this role."
Most people show up and do tasks. They complete assignments. They check boxes.
But they have no idea what their boss actually cares about. What moves the needle for the team. What the VP is being evaluated on.
Jenna asks this in job interviews. And you should ask it in your one-on-ones.
"What does success look like in this role?" "How will you know I'm doing a good job?" "What metrics matter most to you?"
Then align your work to those answers.
You can work incredibly hard on the wrong things and never get promoted. Or you can work strategically on the right things and rise quickly.
Here's another thing Jenna emphasizes: "Remaining curious, asking a lot of questions. Don't sit silently in meetings waiting to be called on. Ask the clarifying question. Share your perspective."
The people who get promoted are visible. They're not the smartest person in the room staying silent. They're the person asking good questions. Offering solutions. Volunteering ideas.
Yes, even when they're not 100% sure.
Visibility matters. Speak up.
Here's Jenna's rule for when to stay and when to go: "Know when it's time to move on to something else. Have you learned everything that the role has to offer?"
If the answer is yes, it's time to level up (whether that's internally or externally).
Staying too long in a role you've outgrown is career suicide.
If you're bored, if you're not learning, if you can do your job in your sleep, it's time to raise your hand for something bigger or start looking elsewhere.
Here's your action plan:
1. Volunteer for ONE thing that scares you. Something visible. Something that will stretch you.
2. Ask your manager: "How do you measure success in this role?" Then align your work to that answer.
3. Speak up in your next meeting. Ask one clarifying question or share one perspective. Break the pattern of staying silent.
4. Assess: Are you still learning? If not, have a conversation with your manager about taking on more responsibility.
5. Stop waiting to feel ready. If you wait until you feel 100% confident, you'll never raise your hand. Do it scared.
One of these. This week. Start building the pattern.
And most of all, trust yourself.
💜 Brianne
Raising your hand is just the beginning. Kim, Jennifer, and Jenna are three of 12 successful women who rose from entry-level to leadership roles at companies like EY, Aramark, and Campbell's. And they're sharing everything in our new ebook: "NO ONE TOLD ME THIS: 12 Women Share the Secrets You Actually Need About Career, Money & Confidence."
Inside, you'll get:
From Wall Street to Fortune 200 boardrooms, these women have been where you are. And now they're sharing the moves that actually work.
Download the free ebook here and stop staying stuck while everyone else rises.
You're not less capable. You're just not raising your hand.