What we cover
You have done it a hundred times. Someone senior asks where things stand, and you give them the full picture: every work stream accounted for, clear timelines, nothing missed.
Sure, you must have sounded competent and in control. But what if that type of response actually costs you authority?
Most managers never catch this happening, because nothing about the update looked wrong.
The cost shows up months later, in a promotion conversation, or in who gets pulled into the room where the decision actually gets made.
In this episode, Ramona breaks down why an update and a briefing look identical on the surface while functioning as two completely different transactions, and what to change before your next meeting with anyone more senior than you.
In Episode 328, we cover:
- The Decision Line: the invisible boundary between where effort lives and where authority lives
- Why the research on processing fluency is so unkind to thorough people
- The four moves that keep you above the line, including the one most managers skip entirely
- What to say when someone deliberately pulls you down into the weeds
- A one-word protocol you can install with your team this week
If you have ever walked out of a leadership meeting feeling like you did everything right and still lost the room, this episode is for you.
Watch this episode
Timestamps
Resources mentioned
- The Executive Presence Intensive: Ramona’s eight-week program for senior leaders. Next cohort starts September 28.
- Free New Manager Masterclass
- The Confident & Competent New Manager by Ramona Shaw
Links
- Schedule a Leadership Strategy Call with Ramona
- Grab the free New Manager Toolkit mentioned in the episode
- 1-on-1 Meeting Mastery Course: Turn your 1-on-1 meetings from time wasters, awkward moments, status updates, or non-existent into your most important and valuable meeting with your directs all week.
- The Confident & Competent New Manager: Ramona’s best-selling book on how to rapidly rise to success in your first leadership role.
Related episodes
- Episode 303: Exec Communication: How to Speak So Senior Leaders Actually Listen
- Episode 309: From Executor to Strategist: How to Talk About Your Work at the Right Altitude
What’s next?
- Learn more about our leadership development programs, coaching and workshops at archova.org.
- Grab your copy of Ramona’s best-selling book The Confident & Competent New Manager.
- Want to better understand your leadership style and patterns? Take our free quiz to discover your Manager Archetype and learn how to play to your strengths and uncover your blind spots.
- Are you in your first manager role and don’t want to mess it up? Watch our FREE Masterclass and discover the 4 shifts to become a leader people love to work for.
- Love the podcast and haven’t left a review yet? All you have to do is go to ramonashaw.com/itunes and to our Spotify page, and give your honest review. Thanks for your support of this show!
- If this episode inspired you in some way, take a screenshot of you listening on your device and post it to your Instagram Stories, and tag me @ramona.shaw.leadership or DM me on LinkedIn.