The ladder from Director to C-suite isn’t just about climbing higher.

It’s about crossing invisible bridges that separate managers from executives.

You've mastered your function.
Your team delivers.
Your KPIs shine.

Yet that VP promotion still feels out of reach.

You're told you need "more strategic thinking" or "executive presence" but nobody explains what that actually means day-to-day.

After coaching hundreds of women through these transitions, I’ve seen the same pattern:
The skills that made you successful often become the very things that hold you back.

Here are the four critical passages every leader must cross, and why each demands a new identity:

1. From Managing Self → Managing Others
You built your reputation on technical excellence and reliability.
➙ Now: Let go of being the best individual contributor.
➙ Your value shifts from doing to developing others.

2. From Managing Others → Managing Managers
You’ve mastered delegation and coaching.
➙ Now: Leave the technical work behind.
➙ Focus on growing leaders, not just team members.
➙ Your success = your managers’ success.

3. From Managing Managers → Managing Function
You’ve built a strong leadership bench below you.
➙ Now: Lead beyond your original expertise.
➙ Communicate up, down, and across with equal fluency.
➙ Own the vision for your entire function, not just execution.

4. From Managing Function → Managing Enterprise
You’ve mastered your domain and delivered consistent results.
➙ Now: Think in systems, not silos.
➙ Balance competing priorities across the organization.
➙ Your decisions shape culture, not just outcomes.

The painful truth?
Each passage requires you to let go of what made you successful before.

That technical expertise you're so proud of? At VP level, it can become your biggest liability if you can't stop diving into the details.

That hands-on leadership style everyone loves? It prevents your managers from growing into true leaders themselves.

The hardest part isn't learning new skills.
It's unlearning old ones.

Start by asking yourself:
Which passage am I stuck at?
What am I still holding onto that served me before but limits me now?

Your next promotion isn't about doing more of what got you here.
It's about becoming someone entirely different.

And yes, that's exactly as uncomfortable as it sounds.
The next level doesn’t ask for more effort; it asks for evolution.