Congrats! You're A VP! Now What?

You worked hard. You earned the title. The announcement’s been made. Slack lit up. LinkedIn gave you that little dopamine hit. It’s official:

You’re a VP.

Now what?

For most leaders, the climb to VP is long and consuming. There’s so much energy spent proving readiness that very little is left for navigating what comes next.

But here’s the truth: the job changed the moment the title did. And the next six months will either expand your impact—or quietly cap it.

So take a beat. And ask yourself a better set of questions.

What’s the real brief?

You may have inherited a team, a remit, and a roadmap. But what were you really hired to do? Stabilize? Scale? Transform? Who defines success—and who actually gets to decide if you’re doing it right?

Read between the lines. Understand the moment the organization is in. Your formal job description is likely already out of date.

How will you reconfigure your strengths?

The tools that got you here—excellence in execution, cross-functional hustle, domain expertise—may not be the tools that will serve you now.

VP-level impact is about creating new value, not just delivering on someone else’s plan. That often means:

• Shifting from doer to enabler
• From reactive to proactive
• From trusted problem solver to strategic problem framer

This requires reflection, recalibration, and sometimes, letting go of the identity that got you promoted in the first place.

Who do you really work for?

No, seriously.

Your direct manager signs your review. But your real job is often defined by a matrix of peers, partners, stakeholders, and culture-shapers across the org. Influence flows differently now.

Do you know the political map? The hidden priorities? The unspoken power dynamics?

Ignoring these doesn’t make you noble—it makes you less effective.

How will you create space to lead?

Most new VPs try to prove themselves by doing more. That’s a trap.

Your value is no longer in volume. It’s in focus. In multiplying the impact of others. In making fewer, better decisions that create leverage.

To do that, you need space—mental, emotional, and calendar space. What will you delegate? What will you say no to? What do you need to stop pretending you can keep doing?

How will you stay you?

You got this far by caring deeply. Working hard. Bringing your full self. That doesn’t have to change—but it does need protecting.

The best leaders are intentional about:

• Building systems for reflection and renewal
• Keeping their personal life as healthy as their calendar
• Surrounding themselves with people who challenge and support them

This is why many new VPs hire a coach.

You don’t need a coach to tell you what to do. You need one to help you slow down, step back, and think more clearly about who you’re becoming.

A great coach helps you:

• Reflect on your new reality
• Reconnect with your values
• Reframe challenges in a way that reveals new options
• Redesign your leadership to match your expanded platform

Congratulations, VP. Let's Get It Started Right.
Now it’s time to build the next version of your leadership—one that’s as sustainable as it is successful.

If you’re in that moment, or about to be, we’d love to talk.