The mirror no one warns you about after a promotion
Many leaders imagine a promotion changes their work.
It doesn’t.
What changes first is the way they see themselves.
Suddenly, every decision feels observed. Every word carries weight.
Meetings feel heavier. Emails feel scrutinized.
And the self you’ve always known starts looking… different in the mirror.
That reflection isn’t about skill—it’s about how you are seen, and how you see yourself.
Awareness can feel like hesitation. Thoughtfulness can feel like indecision. Self-monitoring can feel like self-doubt.
It’s unsettling precisely because competence alone isn’t enough.
The mirror is unavoidable. It isn’t a judgment; it’s feedback.
Some leaders fight it, hiding behind over-preparation. Others pause too long before speaking, worrying how the room sees them.
None of these approaches is wrong—it’s just that the mirror highlights the gap between what you feel internally and what others perceive externally.
That’s exactly where coaching can help: not by teaching a skill, but by guiding you to reconcile what’s happening inside with how you show up—and helping you navigate that space intentionally.