In episode 119, we're talking about how to negotiate a senior role when your manager is brand new to the team.

You don't need to wait for your new manager to get settled before you start making your case. That window while they are forming their opinions, building their perspective, and figuring out who you are? That is your window. And it opens the moment they walk through the door.

In this conversation, I break down the three-phase framework I use with my clients to help them stop waiting and start positioning, even in the middle of change and transition.

In this episode, I cover:

→ Why a new manager is a window of opportunity, not a reason to pause

→ Phase 1: The Onboarding Trap and how to avoid it

→ Phase 2: Flip the Script — decoding the gap, making your knowledge visible, and picking your lane

→ A client story: from coming back from leave into chaos to making a business case for her promotion

→ Phase 3: Your Window — how to shape the narrative before the story gets written for you

Key Takeaways:

– Your new manager has no story about you yet — that is an advantage, not an obstacle

– Waiting for them to settle in is the trap; position yourself during their onboarding, not after it

– Decode the gap: find out where your manager needs to build credibility and show how you can help

– Make your institutional knowledge visible — stop solving problems quietly and start documenting your impact

– You were already overqualified before your manager walked through the door

Chapters:

00:00 Introduction

00:09 When a New Manager Situation Happens

01:40 Client Stories

03:08 It Is Up to You to Drive Your Trajectory

05:06 Phase 1: The Onboarding Trap

06:28 Phase 2: Flip the Script — Decode the Gap

08:15 Client Story: Coming Back from Leave

10:07 Phase 3: Your Window

11:04 You Are Done Being the Best Kept Secret

12:50 The Compounding Cost of Waiting

14:31 Closing

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