My client said to me, “I’ve stayed loyal. I’ve delivered the numbers. I don’t play the political game, but I thought that was enough.” It wasn’t said in anger. It was noted in quiet exhaustion. The kind of sentence you say when you’re tired of trying to figure out why your results aren’t getting noticed, why promotions keep slipping by, why you make it to the final 2-3 candidates, and why someone else is chosen over you. I hear this sentiment more than you might think.  I hea

When I think about this quote, I think about how leaders show up—especially in interview rooms. Are you positioning yourself as a commander, someone ready to think, lead, and operate at the enterprise level? Or are you showing up as a soldier, a strong executor, tactical, loyal, and safe?

When the job market shrinks, every leader competing for the same role brings results. But the ones who position themselves as critical to an organization’s future strategy create an undeniable distinction—and emerge as the winning candidate.