Episode
Episode 73 Navigating the Unwritten Rules of Leadership To Get Ahead in Your Career
- Podcast
- Unstuck & Unstoppable
- Published
- Apr 3, 2026
- Duration seconds
- 941
- Processing state
not_requested
Actions
POST https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/unstuck-unstoppable-7112840/episodes/episode-73-navigating-the-unwritten-rules-of-leadership-to-get-ahead-in-your-career/transcription-requests
Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode.GET https://stenobird.com/podcast/unstuck-unstoppable-7112840/episode-73-navigating-the-unwritten-rules-of-leadership-to-get-ahead-in-your-career.md
Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource.
Summary
Have you ever felt like you're doing everything right in your leadership role - delivering results, working hard, supporting your team - yet still being overlooked for promotion? In this episode, Sarah lifts the lid on the unwritten rules of leadership that shape career progression at senior levels. Many ambitious female leaders are told that hard work and strong performance will naturally lead to advancement but in reality, leadership decisions are often influenced by visibility, relationships, strategic thinking, and perception. Through a powerful coaching story and practical reflection questions, this episode explores why brilliant women sometimes get passed over and, more importantly, what they can do differently to position themselves for the leadership roles they deserve. What You’ll Learn in This Episode Why working hard isn’t always enough to get promoted The hidden leadership dynamics many organisations don’t talk about The 4 unwritten rules that shape career advancement How visibility, relationships, and perception influence leadership decisions Practical actions you can take this week to position yourself for your next role Timestamps 00:00 – Welcome to Unstuck & Unstoppable 01:00 – Episode introduction: The leadership rules nobody talks about 02:00 – Coaching story: “It feels like there’s a game being played and nobody told me the rules” A real-life example of a senior female leader being overlooked for promotion. 03:30 – The myth of hard work leading to promotion Why performance alone doesn’t guarantee career advancement. 05:00 – Leadership advancement is about more than delivery Understanding the gap between doing a great job and being seen as ready for senior leadership. The 4 Unwritten Rules of Leadership 05:45 – Rule 1: Visibility matters more than…