Here is a story.

Derek was a Director of IT at a regional financial services firm. Twelve years in. Strong reviews every year. His team delivered on time. His systems never went down. He was, by every measurable standard, excellent.

He was also invisible, and that is the real lesson in how to get promoted to VP.

Not physically. He was in every meeting. He delivered every project. But the executives making VP decisions didn’t know his name. The peers competing for the same role were presenting at leadership forums, building cross-functional relationships, and writing about their work on LinkedIn. Derek was heads-down, doing the job.

When the VP of Technology role opened, it went to someone from outside the company.

Derek was stunned. He had delivered for over a decade. He had done everything right.

That is exactly the problem.

The three things that actually drive promotion decisions

I recently published a framework I call the VIP Framework. It is built on research developed by Harvey Coleman, whose PIE Model has shaped executive development thinking for 30 years. The VIP Framework applies that foundation specifically to technology leaders navigating the Director-to-VP and VP-to-CIO journey.

Here are the three dimensions:

Visibility is the dominant factor. It is not about self-promotion. It is about ensuring that the right people can make informed decisions about your career. If the executives influencing your next role don’t know your name, your work, and your potential, they cannot advocate for you. It’s that simple.

Image is what people say about you when you are not in the room. Not your personality. Your leadership brand. Do you communicate in business terms or technical terms? Do you ask strategic questions or operational ones? Are you perceived as someone ready for the next level, or the best person at the current one?

Performance Level is the foundation. But here is where most high performers get stuck: they are performing at the wrong level. Delivering projects is Director-level performance. Enabling a team that delivers projects is VP-level performance. Shaping technology strategy that drives enterprise outcomes is CIO-level performance. Many leaders stay stuck because they’re still doing the job they had two titles ago.

Back to Derek

Derek didn’t need a new skill set. He needed a new strategy.

He started presenting his team’s results at the monthly leadership forum, framed in business impact language instead of project status. He built a genuine working relationship with the CFO’s team by volunteering for a cost optimization initiative. He began publishing one LinkedIn article per month about what his team was learning. He stopped solving every problem himself and started developing the leaders around him.

Nine months later, when a VP role opened at a peer company, his name came up in a conversation between two executives he had met through that cross-functional initiative. He was referred before the role was ever posted.

He got the job.

Visibility, Image, and Performance Level. All three, working together.

How to get promoted to VP: what this means for you

If you’ve been delivering excellent work and wondering why advancement feels out of reach, run the VIP Self-Audit.

Rate yourself honestly, 1 to 10, on each dimension:

• • Visibility: Do the right people know who you are and what you contribute?
  • Image: Are you perceived as ready for the next level?
  • Performance Level: Are you performing at the level you want to reach, or the level you are at today?

Your lowest score is your highest-leverage target.

If you’re ready to work on it, I’m ready to help. Book a 30-minute Discovery Call at and let’s look at where you are and what is standing between you and the next role.

P.S. I just finished the VIP Framework white paper. A full guide to applying these three dimensions to your career. If you want a copy, send me an email at bill@tingleleadership.com with the keyword “VIP” in the subject line. I will send it to you directly.