Monday, December 15, 2025
Monday, December 15, 2025
by Angee Linsey:
By mid-career, you’ve got experience, credibility, and a solid list of wins under your belt. You’re not new. You’re not junior. You’ve earned that director title—or you’re circling it. But here’s the thing most communicators don’t expect: derailment at this stage isn’t about failure. It’s about drift.
It happens subtly. You’re so heads-down delivering for others that you forget to zoom out and take stock of your trajectory. And then one day, you realize: you’ve stopped growing—or worse, stopped being seen.
So, how do you make sure you’re not quietly stalling out? I have the privilege of speaking with leaders about what they look for when hiring and promoting. Let’s talk about a few derailers that come up often—and how to avoid them.
Derailer 1: Mistaking Doing for Leading
You’re known for getting things done quickly, thoroughly, reliably. But if your conversations are still rooted in outputs instead of outcomes, you may be seen as a doer, not a strategic partner.
Leadership doesn’t promote the person who only delivers. They promote the one who frames what delivery means. How did that web content, article placement, or all-hands meeting align with organizational goals?
And if you’re constantly being brought in at the end—after decisions are made—you may be unintentionally reinforcing the order-taker role. The goal is to be in the room before the message is needed—because you’ve proven you can shape the thinking, not just execute on it.
Try this: Before presenting any comms effort, connect it to a business goal—revenue, risk, reputation, retention.
Derailer 2: Waiting to Be Noticed
You hope your good work will speak for itself. But visibility isn’t vanity—it’s survival. If you aren’t showing up in cross-functional conversations, contributing beyond your scope, or asking smart, sometimes uncomfortable questions, your good work may be still be quietly overlooked.
Strong communicators earn their way in by building trust. That means reflecting what’s working and what’s not—tone, message clarity, timing—especially when others won’t say it. When leaders know you’ll be honest and constructive, you become someone they don’t want to move forward without.
Try this: Ask to sit in on cross-functional planning meetings—even just as a listener. The goal isn’t airtime; it’s exposure to how decisions are made. And after those meetings
(or when you can’t attend), ask your manager for a quick debrief. This shows you’re invested in the bigger picture and helps you earn a future seat at the table.
Derailer 3: Chasing Promotion, Not Performance
Ambition’s great, but when your focus tilts toward when you’ll get promoted instead of why and how to lead differently, it shows. Leaders promote those already operating at the next level—thinking bigger, mentoring others, managing up with clarity, seeing around corners.
And horizontal growth matters just as much as vertical. Leaders often look for communicators who can flex across internal and external audiences, influence functions beyond their own, and connect dots where others see silos.
Try this: Instead of asking, “When do you think I’ll get promoted?”, shift the lens. Ask, “What does great look like at the next level? What’s one thing I can start doing now that would signal I’m ready for it?” It shows maturity, intent, and a willingness to stretch based on performance, not entitlement.
Derailer 4: Letting Curiosity Go Cold
The best communicators are also the best students—of culture, trends, leadership, business models. But when you’re mid-career, learning often gets back-burnered for delivery. Especially now, if you’re not exploring AI, stakeholder sentiment, or cross-functional metrics, you’re narrowing your relevance.
And curiosity isn’t just about content—it’s about how the organization works. What keeps business leaders up at night? What do employees actually hear when we think we’re being clear? The people who stay curious about both the message and the system stand out.
Try this: Pick a topic that’s shaping your organization or industry—AI, global financial trends, behavioral science—and challenge yourself to follow it for a month by reading things beyond your usual bubble. Share a takeaway with your team or manager. Staying current isn’t just good practice—it signals that you’re forward-facing and growth-minded.
Derailer 5: Defining Yourself Too Narrowly
You built your career in internal, or media relations, or brand. That’s great. But at this level, too much specialization can backfire. Leaders need versatile players who can move across channels, functions, and crises with equal skill. If your scope is rigid, your runway will be, too.
The reality is: the more connected you are across comms disciplines—and the more you understand how internal and external reputation flow together—the more valuable your perspective becomes.
Try this: Look for adjacent skill sets you’d like to develop—maybe employee experience, reputation strategy, crisis navigation, or analytics.
Then ask to shadow someone or support a project that stretches your exposure. Even a quick 30-minute “teach me what you do” conversation can unlock a new lane.
And here’s the good news: most derailers aren’t permanent. They’re just habits. And the fix starts with awareness—and a willingness to re-engage.
Not with perfection. But with intention.
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Angee Linsey is a career strategist/coach dedicated to helping professionals take control of their career trajectory, and the author of “Dare to Be Deliberate – Level Up Your Communications Career.”
Written by: Editor
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Great piece! “I’m waiting” for an update, for a briefing, for my manager to tell me, for the email to come with the details…. as a communications professional hearing these two words from peers makes me flinch every time. We need to stop waiting!