Are you heads down, cranking out work, staying late, and hitting deadlines? Have you consistently brought major projects in under budget, but no one seems to notice? Are you devoted to your employer, yet aren’t being promoted, and worse, your male peers are?
You’re experiencing the classic visibility problem. And you’re not alone. Despite women earning the majority of college degrees, they receive fewer promotions than men do at every level. And the problem begins with the first step on the so-called ladder to becoming a manager. According to McKinsey and LeanIn.Org’s Women in the Workplace 2025 report, for every 100 men who are promoted to manager, only 93 women are, and just 74 women of color. And the numbers get even worse for women further up the ladder, making it harder to rise when men hold significantly more management positions.
3 signs you’re not visible enough to leadership:
1) Your manager is too busy to know what you’re contributing. They are in meetings all day and can barely keep their head above water. They may have too many direct reports as organizations flatten, and feel behind on their own deliverables, so they haven’t made time to focus on you. They trust you’re doing a good job and that you will continue to do so. They don’t realize you are quietly fuming about being underappreciated and underpromoted.
2) You don’t have sponsors. You might have strong relationships with your manager and your peers. You may even have an inspiring mentor who offers advice. Good for you! But that’s not enough to get promoted–you need sponsors. Sponsors are senior leaders within the organization who create opportunities for you and advocate for you behind closed doors. And that’s where most decisions are made for high-profile assignments, raises, and promotions. Further, McKinsey’s research finds for every new sponsor you have, your chance of being promoted increases by 10%.
3) You’re worried that self-advocacy is seen as bragging. Yes, you know you’re doing a good job but don’t want to toot your own horn. It can feel awkward or frustrating to have to articulate your contributions, especially when it’s management’s job to pay attention.
If one or more of these signs apply to you, don’t despair. In fact, the good news is that you can take control to increase your visibility and accelerate your path to promotion.
Here are 3 moves you can make now:
1) Make your aspirations known. Tell your manager where you want to grow, what role you’re working toward, or what plum assignment you want. Don’t assume they know or can read your mind. You don’t need to bring it up every week; integrate career development conversations into your standing 1:1 meetings each month or quarter, as well as your annual performance review. You could say, “I want to work towards a promotion to X role over the next year. Let’s discuss the steps and requirements,” or “I want to grow X skills so I can take on Y projects to increase my visibility with senior management.” And don’t assume they’re aligned. Ask them! “Do I have your support?”
2) Build relationships with 2-3 potential sponsors. Understand that sponsors put their reputation on the line, so they want to back people who deliver excellent work and have the ambition to rise within the organization. Identify influential leaders who are known for championing women and high-potential talent. Volunteer for high-profile projects so they can see you in action. Attend their town hall meetings, comment on their blogs, and find ways to add value to their work. Don’t cold-ask for sponsorship; instead, reach out with a brief email to request a conversation to learn about their career path and build the relationship. Follow up with actions you’ve taken from any guidance they’ve given you. Sponsorship is typically earned, not given.
3) Connect your work to business impact. Understand how your priorities align with the organization’s strategic objectives. And if you’re unsure, discuss it with your manager. Then, use a simple spreadsheet to document your wins weekly, including specific business outcomes and accolades from teammates. This allows you to provide detailed, relevant updates to your manager and sponsors throughout the year. It also makes it easy for them to see how your work impacts the organization’s success. The bottom line? Yes, women are being left behind in the promotion pipeline, but it doesn’t have to stay that way. Women have more power and influence than they realize when they stop waiting for things to happen and start making them happen. When women declare what they want, impact business outcomes, and build the strategic support around them, they’ll move forward and up.
