3 Career Lies Keeping Senior Leaders Stuck
- Maya Gudka
- 3 days ago
- 6 min read
A lot of smart people still follow career advice that made sense early on but doesn't hold up later in their careers.
Career "wisdom" gets repeated until it becomes a set of beliefs - and some of the most common ones I hear from senior leaders are the very things keeping them stuck.
Here are three worth challenging:
Career lie #1: "Let your work speak for itself"
In high-performing environments, this is gospel. Do great work and the rest will follow, right?
The truth is, nobody is thinking about you as much as you are. Everyone else is managing their own deadlines, deliverables, politics. Your work might be brilliant - but it's only as impactful as it is visible.
You can't be promoted for what people don't see. You won't be sponsored for things people don't understand (especially if they don't understand how it will impact them). No one is going to stop their day to investigate how amazing you are.
Luck, as I discuss here, is the product of doing great work and then sharing it. As a high achiever, your work is already great. After that, you need to share it so other people can access it.
This isn't showing off. It's allowing people to understand what you do and how it relates to them.
Career lie #2: "Say yes to everything and be a team player"
Early in your career, this sort of works.
You're helpful, reliable, always available. If you're a people-pleaser, you get that dopamine hit from making others happy and avoid the discomfort of saying no.
But as you get further along in your career, this starts to backfire. When you say yes to everything, you're saying no to yourself - to your own clarity, vision, and path. You're fuelling everyone else's agenda whilst yours remains unclear.
You can't be known for being good at everything. You'll end up overloaded and overlooked because no one can pinpoint what your unique value is.
At senior levels, the currency changes. People aren't looking for reliable soldiers. They're looking for clear thinkers with strong boundaries who prioritise what matters most, have a defined point of view, and can challenge when necessary.
Recently, I did 360 feedback interviews for a client in a major promotion process. The CIO said: "When I'm promoting to this level, I need to surround myself with people who won't be 'yes men/women'. I need people who will challenge me - I can't afford people who won't challenge me on my mistakes."
Getting good at saying no and pushing back is a muscle you need to develop at senior levels. And here's the paradox: when you do this, you get more freedom.
More freedom to show up as yourself, play to your strengths, and be energised by your work.
Career lie #3: "Stay out of the politics - just keep your head down and keep delivering"
High achievers pride themselves on humility and substance.
They're not the type to play messy games.
But when you remove yourself from politics, you also remove yourself from influence.
Many of my clients are technically brilliant. Often introverts. They'd rather just get on with the work. But when you treat relationship-building as optional, you gradually become invisible to the people who can transform your trajectory.
That's why those with stronger relationships often seem to get things done more easily - and why not just you, but your team can end up working twice as hard when you don't have those relationships.
This isn't about playing petty games. It's how things move inside organisations. About 70% of my executive-level clients are referred to coaching because they don't yet have the internal influence they need to operate at that level. They haven't built enough sponsors or long-term trust - and that can't be built overnight.
This is a long game. Two years, sometimes more, of planting seeds and building the kind of relationships that mean people are willing to fight for you when you're not in the room.
That doesn't happen by accident.
Key takeaways for senior leaders
✓ Visibility matters as much as quality work - Share your accomplishments strategically with stakeholders who need to know
✓ Strong boundaries signal leadership - At senior levels, the ability to say no strategically is more valuable than being universally helpful
✓ Relationships are infrastructure - Building executive influence takes 2+ years of consistent relationship-building
✓ Career progression requires intention - Waiting to be discovered doesn't work at senior levels
So what now?
Want to stay stuck?
Let your work speak for itself, say yes to everything, and avoid politics. Wait for everyone to discover you.
But if you're ready to lead, to grow, to be known for something meaningful? Flip those on their head.
If you've been nodding along thinking "maybe I've been doing some of these," you're experiencing what I call career blind spots - patterns so common among high achievers that they become invisible. These three lies are just the beginning. There are other subtle habits that might be holding you back across four key areas: your long-term vision, the unwritten rules of success in your organisation, how sustainably you're operating, and the strategic relationships you're building.
Ready to identify your career blind spots?
I've created a comprehensive checklist to help you identify the subtle habits that might be holding you back. This assessment covers three key pillars:
Vision - Are you clear on where you're heading long-term?
Unwritten Rules - Do you understand the informal success factors in your organisation?
Energetics - Is your ambition sustainable, or are you heading for burnout?
Hundreds of senior leaders have used this checklist to pinpoint exactly where to focus their development efforts.
Work with me
If you're ready to go deeper:
Vision Unblocked - A focused 3-day programme for busy executives who need clarity on what's next without the time commitment of full coaching.
Vision Builder - My signature programme for creating a compelling 10-year vision and 3-year plan. Perfect for senior leaders who know there's something more but aren't sure what that looks like yet.
Executive Coaching - Bespoke 1:1 coaching for C-suite leaders navigating complex career transitions, building executive presence, or preparing for board-level roles.
Listen to the podcast
🎧 I explored these three career lies in depth on The Executive Coach Podcast. Listen now on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.
Frequently asked questions
Why doesn't "letting your work speak for itself" work at senior levels?
Your work is only as impactful as it is visible. You can't be promoted for what people don't see, and you won't be sponsored for things people don't understand. Sharing your work isn't showing off - it's allowing stakeholders to understand what you do and how it relates to them.
How do I say no without appearing uncooperative?
At senior levels, people value clear thinkers with strong boundaries. There's a difference between being collaborative and being boundaryless. When you develop a strong point of view and can articulate what matters most, saying no becomes about making the right trade-offs, not about being uncooperative.
Isn't office politics just playing games?
This isn't about petty games - it's how things move inside organisations. Having the right relationships is the shortcut to getting things done. Without them, you and your team work twice as hard because you're rebuilding trust on every project rather than relying on deep relationships.
How long does it take to build executive influence?
This is a long game - two years or more. About 70% of my executive-level clients are referred to coaching because they don't yet have the internal influence needed to operate at their level. You need advocates willing to fight for you when you're not in the room, and that doesn't happen overnight.
What if I'm an introvert who prefers to focus on the work?
Many of my clients are technically brilliant introverts. But when you see relationship-building as optional, you slowly become invisible to people who could shape your trajectory. Effective relationship-building isn't about being the loudest person in the room - it's about consistent, strategic conversations where you add genuine value.
How do I know which relationships to prioritise?
Think about where you want to be in two to three years. Who are the decision-makers and influencers in areas that matter to your goals? Start there. The most sustainable relationships are mutually beneficial, not purely transactional.
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About Maya
Maya Gudka is an executive coach specialising in C-suite career progression and leadership development. She works with senior leaders in major organisations on strategic career planning, executive presence, and building sustainable influence. Maya hosts The Executive Coach Podcast, which ranks in the top 2.5% of podcasts globally and has nearly 300 episodes exploring the challenges faced by ambitious professionals.
Connect with Maya on LinkedIn
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