Beyond Visibility: Jill Avey Explains the Shift from Director to VP on LinkedIn

In a recent LinkedIn post, Jill Avey offers a nuanced perspective on career progression, challenging the common belief that mere visibility is the key to promotion to executive roles. Avey argues that while Directors are recognized for their execution capabilities, the critical shift to a Vice President level involves influencing strategy rather than just delivering on it.

Avey highlights a fundamental difference in mindset and approach between Directors and VPs. “A Director walks into the meeting with updates. A VP walks into the meeting with a point of view,” she states, illustrating the qualitative leap required for advancement. This distinction, while seemingly subtle, has profound implications within organizations.

The Evolution from Execution to Shaping Strategy

The core of Avey’s argument centers on the transition from proving execution ability to demonstrating strategic influence. According to Avey, being a Director means proving one can execute a given strategy, whereas a VP’s role is to shape what that strategy becomes. She elaborates on this distinction:

A Director proves they can execute the strategy. A VP influences what the strategy becomes.

This shift, Avey explains, is often where high-performing Directors encounter a plateau. They possess the capability to execute but remain within the confines of the strategic framework they were initially given. The individuals who ascend to higher leadership positions, in contrast, are those who actively shape the framework itself.

Identifying the ‘VP Mindset’

Avey points out that many successful operators are perplexed by promotion cycles because they excel at delivery and exceed targets, yet fail to advance. This, she suggests, is because they remain tethered to execution long after leadership begins evaluating judgment. Judgment, she notes, is a quieter, more pervasive quality.

Key Indicators of Leadership Judgment

According to Jill Avey, leadership judgment manifests in several critical areas:

• What you challenge
• What you prioritize
• What you remove
• What questions you ask before work begins

At the VP level, the work involves reducing complexity and establishing clear direction. The fundamental question evolves from “Can I execute at a higher level?” to “Can I shape what matters before execution starts?” Avey emphasizes that those who advance most rapidly often begin demonstrating this strategic shaping capability even before they have formal permission.

At VP level, the work is reducing complexity and creating direction. That’s the real shift from Director to VP.

This forward-thinking approach, Avey suggests, is why the next level of leadership often feels obscured from the current one. The evaluation criteria shift to influence on strategic thinking. She prompts readers to consider their own recent contributions:

What’s the last meeting where your point of view exceeded what your title signals?

For those aspiring to move from a Director to a VP role, Avey recommends internalizing this framework. She mentions that these insights are part of her free Leadership Playbook, available for download, which contains mental models she uses with senior leaders.