The Connector

Your Leadership Superpower Is Building Trust That Gets Results

Here’s how to turn it into your promotion fast-track.

Your Strengths (and why they matter)

You’re the one people trust. They open up to you, share information they wouldn’t tell others, and count on you to make working together easier.

When a project gets messy or political, you’re the person leadership calls because you can keep everyone calm, focused, and moving forward.

  • You get people aligned quickly - When priorities clash, you get the right people talking and find a solution everyone can commit to. That keeps work moving and deadlines intact.

  • You uncover what others miss - Because people trust you, they share risks and challenges early. That means fewer surprises and better decisions.

  • You influence without pulling rank - You can shift the direction of a project by how you frame it, not because of your title. That’s the kind of influence leaders value.

The impact: You turn stalled initiatives into progress and make people want to work with you - a skill that gets noticed at senior levels.

Your Blind Spot (and what it’s costing you)

You value relationships so much that sometimes you hold back your opinion or delay making a tough call.

That can leave you known as “good with people” but not necessarily the person who drives the big decisions.

And here’s the danger…

When you avoid tension, other voices take the lead - and they’re the ones getting credit for shaping direction.

Over time, this can quietly cap your influence. You’ll be seen as supportive, but not the one setting direction when stakes are high.

That means you might be invited to help with the plan, but not the one who’s leading it.

The impact: You risk being seen as a strong team player, but not the decision-maker.

And that’s why you risk seeing those bigger opportunities pass you by.

3 No-BS Strategies to Get Promoted Faster

  • 1. Pair your people skills with a clear recommendation

    Your strength is building trust but trust alone won’t get you a seat at the table if you’re not shaping the direction.

    The key is to lead with your point of view and then invite input, instead of softening your stance to keep everyone happy.

    Try:

    “Based on X and what we’re seeing with Y, I recommend Z. Here’s why it works and the trade-off I’m willing to make.”

    This shows you can be both collaborative and decisive - a combination senior leaders value when making high-pressure calls (and when deciding who to promote on the team next).

  • 2. Turn trust into tangible results

    It’s not enough for people to feel like you work well with others - you need to connect your relationships to actual business wins.

    Start tracking when your network helps save time, avoid mistakes, or speed up approvals.

    If you’ve influenced these results, you need to make it known.

    Instead of:

    “I have good relationships across teams.”

    Say:

    “Looping Ops in early fixed a process gap that saved two weeks and cut costs by 10%.”

    When you frame it this way, you’re proving that your soft skill has a measurable impact on the bottom line - and that’s what gets noticed.

  • 3. Embrace healthy tension

    You can disagree without creating conflict - and in fact, the leaders who grow fastest are often the ones willing to have hard conversations early.

    Avoiding them protects relationships in the short term, but it keeps you out of the rooms where company strategy and vision are discussed.

    Try:

    “I want to flag a risk with X. If we keep going as is, Y will happen. My recommendation is Z because [insert reasons]. I’d love to hear your thoughts.”

    Don’t shy away from sharing what you believe to be true and why. You can have a different opinion while still being collaborative.

    It shows you can challenge thinking without damaging trust - the mark the mark of a leader who’s ready for bigger calls.

Don’t miss this…

You’ve already proven you can think strategically. Now it’s about making that thinking visible early and tying it directly to results.

And because you mentioned a specific roadblock in the quiz… I sent you a special surprise in your inbox to help you tackle it right away.

Go check your email now - it’s waiting for you.