Mistakes That Keep You From Becoming a VP, Even If You Have the Perfect Profile

In the complex game of corporate leadership, reaching the position of Vice President (VP) goes beyond simply having an impressive resume. While a flawless profile, with solid experience, top-tier education, and advanced technical and strategic skills, is essential, my experience coaching executives reveals that subtle yet critical mistakes often derail seemingly guaranteed promotions. These missteps not only stall promising careers but also often go unnoticed until it’s too late. Here, I delve into the most common errors that keep you from the VP seat, supported by insights from leading publications like Harvard Business Review and Forbes.

1. Strategic Visibility: More Than Just Hard Work

One of the most frequent mistakes talented professionals make is believing that “good work speaks for itself.” While operational excellence is non-negotiable, lacking strategic visibility can be an insurmountable barrier to becoming a VP. As Forbes highlights, great leaders know that it’s not enough to make mistakes and learn from them; those learnings and successes must be recognized by decision-makers.

This isn’t about blatant self-promotion but ensuring that your impact and contributions are understood and valued by senior leadership and key stakeholders. Are you presenting your projects in leadership forums? Are your initiatives recognized beyond your department? A VP is a business catalyst, and to be one, your influence must be visible throughout the organization.

2. Influence Networks: Not Just Contacts, But Connections

At the executive level, networks of contacts become networks of influence. A critical mistake is not investing in building genuine, reciprocal relationships. I’m not talking about collecting business cards but establishing trust-based connections with key people across the organization and industry.

As discussed in Harvard Deusto, effective leadership relies on contributions from executives who have built a solid foundation of relationships and knowledge. For a VP role, you need others to believe in you, support you, and be willing to open doors. This is achieved through mentorship (both received and given), collaboration on cross-functional projects, and active participation in the professional community. Staying confined to your silo or avoiding interactions outside your team is a self-imposed limitation.

3. Lack of Visible, Proactive Leadership

Having a perfect technical profile does not automatically make you a VP. A Vice President doesn’t just manage—they lead. This means taking initiative, inspiring multidisciplinary teams, and demonstrating the ability to navigate ambiguity and change. Many executives feel comfortable as experts or individual contributors but shy away from challenges that require broader, visible leadership.

Jim Collins, in Good to Great, highlights that great leaders’ ability to mobilize people and achieve outstanding results is not limited to their formal position. A VP must be a change agent who anticipates problems, proposes innovative solutions, and guides the organization toward new horizons. If your leadership isn’t visible beyond your immediate team, you’re missing a key piece for promotion.

4. Strategic Communication of Achievements and Learnings

Failing to communicate your achievements is as damaging as not having them. Many brilliant professionals, out of misunderstood humility or lack of strategy, don’t know how to articulate their value and impact in business terms. A VP must be a persuasive communicator, able to translate complex initiatives into tangible results and business value.

It’s not about bragging but about clearly, concisely, and impactfully presenting your contributions. Are you linking your projects to the company’s strategic objectives? Can you quantify the savings, growth, or efficiency you generated? Strategic communication, as emphasized by Harvard Business Review, is essential for your skills and dedication to be recognized and for your potential for higher roles to be acknowledged.

5. Resistance to Feedback and Stagnation in Growth

The path to the vice presidency demands a growth mindset. Refusing to accept feedback—or worse, rejecting it—is a fatal error. A high-level leader must be able to critically self-assess, actively seek feedback, and use it for continuous development.

Organizations seek VPs who are not only competent today but have the potential to grow and adapt to future challenges. Leadership literature consistently points out that lack of self-awareness, absence of clear goals, and resistance to improvement are common pitfalls that block career advancement. The ability to learn from mistakes, as exemplified by Peter Lynch, former VP at Fidelity, is a hallmark of great leaders.

6. Misalignment With Organizational Culture and Strategy

A VP is, by definition, an ambassador of corporate culture and a driver of strategy. A common mistake is not fully understanding or aligning with the company’s vision, mission, and values. This doesn’t mean blind adherence but a deep comprehension of how your role and actions contribute to the bigger picture.

If your vision isn’t in sync with the company’s strategic direction or if you don’t demonstrate a profound understanding of the business beyond your functional area, your candidacy weakens. Corporate culture, often glamorized, is a critical element that fosters productivity and social balance, and a VP must be a leader who understands and promotes these principles.

Having the perfect profile is a strong foundation but not the final guarantee. The real key to reaching the vice presidency lies in avoiding these subtle mistakes: building strategic visibility, forging genuine influence networks, exercising proactive and visible leadership, communicating your value intelligently, embracing feedback for continuous growth, and deeply aligning with your organization’s culture and strategy. Turning these “errors” into areas of development is your next powerful step toward that leadership role waiting for you.

This analysis is based on my experience mentoring executives and on valuable insights from globally recognized leadership publications.

Diana Rengifo, executive career coach for top-level professionals – www.dianarengifo.com