01scope
Scope
The size and complexity of what you already own. Scope is measured in surface area, not effort. Decisions you make without asking are the strongest signal.
Prompts- 01How many people, directly or indirectly, depend on your decisions?
- 02What budget, headcount, or system are you accountable for?
- 03Which decisions do you make unilaterally that used to require approval?
- 04What problem would land on your desk first if it broke tomorrow?
- 05Which peers consult you before they move?
Weak"I lead a team of four engineers on the billing platform."
Strong"I own billing end to end across three product lines, set the roadmap with finance, and approve all schema changes without escalation."
02impact
Impact
Business outcomes that can be named, dated, and tied to artifacts. If a number cannot be sourced, it is a story, not impact.
Prompts- 01What measurable result can you point to in the last 12 months?
- 02Which dollar figure, percentage, or time saved is defensible under questioning?
- 03What artifact (doc, dashboard, launch) anchors the claim?
- 04Who outside your team would corroborate the number?
- 05What would have happened if you had not been there?
Weak"I improved performance across the team."
Strong"Cut checkout latency 38 percent in Q2, recovered $1.4M in abandoned revenue, validated by the growth dashboard and confirmed by the CFO in the QBR."
03altitude
Altitude
Evidence you are already operating one level above your title. Promotions ratify altitude, they do not grant it.
Prompts- 01Which rooms are you in that your title would not normally earn?
- 02What ambiguous problem did you frame for leadership before anyone asked?
- 03Which decisions of yours shaped the strategy, not just the execution?
- 04How often do you set the agenda versus respond to one?
- 05What did you stop doing because it was below your altitude?
Weak"I take on stretch projects when they come up."
Strong"I authored the platform consolidation strategy, presented it to the exec team, and now run the cross-org working group that owns the rollout."
04sponsorship
Sponsorship
A specific person in the calibration room who will advocate for you when you are not there. Mentors give advice. Sponsors spend capital.
Prompts- 01Who in the decision room will say your name first?
- 02What exactly will they say, in one sentence?
- 03What have they seen you do that earns that sentence?
- 04Who else needs to hear it from someone other than you?
- 05What is your sponsor missing that would make their case airtight?
Weak"My manager supports me and I have good relationships with leadership."
Strong"The VP of Product will open with: 'She is already operating at the next level, and we will lose her to a competitor if we do not move now.' She can say it because she watched me run the Q3 launch review."
05narrative
Narrative
The one sentence story your case tells, and the single objection it preempts. If you cannot say it in a sentence, the room will write a worse one for you.
Prompts- 01What is the one sentence version of your case?
- 02What is the strongest objection against you?
- 03How does your case answer that objection before it is raised?
- 04What is the simplest proof point that closes the loop?
- 05What story will your sponsor repeat in the hallway after the meeting?
Weak"I have been here a long time and I deserve the next level."
Strong"She is the only person who can run platform and revenue conversations in the same room, and the last two launches prove it. The risk is not promoting her. The risk is losing her."