Here's How to Tell If You’re Ready For The Next Level
Why high performers wait to pursue promotions and leadership roles, plus the 4 concrete signs that indicate you're already ready for the next level in your career
Welcome to Reframed! Work is complex, career advice shouldn’t be.
I’m Ashley Rudolph and I write this newsletter for ambitious people who are ready for the next level in their careers. People have said that I share the kind of “real talk” advice that you only get from a close friend. I agree.
Sometimes self-awareness and external validation is the only permission you need to finally step into something bigger.
Welcome back! I’m on my way to the airport heading back to NYC from Cali. It was a rainy holiday break but I feel more ready than ever to get back into the swing of things.
If you’re anything like me, you’re probably still leaning into your new year energy. You may find yourself reflecting on your career, your habits, and what you want to accomplish. Maybe you even sat down with your journal over the break and went through the reflection exercise that Kate Citron and I put together 😉
At this point, some of you may be wrestling with whether this is the year you go after something bigger, better, or more fulfilling.
And as I was writing this newsletter, I started reflecting on what it sounded like when people came to me wanting to get to the next level last year. I thought about how they described where they were at in their career and the signals that made me sure that they were ready for the next thing. They often came to me sounding something like this:
“I’m getting to this place at work where I think that there could be a ceiling and I want to basically break through that ceiling”
"I want to feel less reliant on this job... I want to steer my own career with intention and with a sense of agency"
“I just feel like I’m the intern. I feel like I’m just waiting for my manager to tell me what to do. Like, waiting for her to give me feedback, to tell me to start something… I want to get to a place where I almost see her as a peer”
"I know I'm smart. I know that I have good experience, I know that I'm coachable and I know that I would be an asset"
“I want my title and salary to be commensurate with what I’m actually doing”
“I feel like I have more to give”
“I find myself getting bored, which is untenable to me”
“I don’t know what the perfect role looks like for me”
Maybe you’re feeling some of these things too.
RESEARCH & INSIGHTS
Why Some People Lack Clarity About Whether They’re Ready for More
Did you notice a pattern in their quotes? Most people don’t walk into consults with me saying “I want more”. More often, they describe frustration, misalignment, or a nagging sense they’re capable of something bigger but something just feels off. It’s my job to help them start to untangle it, whether we work together or not.
Their uncertainty typically centers around one of two things:
Whether they were ready for the next step or
Whether they were confident that the next step was achievable
And it’s not just my clients.
New research published in Psychological Science found that women typically wait 8-9 years in leadership feeder roles before pursuing higher positions, while men pursue them after just a few years. They found that women don’t apply early because they don’t have confidence in their ability to succeed in the role, while men often recognize they’re not fully prepared but pursue opportunities anyway. IMO, I think how you’re socialized and encouraged to pursue opportunities probably matters quite a bit, which leads me to my next point.
The most fascinating part was that once women become aware this pattern exists, they’re more likely to apply for those roles. Sometimes a little bit of self-awareness and external validation is the nudge you need to feel ready. This is why I'm always encouraging people in my circle to go after it.
This week, I’m sharing the 4 telltale signs I look for to understand whether someone is ready for the next step. If any of these feel familiar to you - I hope this newsletter gives you the permission you need to step into something bigger this year. You deserve it.
THE FRAMEWORK
4 Signs You’re Ready for the Next Level in Your Career
Maybe you'll recognize yourself in several of these, or perhaps one will land in a way that finally makes it all click.
1. When your frustration shifts from “this is hard” to “this is inefficient”
This is about systems thinking. Most early-career frustration (or sometimes new role frustration) sounds like “I don’t know how to do this”. Mid and senior level career frustration sounds more like “Why are we doing it this way?”
When you’re ready for the next level, you start to evolve from questioning to solving and advising (ie. “Here’s a better way for us to handle this”). You aren’t just proposing the “right” way in theory; you’re focused on what actually works within your company’s specific constraints, culture, and resources.
When you’re at this level it’s clear to others that you've outgrown your job responsibilities and have started focusing on scaling your impact. You no longer just see tactical challenges; you see the organizational patterns holding teams back and you can visualize realistic strategies to fix them that account for politics, budget, and timing, not just business school case studies.
2. When you start seeing the work behind the work
This builds on the previous point. If you’re thinking at the organizational level, you’ve evolved past the point of just executing tasks.
You’re ready for the next level if you’re able to do things like automatically identify what’s missing in a work stream or project, spot risks before they become problems, and think three steps ahead of everyone else. You probably also catch yourself thinking about stakeholder management, timelines and dependencies, and resource allocation even when “it’s not your job” to think about those things.
There is a clear line between being “observant” and being ready for the next level though. It comes down to this:
Do people come to you to help solve the inefficiencies you spot? OR are you just dropping a list of problems on your boss’s desk for them to fix?
If you are the person the team turns to for the solution, you’re already operating at the next level. If you’re still in “problem identification” mode, you may not be there yet.
3. When people start treating you like the exception, not the rule
This is the one that sets your spidey senses off, because it’s when people start treating you differently. You’ll notice it during seemingly innocent interactions. Your manager starts saying things like “Well, I know YOU can handle this” or “I don’t have to worry about your projects.” Colleagues preface their requests with “I know you’re busy but...” You’ve become the person others assume has their stuff together, which probably means you’re operating above your pay grade.
Here’s what’s really happening:
People assume you’re busy because you are.
They assume you’re doing important work because you are.
They assume you can handle complexity because you can.
It’s recognition of your readiness for more responsibility. It’s not a coincidence.
4. When you start feeling resentment about your compensation not matching the work
I added this one because it might be the most important reframe you can make this year. If you’re reading this newsletter, you’re probably taking on challenging work, learning, growing, leading. You’re a trusted voice at work and making an impact.
But sometimes those exact things create a nagging feeling of unfairness - especially when your title and compensation haven’t caught up AND you don’t have clarity around when or whether they will. You start zeroing in on the fact that you’re doing more than others, being treated like the next level, but not getting the recognition.
It’s easy to feel like you’re being taken advantage of. But try this reframe: this isn’t about them undervaluing you. It’s about you outgrowing your current container. You have agency here. If you’re operating at the next level, have the conversation about what’s next - or find that next level somewhere else.
CLOSING THOUGHTS
If even one of these themes resonated with you, there's your sign that you’re ready for what’s next.
The new year energy you're feeling? Trust it.
That nagging sense that you're ready for something bigger? It's probably right.
You don't need anyone's permission to want more, but if you needed a gentle push to go after it - just imagine me nudging your shoulder. You’re ready, I know it, it’s time to start recognizing it yourself.
Good luck. See you next week!
Ashley
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Reader favorites
Okay, so my newsletter about the 5 habits that make you seem less senior really struck a chord this week. (If you’re new here because of it - hello!!) Back to the letter, it makes sense that it resonated, because who hasn't felt like they weren’t being taken as seriously as they want to be at work? We’re even chatting about it over on Shelbi Jones’ recent newsletter.
This week, I wanted to share 3 newsletters from my archive that tackle a few of the things I'm constantly talking through with clients. I think you’ll enjoy them.
This list is 🎯. I felt so many of these at my previous jobs. It can be so easy to get stuck in the loop of what's going on instead of just saying you're ready to level up. Thank you for mentioning my letter :)
Love this! So many good observations, but this one especially has felt true for me a number of times throughout my career: “You probably also catch yourself thinking about stakeholder management, timelines and dependencies, and resource allocation even when “it’s not your job” to think about those things.”