The Journey: #32 The Missing Mindreader

For as long as I can remember, I’ve been ambitious. Every job I’ve ever had came with a built-in, personal side project: designing the plan for my next opportunity. In the early years of my career, that ambition was met with a very predictable system. Promotions were mapped out. Raises happened annually. The steps to advance were outlined clearly enough that I didn’t need to ask questions, I simply worked hard, delivered results, and waited my turn.

And it worked. I moved up, often without even asking. My performance spoke for itself, and my managers always seemed to know where I was headed. Or at least, that’s what I believed.

Then I moved into my first role in tech, specifically in Customer Success, and the pattern shifted. One afternoon, I was chatting with another leader in the business about my career ambitions. I told him I wanted to move into leadership and that I was already developing the skills I thought I’d need. He stopped me mid-sentence and said, “You better communicate that with your manager. Remember, people don’t read minds.”

It sounds simple, even obvious, but it stopped me in my tracks. I had never once directly told my manager what I wanted next. I had never laid out my long-term career goals or the timeline I was aiming for. I had just assumed they knew.

The truth is, my early career conditioned me to believe that ambition was obvious, that hard work and results would naturally translate into opportunity. But the reality is that managers are juggling dozens of priorities, and no matter how invested they are in your success, they can’t be expected to predict your goals. If you don’t communicate them, they may never know.

So, in my next one-on-one, I decided to change that. I added “Career Goals” to our agenda and told my manager plainly: “I have a strong desire to move into a leadership role, and I’d like to understand what it would take to get there.” I asked three specific questions: What skills, projects, and results do I need to focus on? What’s a realistic timeline? And what can I start doing right now?

His response surprised me. He thanked me for sharing and admitted that he hadn’t known. Not because he wasn’t paying attention or didn’t care, but because I had never told him. It wasn’t on his radar. Turns out, he wasn’t a mind reader.

That conversation completely reframed how I think about career growth. I realized that, left unspoken, my ambitions were invisible. And if they were invisible, they were unmanageable, not just by me, but by anyone who could help me achieve them.

From that point forward, I made it a rule for myself: if I wanted something in my career, I was going to say it out loud, often, and to the right people. Over time, I developed a simple framework for making sure my ambitions were known and actionable.

Here are the five steps I recommend ... starting tomorrow:

1. State your goals clearly. Don’t rely on hints, signals, or assumptions. Tell your manager exactly what role, responsibility, or opportunity you’re working toward.

2. Ask for the roadmap. Find out what skills, projects, and results will be necessary for you to reach that goal, and confirm how your performance will be measured.

3. Set regular check-ins. Add progress updates to your one-on-ones or quarterly reviews so your development stays top-of-mind for both you and your manager.

4. Build your internal network. Cultivate relationships with peers, mentors, and senior leaders who can champion your readiness when you’re not in the room.

5. Track and share your wins. Keep a running record of your impact and growth so that when opportunity appears, you can demonstrate that you’re ready.

The reality is, no one is sitting at their desk plotting your next career move for you. Even the most supportive managers can’t advocate for goals they don’t know about.

If you want to move forward, make it unmistakably clear where you want to go, what you’re willing to do to get there, and how others can help you along the way.

Your career is too important to leave it up to someone else.