The Visibility Factor

244. You Don’t Have to Be Perfect to Be Seen   Perfectionism, comparison and fear of asking for help can keep your work hidden—and hold back your career. Sue Barber explains how taking imperfect action can build confidence, bring your work into view and help move ideas forward. Share an early version, invite feedback and let others see the value you’re creating before everything feels finished.  ...

243. Tell a Career Story People Remember Host Sue Barber looks at why it's hard to tell the story of your career in a way that's short, clear and valuable. She draws on Harvard professor Christina Wallace, who found her pitch fell flat because she shared too much. Once she simplified it, people paid attention. Sue then walks through three steps for being seen as ready for the next level: own your...

242. Five Visibility Challenges That Quietly Stall Career Growth   Sue Barber explains how outdated beliefs can limit visibility, confidence, communication, and career growth. This solo episode focuses on the stories people tell themselves, why those stories often stop serving them at the next level, and how to replace them with beliefs that support bigger leadership. In this episode, Sue shares e...

241. Are You Ready For The Next Career Step?   In this episode, Sue breaks down what leadership readiness really means and why strong performance in your current role does not automatically translate to readiness for a director, VP, or other next-level role. This episode focuses on the behaviors, judgment, visibility, and business thinking leaders look for when deciding who is ready to grow. She a...

240. The Terms and Conditions That Quietly Shape Your Life   Today’s episode is a conversation with Amy Goldmacher about her recently published memoir, Terms and Conditions, and the personal history behind its unusual structure. The conversation centers on how grief, anxiety, perfectionism, and family dynamics can shape the way we show up in life and work, and why making those patterns visible can...

239. Can You Explain Your Strategy in Two Minutes? Sue Barber shares a practical framework for turning complex strategy, projects, and programs into a short, clear message senior leaders can actually absorb. The episode focuses on how to speak with more clarity, create visibility, and position yourself as someone ready for the next step. Key topics Why strategy communication matters for visibility...

238. The 5 Questions Strategic Leaders Ask Before Making Big Decisions   Sue Barber shares a practical strategy 101 episode focused on the questions leaders should ask before making decisions. The episode is designed to help managers, project leads, and individual contributors slow down, think strategically, and avoid costly rework later. Barber shares a practical solo episode on how professionals...

237. Creating Time Freedom (with Brian Herriot)   Sue Barber talks with author, speaker, and financial advisor Brian Herriot about his new book, Time Freedom, and the core idea behind it: designing work and money around the life you want, not the other way around. They dig into his corporate pivot, the financial and lifestyle choices that made flexibility possible, and why younger generations are...

236. Stop Confusing Activity With Strategy   Sue Barber shares a practical solo episode on how professionals can frame their work in more strategic language. The focus is on moving from describing activity and execution to showing business value, impact, and decision making. If you want stronger visibility with leadership, this episode is about changing how you think about, and talk about, your da...

235. Strategy Isn't Just for Executives   Sue Barber explains how strategic thinking can be used by anyone, not just senior leaders. She shows how shifting from day-to-day execution to bigger-picture thinking helps you communicate impact, influence others, and build visibility for future opportunities. In this episode, Sue shares practical ways to sound and think more strategically at work, especi...

234. Leverage Your Strategic Visibility at Work   In this episode, Sue Barber explains how to turn overlooked problems, gaps, and high-pressure moments into visible leadership moments. She focuses on five behaviors that help you connect your work to business outcomes, communicate strategically, and make your impact easier for leadership to see.   Key Takeaways Opportunities are often the best chan...

233. Strategic Visibility is a Leadership Competency   In this episode, Sue Barber explains why visibility is not just a personal branding issue for leaders, but an organizational leadership opportunity. She breaks down how strategic visibility helps decision makers actually see a leader’s thinking, impact, and readiness for the next role. The key idea is simple: doing great work is not enough if...

232. Key Differences Between Visibility and Self-Promotion   In this episode of the Visibility Factor Podcast, Sue Barber discusses the critical distinction between visibility and self-promotion, emphasizing the importance of strategic visibility in leadership. She explores how individuals can authentically communicate their value and capabilities to enhance their visibility within their organizat...

231. The Visibility Opportunities You're Missing Many leaders believe they need more opportunities to increase their visibility. But what if the opportunities are already there? In this episode, Sue challenges listeners to look at their calendars, meetings, conversations, and everyday work through a different lens. Instead of focusing on doing more, she explores how to become more intentional with...

230. How to Stay Visible When You Work Remotely   For years, visibility happened naturally. Leaders were seen in meetings, hallway conversations, customer interactions, and spontaneous problem-solving moments. Those everyday interactions helped decision-makers observe leadership in action. Today's workplace looks very different. Whether you're working remotely or in a hybrid environment, many of t...

229. The Hidden Cost of Minimizing Language  Have you ever shared an idea in a meeting only to watch someone else say something similar—and suddenly everyone thinks it's brilliant? It may not be your idea that's being overlooked. It may be the language you're using to present it. In this episode, Sue explores how everyday communication shapes executive presence, leadership credibility, and the way...

228. Closing the Leadership Perception Gap   Most high-performing leaders believe that exceptional work will naturally lead to recognition and promotion. Unfortunately, organizations don't make leadership decisions using perfect information. Executives make decisions based on what they've observed, what they've heard from trusted leaders, and the evidence available to them. If your leadership isn'...

227. Why Great Leaders Are Still Being Overlooked Many talented leaders assume that exceptional performance naturally leads to promotions and bigger opportunities. Unfortunately, that's rarely how leadership decisions are made. In this episode, Sue Barber explores why so many capable leaders continue to be overlooked—not because they lack talent, but because decision-makers don't always see the fu...

226. Your Visibility Matters Most During Change   Change is inevitable. Losing your team's trust doesn't have to be. In this episode, Sue Barber shares practical leadership strategies for guiding teams through organizational change while maintaining trust, engagement, and momentum. Drawing from her own experience leading through large-scale corporate transformations, she explains why employees don...

225. Great Leaders Push People Before They're Ready   One of the most common mistakes leaders make is waiting until someone feels "ready" before giving them a bigger opportunity. In this episode, Sue challenges that thinking and explores why growth often happens because of uncomfortable opportunities—not after them. Drawing from her own leadership experiences and leadership development research, s...

224. Becoming the Leader You Want to Be   What does it really mean to become the leader you want to be? Many leaders step into leadership roles believing they need to have all the answers, solve every problem, and stay involved in every detail. In this episode, Sue challenges those assumptions and shares the leadership lessons she learned throughout her own journey. Drawing from her experience lea...

223. You Can't Be What You Don't See (with Amy Henningfield)   In this inspiring episode of The Visibility Factor Podcast, Susan sits down with Amy Henningfield, Director of Workforce Development at Superior Construction , to discuss her remarkable career journey from single mother and entry-level clerk to influential leader in the construction industry. Amy shares how she unexpectedly found her p...

222. The Power of a Leadership Reset   What happens when a team loses momentum, motivation fades, or old ways of working no longer serve the business? In this episode, Sue shares two real-world coaching scenarios that highlight the importance of recognizing when a team needs a reset. Whether you're leading a team through a long-term initiative that's lost energy or navigating a leadership transiti...

221. Leading Through Difficult Performance Conversations   In this episode of The Visibility Factor Podcast, Susan M. Barber shares real-world leadership scenarios she has been discussing with coaching clients as mid-year reviews approach. She breaks down how leaders can have more transparent, strategic, and growth-focused conversations with team members about promotion readiness, performance expe...

220. Breaking Free from the Habit of Solving Everyone Else’s Problems (with Leah Marone) In this episode of The Visibility Factor Podcast, Susan M. Barber sits down with psychotherapist, speaker, and author Leah Marone to discuss the hidden cost of constantly helping, fixing, and rescuing everyone around us. Leah shares insights from her book, Serial Fixer: Break Free from the Habit of Solving Oth...