You can be a leader without the title. If you truly believe you have everything it takes, then keep leading from where you are. Truth be told, sometimes more than one person will be qualified for the role and difficult decisions have to be made. If it's a case of toxic work environment, keep being your best and plan your exit. Focus on being a leader, getting better and making more impacts rather than the title. When you get the title, it's awesome! If not, celebrate with others when they get it while staying valuable - within or outside that organization. Use it as an opportunity to develop the right mindset and skill set to be even more valuable.

Here’s how I plan to overcome this hurdle: It’s important to allow myself to experience my emotions, but I will not dwell on them for too long. Acknowledging feelings of disappointment, frustration, or anger is crucial, but I will ensure they do not overwhelm me. I will take time to assess what I could have done differently. Was there a gap in my application or interview? Were there opportunities to showcase my skills more effectively? I will be honest with myself and note areas for improvement for future applications. And most importantly, I will take care of my mental and emotional health is essential during this time.

Being overlooked for a leadership role hurts, but it's not the end of your journey. Consider this a detour rather than a dead end. Take action by: - Getting specific feedback about what you can improve - Making your achievements more visible to decision-makers - Building stronger relationships across the organisation - Taking on challenging projects that showcase your leadership skills Keep developing your skills and demonstrating your value. Sometimes the best leaders emerge from setbacks because they've learned resilience along the way. Remember: Your worth isn't determined by a single decision. Focus on growth, and new opportunities will open up.

If overlooked for a leadership role, it would help to have a conversation with your manager and skip level, asking for their support and feedback. Schedule time to discuss, ask them for what you could have done differently, and how you can build skills and perspectives required for the leadership role. Most importantly ask them if they could mentor you in helping you prepare for it. When people invest their time and effort I. You, they are most likely to become your advocates too.

It is always going to be the most difficult self-talk ever. If you are talented and certainly possess all the abilities essential for the particular leadership role then it is the organisation’s loss and you need to look for other opportunities. If you still wish to be part of the environment where you were overlooked it may happen again. There is also a possibility that the decision taken was to test your patience and was a short-lived post, certainly you would be remembered next if your organisation has values and ethos in place and employees with credibility and talent very rarely than often get overlooked. Gauge the history then decide.