Closing the perception gap (capable but not seen as ready)

Many of us think leadership progression is blocked by a lack of confidence.

It’s a fair assumption. We associate good leaders with confidence and assertive decision-making.

But I’m increasingly seeing that this is rarely the issue.

The leaders who struggle are often calm, capable, respected, and trusted.

They simply assume their value is obvious.

The truth is, it isn’t.

In my experience, organisations don’t promote potential.

They promote readability.

So what does that mean? Readability?

It’s the ability to make the qualities that set you apart readable to others.

Let’s call that signal.

Within that signal lives a kind of coding. It tells those around you, often subconsciously, how you might deal with a fast-changing landscape, deep uncertainty, pressure, ethical trade-offs, and the big picture.

That’s not just confidence.

That’s signal hygiene.

So, how do people read this quickly? Let’s look at four examples.

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What do you stand for?

A decision needs to be made. Two competing initiatives. One budget. One green light.

You agree internally with one option, but you say nothing. You hedge. You offer nuance. You add useful commentary, but you stay neutral.

From the room’s perspective, you’re hard to anchor.

You sit on the fence.

That, too, is a signal.

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How do you decide?

A complex issue lands on your desk. Politically sensitive. No clean answer.

You ask smart questions. You explore edge cases. You keep refining. You delay any kind of action.

The signal others receive.

High intelligence. Low decisiveness.

People start to wonder whether you know how to land the plane.

The point here isn’t being right.

Often, people need to understand the stakes and the trade-offs behind a decision, especially when there is no winning scenario.

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How do you handle tension?

A meeting gets uncomfortable. A peer starts to get agitated, pushing boundaries. The room tightens.

You stay polite. You soften your language. You move on quickly to keep things calm.

What people read.

Professional, but conflict-avoidant.

Leadership signal, in moments like this, comes from calmly naming the tension without escalating it. Reading the room, voicing what’s happening, and de-escalating with clarity.

None of this requires charisma.

It requires visibility of your thinking and taking ownership of it.

Leadership is less about having the right answers, and more about making your inner compass legible to others.

When that signal is fuzzy, you get parked in the “safe hands” category.

Not because you’re weak.

Because you’re hard to read.

Don’t worry too much about thinking that clarity is self-promotion.

It’s not. It’s a leadership responsibility.

For further information on our Executive Signal Calibration. Checkout our offer here;

https://www.vortolocoaching.com/executive-signal-calibration