Thinking on VP transitions,
judgment, and the seat.
Written by Mariana Cassimiro. 17 years inside Goldman Sachs. Founded to say the things that couldn't be said inside the institution.
Why Performance Reviews Don't Build VP Reputation
A review is a receipt for a decision made months earlier, in a room down the hall.
Read →Over-Preparing vs Well-Prepared: The VP Distinction
The preparation was never the problem. How much of it walks into the room with you is.
Read →How Should a VP Handle a Decision That Turns Out Wrong?
The mistake is rarely what damages you. The forty-eight hours after it is.
Read →Why Strong Performers Stall at VP Level in Banking and Fintech
The scoring changed the day the title changed. Nobody sat you down and said so.
Read →How to Hold a Position Under Pressure as a Newly-Promoted VP
The room is not reading whether you moved. It is reading what moved you.
Read →The 6 Moments That Define Your VP Reputation in Financial Services
None of these appear in onboarding programmes. All of them are shaping your trajectory right now. After 17 years inside Goldman Sachs, these are the moments I watched build — and quietly end — careers.
Read →Operating Under Power: Why Newly-Promoted VPs Keep Proving What's Already Been Decided
Stop trying to prove you deserve the promotion you already have. The title changed. The operating model hasn't caught up yet. That is not a character flaw — it is a pattern with a name, and it is fixable.
Read →How to Make Your Judgment Visible — And Why Waiting Is the Most Expensive Decision You Can Make
One promotion cycle delayed in financial services is conservatively $450,000 in foregone compensation. The window is now. Here is how to make your judgment legible in the rooms where it matters most.
Read →Why the Operating Model That Got You Promoted to VP Is Now Working Against You
The behaviours that made you exceptional at Director level — thoroughness, precision, careful qualification — are the same behaviours working against you in the seat you now hold. Nobody tells you this.
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