120 min
Write the one-page case, today. Three parts: the scope you already operate at (pull from your file), what it's produced, and the next level you're aiming at. Script 1.
Week 4 of 4The Leadership Momentum Playbook
Make the case for your next level
The read (3 minutes)
By now you've owned an outcome, gotten something done through someone who doesn't report to you, and built a record of how you lead. The case for the next level is not a speech about wanting more. It is showing, plainly, that you're already operating at it. The strongest version is almost boring: here's the scope I'm carrying, here's what it's produced, here's where I'm headed, what would you need to see.
This week you write that on one page and you put it in front of the person who decides. The aim is not to demand a title. It's to find out exactly what the next level requires, in their words, and to make sure they can see you're already doing most of it. Two things usually follow: you're on the record as someone aiming up, and you leave with a clearer list than you walked in with.
Here's the honest part. What you control is the case, the ask, and the evidence. The answer, and when it comes, is not yours to control, and that is genuinely fine. Plenty of these conversations don't end in a yes that week; they end in a clear "here are the two things I'd need to see," which is worth far more than silence. You're not chasing a promise. You're making sure the decision gets made with you in the room.
This week's moves
215 min
Put it in front of the right person. Have the growth conversation in a 1:1, or send the email if there isn't one coming soon. Script 2 (spoken) or script 3 (email).
310 min
Set up the standing habit. Put two recurring events on your calendar: a monthly file update and a quarterly version of this conversation. Script 4.
Script bank
Word for word, ready to use. Edit any script to make it yours, then copy it.
1.The one-page case
"Scope I'm operating at: [the outcomes you own]. What it's produced: [two or three results]. Where I'm headed: [the next level or scope]. What I'd like to understand: what you'd need to see from me to get there." Four lines, evidence underneath.
2.The growth conversation
"I want to grow into [next level or more scope]. I'm not asking for a decision today. I'd like to understand what that level looks like to you, and where you see me against it." Then stop, listen, and take notes.
3.The growth email (when there's no 1:1 soon)
Subject: "Time to talk about my growth." Body: "I'd like to put time on the calendar to talk about my path toward [next level]. To make it useful, here's a short summary of what I've been owning lately: [three lines]. What would you want to see from me to get there?"
4.The standing habit
Two recurring calendar events: "Update my How-I-lead file" (monthly, 15 min) and "Growth check-in" (quarterly). The case stays current without you ever scrambling to rebuild it.
5.The "not yet" turn
If the answer is not now: "Understood. What are the two things that would most change that, and can we check in on them in [timeframe]?" A no becomes a roadmap and a follow-up date.
Friday debrief prompts
Your Friday email carries the reply template. These are the prompts inside it.
- What's on your one-page case, and who did you put it in front of (or when will you)?
- What did you learn about what the next level actually requires?
- Your final score next to your baseline: which statement moved most?
Your self-score: Final
Score each statement from 1 (not true) to 5 (true).
Re-entry note
However many weeks you finished, write the one-page case anyway (move 1). Even a rough one changes how you see your own work, and it's the piece that keeps paying after the program ends.