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New here—or need a reminder of what this space is?
Hi, I’m McKay—a Fear-Slaying Executive Coach & Leadership Strategist. I work with high-performing professionals who look confident on the outside—but feel stuck, stalled, or unseen on the inside.
I help them dismantle fear-driven decision-making, reclaim their authority, and lead, negotiate, and rise with unshakable clarity.
This newsletter is where I share the kind of strategy most people pay thousands for—alongside sharp insights, bold questions, and features from peers who are building careers rooted in courage, not just credentials.
Leaders to Learn From
Each week, I feature a peer who's not just climbing the ladder—but doing the inner and outer work to lead with more clarity, courage, and conviction. This week, meet Michael Lyons, Sr. Product Manager at Kraft Heinz—and a masterclass in self-awareness, strategic prioritization, and leadership with heart. |
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🧠 What Michael learned about himself last year:
Tapping into potential takes a healthy dose of self-awareness—but it doesn’t mean you have to believe everything that crosses your mind.
A quote from Wicked hit differently this year:
“That might be your secret, Elphaba, but that doesn't make it true.”
—Glinda, Wicked Part I
Imposter syndrome may never disappear, but how I respond to it makes or breaks how I show up. That shift in reaction has made all the difference in shaping my success.
✨ On what he’s learned recently from someone he admires:
Embody the phrase: “Water off a duck’s back” and let things go.
It's easy to let a passive aggressive comment from a leader get to you, or be upset about how a work assignment played out. But for what? As of late, I've been embracing the idea of passing through the day and not sweating the small stuff. They can add up and it's not worth the emotional friction, especially in today's climate.
🧹 What he’s unlearning to lead stronger:
The innate feeling to do everything.
Letting go and deciphering what can be delegated or "deleted" is a hard game, especially when as an IC I always wanted everything to have that personal touch of perfection.
Turns out, some of the details, like pixel-perfect slide formatting, don't always matter. Knowing when to dedicate my time to something and when to let it go has allowed me to focus on broader team management or larger strategic tasks.
→ If you’d like to be featured in an upcoming edition of this newsletter, send me a note. It’s a great opportunity to highlight your work, your expertise, and the leadership insights you’re developing.
Now—let’s zoom out.
If you’ve been doing the inner work, showing up boldly, and leading with strategy…Why hasn’t your title caught up yet?
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⏳ Let’s talk about promotions. And let’s get honest.
If you're a high performer—and I mean a real one—you should be getting promoted every 18 months.
Not because you asked. Because your presence, impact, and clarity made the next move obvious.
The truth?
The conversation about your next promotion usually starts at month 12. It becomes official around month 18.
And that cadence is sustainable—until you hit Director. After that, a 2-year timeline is more common, but the principle remains:
No one should be more invested in your next move than you.
If it’s been a year since your last promotion and no one’s talking about the next one?
That’s a red flag. And not because titles are everything. But because you’re already building a story with your career—whether you’re intentional about it or not.
Every promotion (or lack thereof) sends a message.
To recruiters.
To hiring managers.
To the algorithm.
To your own self-concept.
And slowing down unintentionally creates a kind of career “debt.”
Your resume starts to look stagnant.
Future opportunities dry up.
Your name stops getting mentioned in high-stakes rooms.
Not because you’re not good enough.
But because you stopped signaling that you were going somewhere.
Let me be clear: Career momentum isn’t about hustling harder.
It’s about claiming authority before someone hands it to you. That means showing up like the next-level version of yourself before the title hits LinkedIn.
Most people resist that.
They think: “Why should I do VP-level work if I’m not being paid like a VP?”
And that’s exactly how they stay stuck.
In Legacy League, I coach clients to move differently.
To act before they’re asked.
To own the room before they’re given permission.
To calibrate their leadership to the level they want—not the one they’ve been handed.
Here’s a recent example:
A client of mine was quietly running the show at her org—more clarity, more strategy, more presence than the CEO himself.
But she was still defaulting to “wait mode.”
Waiting for sign-off. Waiting for the green light. Waiting for someone to tell her she could run. But then she recognized she was the authority—and even after a few days, everything began to shift.
Not because someone promoted her.
But because she started showing up like she already had been.
So I’ll leave you with this:
👉 Are you waiting for permission to lead at the next level?
👉 Are you hoping your results will speak for themselves?
👉 Or are you ready to own your next move before anyone gives you the green light?
You don’t need more proof. You need to move.
If you’re ready to recalibrate how you lead, negotiate, and show up in your career—Legacy League is where that work begins.
Hit reply and tell me “I’m ready.” I’ll share the next step.
