STP Networking
When I started a new exciting opportunity, I wasn’t thinking about strategy. I was thinking about doing good work. I began as a warehouse manager and worked my way up by solving problems, staying late, and being the person who had the answers. That approach carried me to Director of Warehouse Operations and eventually to CFO. I understood the business from both sides — operations and finance. I could see the pressure points before most people did.
What I didn’t realize was that moving up and staying in good favor requires more than hard work. It requires understanding your audience — something basic marketing teaches through STP: Segmentation, Targeting, and Positioning.
Segmentation is simply recognizing that not everyone sees you the same way or needs the same thing from you. I treated the leadership team as one group that valued execution and accuracy. But they weren’t one group. The CEO likely needed reassurance and strategic clarity. The board probably cared most about risk and long-term stability. Other executives were focused on influence and visibility. If I had paused to really think about who I was dealing with, I would have adjusted how I communicated with each of them instead of assuming the quality of my work spoke for itself.
Targeting is choosing where to invest your time and energy. I invested almost all of mine into the work itself. I skipped casual lunches with the CEO to finish projects. I stayed at my desk instead of building informal connections. I helped other leaders with their responsibilities because I wanted the company to win. But I wasn’t intentional about strengthening the relationships that most directly affected my role. At the executive level, access and alignment matter. I should have been more deliberate about consistent conversations with the CEO — not just presenting numbers, but discussing direction and concerns before they became problems.
Positioning is how you want to be seen. I positioned myself as the reliable problem-solver — the guy who would grind through anything and get it done. That image helped me rise. But as CFO, I needed to reposition myself as more than dependable. I needed to be seen as someone shaping strategy, not just supporting it.
When the company began to struggle, I understood the causes. I had visibility into both operations and finance. But I hadn’t clearly positioned myself as the architect of solutions — just the executor of them. Others, even if they leaned on me behind the scenes, were more visible in strategic conversations. They had positioned themselves closer to decision-making.
The hard truth is this: I segmented poorly, targeted inconsistently, and positioned narrowly. I relied on output instead of visibility. I chose productivity over proximity. I assumed insight would automatically translate into influence.
I don’t regret working hard — that’s part of who I am. But I now understand that at higher levels, you have to market your value with intention. You have to know your audience, invest in the right relationships, and shape how you are perceived.