The result? The year’s not even over, and she already has the backing of her performance coach (the internal one at her company), her new boss, and her boss’s boss.

If getting promoted is like baking a cake, hers is already baked, iced, and ready to serve.

So what’s left? The cherry on top: a five-slide promotion deck that makes her promotion a done deal.

Ask a bright, ambitious manager how they’d know they have executive presence — and you might hear something that sounds more like a hostage situation than leadership.