Rachel, a Google PM, was invisible despite crushing every goal. Then she discovered Kyle's secret.

Hey Warblers, incoming intelligence:

Quick question: When was the last time your skip-level manager said something specific about your work?

If you're like most people, the answer is "during my last performance review" or worse... "never."

That's exactly where Rachel was two years ago. Product Manager at Google. Crushing her quarterly goals. Getting strong peer feedback.

And completely invisible to anyone above her direct manager.

Today? VPs she's never worked with directly know her name and cite her insights in planning sessions. She got promoted to Senior PM and is now one of the go-to people for competitive intelligence.

The difference? A 15-minute Monday morning ritual that seems almost stupidly simple.

Here's exactly what she did.

The $180,000 Wake-Up Call

Rachel's story starts with a gut punch.

Her peer Kyle - who started the same month as her - got promoted to Senior PM. Rachel found out when she saw his updated title in the org chart.

"I was furious," Rachel said. "I had better metrics, stronger peer feedback, everything. But when I asked my manager what happened, he said something that changed my career."

Her manager's response: "Kyle's work is visible three levels up. Yours isn't visible one level up."

The brutal truth? Rachel was playing checkers while Kyle was playing chess.

The Monday Morning Email That Changed Everything

Rachel spent the weekend dissecting Kyle's approach. What she found was painfully simple:

Every Monday around 8:45 AM, Kyle sent an email.

Not to his manager. Not to his team. To a carefully curated list that included:

• His skip-level manager

• Two peer directors in adjacent teams

• The VP of Product (his key stakeholder)

• His director's staff list

The subject line was always the same format: "[Kyle] Marketing Intelligence Brief - Week of [Date]"

"I thought it was so presumptuous," Rachel said. "Who sends a weekly 'intelligence brief' like they're running the CIA?"

But then she looked at the results. Kyle wasn't just getting promoted - he was becoming the go-to person for market insights across the entire organization.

The 3-Part Framework That Actually Works

Rachel reverse-engineered Kyle's approach and made it her own. Here's the exact framework:

Part 1: The Setup (One-time, 30 minutes)

Step 1: Identify your "Coalition of Champions"

• Your skip-level manager (mandatory)

• 2-3 peer managers who could advocate for you

• 1-2 key stakeholders from other functions

• Optional: Executive sponsor if you have one

Step 2: Send the opt-in email

Subject: Weekly insights on [your area of expertise]

Hi [Name],

I'm starting a brief weekly digest sharing key insights on [specific area] that might be useful for your planning. 

Would you like me to include you? (Just let me know if it's ever not helpful)

-[Your name]

Step 3: Create your template (Rachel's actual template below)

Part 2: The Weekly Ritual (15 minutes every Monday)

Rachel's exact email structure:

Subject: [Rachel] Marketing Intelligence - Week of Oct 30

Hi all,

This week's 3 key insights:

1. COMPETITIVE INTEL: [Competitor] just shifted strategy on X, creating opportunity for us to Y
   - What I'm seeing: [specific data point]
   - Why it matters: [business implication]
   - Recommended action: [specific next step]

2. CUSTOMER INSIGHT: Surprising pattern in user feedback about [feature/product]
   - Data: [specific metric or quote]
   - Implication: [what this means for strategy]
   - My recommendation: [concrete action]

3. CROSS-FUNCTIONAL WIN: How [other team] solved [problem] - could apply to our [challenge]
   - Their approach: [brief description]
   - Potential impact for us: [specific benefit]
   - Next step: [what you'll do about it]

Questions/thoughts? Happy to dive deeper on any of these.

-Rachel

P.S. Adding [new person] to this list who's working on related initiatives

Time breakdown:

• 5 minutes: Reviewing your week's notes. Pro tip: Use AI for the research.

• 8 minutes: Writing the three insights

• 2 minutes: Final edit and send

Part 3: The Amplification Effect

Here's what happened next (and why it's genius):

• Week 5: Skip-level forwards her email to the VP with "FYI - good competitive intel here"

• Week 8: Director references her insight in a team all-hands

• Week 12: Three peer managers start reaching out directly for her opinion

• Month 6: She's invited to quarterly planning sessions

• Month 10: Promoted to Senior PM with expanded scope

• Month 24: Leading competitive intelligence for the entire product area

The Hidden Psychology That Makes This Work

I showed Rachel's framework to an exec coach who works with tech leaders. Her analysis was fascinating:

"This works because it hacks three cognitive biases that executives have:

1. The Mere Exposure Effect - Seeing your name weekly makes you familiar and trusted

2. The Authority Bias - Packaging insights as 'intelligence' positions you as an expert

3. The Recency Bias - When promotion discussions happen, your latest email is top of mind"

But here's the real kicker...

Rachel's insights weren't revolutionary. She was packaging information that was already available - competitor blogs, customer feedback systems, internal wikis.

The difference? She was the one who connected the dots and delivered them predictably.

Why Most People Won't Do This (And Why You Should)

When I shared this story in a small group, the reactions were telling:

"Isn't this self-promotional?" "What if I don't have insights every week?" "Won't people think I'm wasting their time?"

Rachel heard all these doubts too. Here's how she handled them:

"Isn't this self-promotional?"
"Is it self-promotional when the New York Times publishes news? You're providing a service. The promotion is a byproduct of being valuable."

"What if I don't have insights?"
"You see 50 things a week that leadership doesn't. You just don't realize they're insights because they seem obvious to you."

"What if people don't want the emails?"
"They'll tell you, or just not respond. Either way, you've tested the waters and can adjust."

The Results Speak for Themselves

Rachel's two-year transformation:

• Compensation: $195K → $285K

• Scope: Individual contributor → Leading strategic initiatives

• Skip-level meetings: 0 → quarterly

• Visibility: Unknown outside team → Known across the org

• Opportunities: Multiple teams wanting her input

But my favorite metric?

"I get pulled into the most interesting projects now. People come to me."

Your Monday Morning Playbook

Here's how to start this week:

After work today (10 minutes):

• List your 5-6 coalition members

• Draft your opt-in email

• Send to just your skip-level first (test the waters)

This week (20 minutes):

• Review your last month of work

• Identify 5-10 potential insights

• Create your template

Next Monday (15 minutes):

• Pick your best 3 insights

• Write your brief (use Rachel's template)

• Send by 9 AM

Pro tips from Rachel:

• Always send Monday morning - it sets the weekly agenda

• Keep each insight to 3 lines max

• Include one cross-functional insight (breaks down silos)

• End with a soft CTA - makes it conversational, not broadcast

The Uncomfortable Truth

Look, I know this feels weird. We're trained to believe good work speaks for itself.

But here's what Rachel realized:

"At a company of Google's size, being great at your job is like whispering in a hurricane. This weekly email is a megaphone."

Your skip-level manager wants to know what you're doing. They just don't have time to dig for it.

You can wait for them to notice you. Or you can take 15 minutes every Monday to make sure they do.

What's Next?

This is just one of dozens of "invisible game" strategies that separate fast-track careers from the perpetually overlooked.

We are building Warbler because these strategies shouldn't be secrets. It's a trusted community where tech professionals share what actually works - from promotion packets to negotiation scripts to navigating reorgs.

No LinkedIn humblebrags. Just battle-tested tactics from people who've done it.

Friday's email: 5 email templates that get you noticed by the right people - including the exact "Proactive Solution" email that got one of our members a surprise promotion.

Stay visible,
The Warbler Team