Earn-the-Stretch-Role Proposal
Win an ambitious opportunity by doing the thinking before you ask
- Difficulty
- Moderate
- Time to result
- ~weeks to results
- Steps
- 5
- Confidence
- 96%
The Earn-the-Stretch-Role Proposal replaces a bare request for promotion with evidence of readiness. Begin by diagnosing the team's current state and the outcomes the open role must produce. Translate lessons from your existing experience into a phased plan covering priorities, team design, and expected progress. Then present both the plan and the argument for why you can execute it. This works because decision-makers see your initiative, preparation, and judgment before granting authority; they are evaluating a sample of the work rather than a claim about potential. The method does not guarantee selection, and it cannot replace legally required credentials, but it creates a much stronger signal than waiting to be noticed or merely declaring interest.
Origin
When a sales director left, Scott had never managed a sales team. He prepared a detailed proposal with the current state and 1-, 3-, 5-, and 10-year plans, pitched it, and won the role.
Core principles
- 01Initiative can compensate for missing conventional experience
- 02A detailed plan makes ambition credible
- 03Do the work before it is formally required
- 04Asking creates opportunities silence cannot
How to run it
- 1
Diagnose the opportunity
Clarify why the role is open and what the organisation needs from it. Identify the most important current constraints.
Pro tip Speak with people close to the work before designing the proposal.
- 2
Translate your evidence
Connect prior results and lessons to the responsibilities of the new role. Be candid about missing experience while showing adjacent competence.
Watch out Do not disguise a real capability gap with confidence alone.
- 3
Build the phased plan
Lay out immediate, near-term, and longer-term priorities. Include how people, processes, and results would evolve.
Pro tip Make the first phase concrete enough to begin immediately.
Watch out A grand long-term vision without an executable first phase weakens the case.
- 4
Make the case
Present the diagnosis, plan, and evidence to the people making the decision. Explicitly ask to be considered.
Pro tip Give decision-makers a document they can discuss after the meeting.
- 5
Use the response
If selected, execute the first phase. If not, ask which evidence or capability was missing and turn the answer into your next development plan.
In the wild
After the director who hired him left, Scott prepared a presentation showing the company's current position, lessons from his sales career, and phased plans for the inside and outside sales teams. Although he had never managed a sales team, the depth of the proposal demonstrated initiative and judgment.
→ Scott was awarded the director role.
Common mistakes
Asking without evidence
Interest alone gives decision-makers little reason to overlook missing experience. Show a sample of the thinking the role requires.
Pretending there is no gap
Overconfidence damages trust. Acknowledge the missing experience and demonstrate how adjacent evidence and a strong plan reduce the risk.
Is it for you?
Best for
It is best for internal candidates who understand the business and can demonstrate relevant judgment despite lacking the exact title history.
Not ideal for
It is not ideal for safety-critical or regulated roles where formal qualifications are mandatory.
From the transcript
“I put together a presentation and I said, these are the reasons why I'm fit for this job.”
“A 1, 3, 5, 10 year plan for where I wanna take the sales team, scaling out the outside team, scaling out the inside team.”
“And you do the work that's required before it's required.”
From the episode
Scott D. Clary: Overcoming Imposter Syndrome, Getting Started in Entrepreneurship, and Finding Product Market Fit
Scott D. Clary