625: Why Exceptional Work Without Executive Presence Won’t Earn You More Than the Average 2027 Merit Raise

625: Why Exceptional Work Without Executive Presence Won’t Earn You More Than the Average 2027 Merit Raise

Author: Laura Camacho September 11, 2026 Duration: 13:46

Know Your Own Executive Presence Strengths & Opportunities:

Click here to pinpoint the specific area in your executive presence that’s keeping you invisible to senior leadership and guarantees you stay working hard as a pack mule who never gets promoted.

Are you waiting until your performance review to make the case for a bigger 2027 raise? By then, the decision may already be taking shape.

With merit raises making a comeback and average performance-based increases expected to hover around 3.5%, organizations have more reason to differentiate between their highest-value leaders and everyone else. For directors, VPs, and executive-track leaders, getting more isn't simply about working harder or compiling a longer list of accomplishments. It's about making your strategic value unmistakably clear to the people making compensation decisions.

By the end of this episode, you'll know how to:

🎯Shift from reporting activity to communicating enterprise-level impact that senior executives understand and remember.

🧩Build a simple impact portfolio and compensation narrative that gives your manager compelling evidence to advocate for you.

🧲Use your 1:1s and relationships across the organization to calibrate your value, strengthen your executive reputation, and build advocates before compensation decisions are made.

Play the episode now to learn the four moves you can start making today to position yourself for more than the average 2027 merit raise—and make your strategic value impossible to overlook.

Doing exceptional work and being perceived as an exceptionally valuable executive are not always the same thing. Access the Executive Presence Scorecard assessment here.

To learn more visit www.speakupwithlaura.com. New Speak Up podcast episodes come out every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday early in the morning.

The Speak Up Podcast helps high-performing professionals develop executive presence through strategic communication, executive confidence, and leadership influence. Each episode provides practical strategies to help you speak up in meetings, communicate with senior leaders, present ideas with clarity, build executive visibility, strengthen your leadership presence, influence without authority, stop overexplaining, answer difficult questions with confidence, and become a trusted executive leader.

Whether you're preparing for your next Vice President promotion or looking to communicate with greater credibility and gravitas, you'll learn actionable executive communication skills that accelerate career growth.

Topics covered in this episode:

  • 2027 merit raise and salary increase projections
  • How to get more than the average 3.5% merit raise
  • How to ask for a bigger raise at work
  • Salary negotiation strategies for high performers
  • How to document your accomplishments and business impact
  • How executive presence affects compensation and career advancement
  • How to position yourself for a higher performance rating
  • What to do before annual performance and compensation reviews
  • How to advocate for your value with your manager
  • Strategies to increase your salary without changing jobs


Ever find yourself in a crucial meeting, certain your idea is the right one, only to have the conversation move past you? That specific frustration of being unheard, despite your expertise, is exactly where Speak Up: Develop Your Executive Presence & Leadership Communication Style begins. Hosted by communication strategist Laura Camacho, this podcast digs into the subtle, often unspoken rules of influence within organizations. It’s not about talking louder; it’s about communicating with a clarity and conviction that commands attention and gets results. Each episode moves beyond generic advice, offering practical frameworks for shaping how you’re perceived in high-stakes situations, from boardroom presentations to everyday team interactions. You’ll hear real-world breakdowns of communication successes and missteps, actionable strategies for structuring your thoughts under pressure, and insights into the nonverbal cues that define leadership presence. This is for professionals who are ready to transition from being a participant to becoming a pivotal voice. Tune into this business and careers podcast for a thoughtful, nuanced exploration of what it truly means to lead through your words and demeanor, transforming your potential into tangible impact.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 50

Speak Up: Develop Your Executive Presence & Leadership Communication Style
Podcast Episodes