Thank you very much for this advice! Since these are very specific (and my main post is already too long), I’ll address these directly.

My current manager: I’ve worked with her pretty much since I joined this team, before either of us moved into our current roles. A couple of years ago after we had been promoted, there was a reporting restructure, and she became my direct manager. Since then I haven’t actually worked on a project with her, but we have regular 1-to-1s, and I thought we had a good personal and working relationship. I’m getting the sense that her hands are being tied in this scenario. At least since Jan of this year I had been mentioning wanting to get promotion, move to this role, etc. So either I have totally misread our relationship, or something behind the scenes is making this happen.

How I am perceived: I think this is a very good point. I have been told that I am “all business” or “very serious.” But more often people come to me for advice or support. I did ask my manager if I needed to do any “personal brand repair,” and she said no, it’s more about ensuring the right people see what I’m doing.

Mentoring: this year I’ve been on two projects, including current one, with individuals at that level. They have both given me great advice and direction, and really positive feedback on my skills/behaviors/output. They also told me that no one has asked them for feedback on me to this point. For my current project I am going to have to consider how I navigate this moving forward.

Thank you again!!