Unconventional Mindsets of Top Performing VPs
Get to the Top 1% by Adopting the Mental Models of the Best VPs
Welcome Leaders!
Want to crack into the top 1% of VPs?
Easy, right? Or is it…
I’ve mentored many leaders over the years who actually DID succeed in jumping up a level and I want to share their mental models with you.
So let’s dive into the mindsets 🧠 of these top performers!
Cheers!
When you get to the VP level you want to succeed to your maximum potential. After all, it’s a big role and a chance to make a huge impact & stand out in the company.
But becoming a top performing VP is definitely no walk in the park. 🏞️
There are no tricks, hacks or easy tactics to succeed. And hard work or innate intelligence alone won’t get you into the top 1% of VPs either.
But there are some key mindsets 🧠 that the top 1% seem to have in common.
I’ve interviewed & hired many dozens of VPs over the years and the very best have some pretty unconventional mental models — definitely not what you would normally think.
The mindsets that these top leaders have developed allow them to be successful almost regardless of industry, company and culture.
Some Caveats
In this breakdown we’re talking about VPs in mid-market companies from $20M to about $1B.💰 Above and below that size the VP role varies greatly.
I don’t think every top performing VP needs to adopt every one of these mindsets but I’ve noticed that the BEST VPs seem to embrace most of these traits
The List of Top VP Mindsets
Being a VP is a unique & quite challenging role that requires a complex mix of practical expertise, strategic vision, and people skills.
Unlike other leadership roles, this position has to balance both the immediate tactical demands of the team and the broader goals of the business.
It certainly takes the right set of mindsets to succeed in this kind of role.
So let’s dive into it:
They don’t care about personal wins 🏆
Although it sounds counterintuitive, exceptional VPs tend not to measure their success by individual accolades or personal victories.
Instead, they’re intensely focused on the success of their team and the business as a whole.
They recognize that personal wins are usually a byproduct of collective achievement — if the team & company wins then they win too.
These VPs are skilled at managing their egos and avoiding the traps of self-promotion that can create divisions or resentment.
However, they don’t keep their personal ambitions in check. They just know that success will come as a result of focusing on business goals and driving their team towards them.
This mindset allows top VPs to become leaders who inspire loyalty and motivation rather than competition.
They assume they will never know everything 📘
Top VPs approach their time at a company with the mindset of a continuous learner.
They recognize that companies, their teams, their products and their customers are highly complex and that there will always be more to learn.
This mindset drives them to seek knowledge from all available sources — not just from their managers but from colleagues at every level.
They constantly seek to understand new facets of the business, technology, and industry.
This often means talking to someone outside their immediate department, signing up for an assignment in a new area, or even sitting in on outside team meetings to get a sense of the broader company dynamics.
For top VPs learning is essential to their success and they push hard to make it happen.
Btw, what truly sets them apart in this dimension is their willingness to admit that they don’t know everything.
In fact, they are very transparent about what they know and don’t know. This attitude about learning increases their respect amongst their teams.
But remember one thing, they learn fast and they apply their learning!
They love bad news 😿
In contrast to average leaders who instinctively shy away from problems, top-performing VPs embrace bad news & problems.
They view challenges as an opportunity to make things better, to prove their resilience, and to strengthen the team.
For them, every setback represents a chance to build something better, stronger, faster.
Rather than reacting with frustration or disappointment, they assess the situation calmly and pragmatically, focusing on what can be done to turn things around.
They don’t view bad news as a reflection of failure but as a critical piece of feedback on how the team and the company can improve.
This optimism and confidence in the face of adversity makes top VP teams much more likely to rise to the challenge in difficult circumstances.
Over time, they even build a reputation for being the “go-to” VPs in a crisis. As a top VP this is a great reputation to have.
They have a bias for action 🏃
While many leaders can get bogged down in analysis or discussion, top VPs are action-oriented.
They understand that taking decisive steps is essential to keep momentum going and that delays can lead to missed opportunities or lost enthusiasm.
For these VPs, progress is made through doing, not just talking.
They prioritize tasks that move the needle on the business.
When they set a goal, they don’t just leave it at the planning stage; they push forward with tangible actions.
They hold themselves and their teams accountable, expecting progress and celebrating small wins along the way.
They also drive and motivate their teams by setting an example of action and delivery.
By acting quickly and decisively, they establish a culture where effort and execution are valued and where results matter.
In short, they know that talk is cheap, and they don’t suffer people gladly who are slow.
Language & words matter to them 🙊
Language is a powerful tool, and top-performing VPs know how to wield it effectively.
They understand that words shape perceptions, drive alignment, and can either motivate or demoralize their teams.
They choose what they will say carefully, understanding that the language they use with their team and stakeholders has a lasting impact.
They invest time in crafting their messaging, considering the nuances of word choice, tone, and framing.
Whether they’re delivering a presentation, sending an email, or holding a one-on-one meeting, they make sure that their words are the right ones.
They’re also mindful of timing — knowing when to speak and when to hold back — and they avoid rushing through important conversations.
This is a very important mindset and probably takes the longest to cultivate for most average VPs who are trying to reach the top 1%.
They like telling stories 📰
Top performing VPs love to tell a good story.
For these VPs, storytelling isn’t just a soft skill; it’s a strategic tool. It’s something personal and emotional.
They know that data alone often fails to resonate emotionally, while a well-crafted story can engage, motivate, and align people more effectively.
Through storytelling, they create a vision that people want to rally behind, transforming abstract goals into relatable and compelling narratives.
They often share personal or team stories that illustrate core values, lessons learned, or the company’s mission.
These stories have emotional weight and relevance, making the audience feel connected to the message and driven to contribute.
This mindset is also pretty rare but it can be learned through practice. I’ll write another article in the future on just this mindset.
They listen very well (and a lot) 🦻
Exceptional VPs are very good listeners.
Most of them don’t feel the need to dominate discussions but are instead more focused on listening and reading the room.
These leaders practice active listening, showing genuine interest in others’ perspectives.
They believe that listening is as important as decision-making because it builds trust, uncovers valuable insights, and strengthens relationships.
They listen with curiosity, asking questions to understand motivations, challenges, and ideas that others might not initially share.
This gives top VPs a great deal of understanding & insight into the organization from which they can make better decisions.
It also creates a bond with their team as they are free to express themselves and know that the VP will listen.
Top VPs also listen a lot because it helps them understand peoples motivations and this helps them manage their teams better.
These leaders do offer their opinions but they tend to be more careful and studied and less hurried than average execs.
They constantly practice diplomacy 🤝
In any organization, VPs have to navigate a complex network of stakeholders, each with their own priorities and agendas.
The best VPs understand that diplomacy with these stakeholders is essential to their success.
They know that successful outcomes require buy-in from a diverse set of individuals and groups. So, rather than viewing other departments as competitors, they actively seek out partnerships and look for ways to create win-win scenarios.
These alliances are more likely to put the VP into a position of success. Without these relationships they are following a more difficult and lonely path.
The diplomatic approach minimizes friction and maximizes cooperation, allowing the VP to lead initiatives with broad support and minimal resistance.
By building strong alliances, they expand their influence and increase the likelihood of achieving impactful results in the org.
They seek balance in all things 🤹
Top VPs understand that sustainable success requires balance.
They’re not extremists in any one area, recognizing that every aspect of their role — from the strategic level to team management — requires a measured approach.
They balance between priorities, focusing on one thing when they need to and pulling back on it when its the right time.
They are able to look at both sides of an argument and not get emotionally wrapped up in one side or another.
They see people as complex and not one dimensional. They can see the good side in people who may even be underperforming at the moment.
They even understand that sometimes they themselves will fail and that not everything will always be a win for them.
Top VPs are really good at balancing the good and bad, the challenging and easy, etc. It’s an interesting trait that very few leaders actually have.
Conclusion
I have seen just average VPs easily get to top 1% status simply by adopting these mindsets.
You’ll actually be surprised at how many VPs DON’T practice these ideas which is why so many don’t ever crack the highest levels of leadership.
VPs make up the largest percentage of executive positions. In fact, it’s surprising how many VPs there are out there, so it’s a less exclusive club than you would think.
What is exclusive is being a Top 1% VP…that takes a different kind of person.
This is the kind of leader who’s going to go on to become a c-suite member (CTO, CFO, even CEO) — which is harder than it looks, btw.
Top 1% VPs make big improvements in their organization, change the culture for the better, and delivered on significant initiatives to move the business forward.
Of course, it doesn’t mean they are perfect. In fact, some of them have very obvious weaknesses.
But they have the right mindsets that get them through almost anything.