Build a specific, defensible point of view on the role, the function, and the business, before you walk in the room.
How It Works
1
Name the shift you see
The change in your market that most people are still arguing about.
2
Take a position on it
Not a summary. What you believe, and what follows from it.
3
Get your point of view
A stated POV you can open an executive interview with.
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02Strategic Read on the Business
Sources worth reading before any VP interview: earnings calls or investor updates, CEO public statements in the last 6 months, recent leadership announcements (departures, new hires), Glassdoor data from the last 12 months, competitive news, and what the company says about itself vs. what the market says about it.
In 2-3 sentences, what is your honest assessment of where this business is and what it needs most right now?
03Your Point of View
A POV is not a framework or a list of considerations. It is a view. "I think the biggest challenge in this function at organizations like this one is X, and the reason most organizations have not solved it yet is Y." It may not be perfectly right. It needs to be real, specific, and grounded in what you actually observed about this company and this market.
What kills VP candidacies: Safe, generic observations designed to avoid being wrong. A genuine, well-reasoned view that turns out to be partially incorrect is more impressive than a perfectly accurate non-answer. Be willing to have a position.
"The biggest challenge in [function] at organizations like [company] is..."
"Most [functions] are still built for [old model]. What [company] needs now is..."
"I think the unlock for this function is [X], because [evidence I observed]..."
"The real risk here is not [obvious challenge], it is [underlying structural issue]..."
Click a sentence starter above to use it as a launchpad, or write your own.
04Your 90-Day Vision
The close that gets remembered: Before you leave a VP or C-suite interview, deliver a brief vision statement. "Based on what I have learned today, I would focus on X in the first six months because Y." It does not need to be right. It needs to be specific and grounded in what you actually heard in the room.
What would you tackle first, and why?
What would you start building or restructuring?
What alignment or relationship would you need to establish?
05POV Test
Run your POV through these five criteria before you walk in. If you cannot check all five, sharpen the answer.
Is it specific to this company and this moment, not generic industry advice that could apply anywhere?
Does it demonstrate strategic awareness beyond what the job description reveals?
Can you deliver it in under 90 seconds without notes?
Does it name a real tradeoff, constraint, or challenge, not just an opportunity?
Does it end with a clear priority, action, or direction, not a list of considerations?
Your Executive POV Summary
The Organizational Problem
Complete Section 01 above to generate your summary.
Your Strategic Read
Your Point of View
90-Day Vision (Closing Statement)
Reframe Your Stories to the VP Level
Your POV is built. Now take your strongest CAR stories and translate them from director-level execution evidence to VP-level organizational impact, before you walk in the room.