Visible: How to Advance Your Career Without Playing Politics, Selling Your Soul, or Working Yourself into the Ground

by May Busch

You're good at your job. You work hard, deliver results, and maintain high standards. Yet, despite your dedication, career advancement feels increasingly out of reach. Traditional advice—“let your work speak for itself” or “learn to play the game”—leaves you feeling stuck between burnout and sellout.

May Busch, former COO of Morgan Stanley Europe, knows this struggle intimately. Through her own 24-year journey from entry-level analyst to C-suite executive, she discovered a better way forward. Drawing from her experience and work coaching hundreds of ambitious professionals, Busch reveals the hidden capabilities that senior decision-makers look for when determining who advances and who plateaus.

This transformative guide shows you how
• Navigate office politics while staying true to your values.
• Build strategic relationships without compromising your integrity.
• Develop the presence and confidence to command attention.
• Take ownership of your career progression at every stage.

Whether you're feeling overlooked for promotion, struggling with workplace dynamics, or simply ready to accelerate your career trajectory, this book provides the framework to advance on your own terms. Stop grinding harder—start working strategically.

312 pages, Paperback

Published October 21, 2025

Reviews

[Ann Sheybani · Rating 5 out of 5]

Finally, a Career Book That Gets It

If you're the person who keeps your head down, does excellent work, and wonders why less-qualified colleagues keep getting promoted ahead of you—this book is your wake-up call.

May Busch doesn't sugarcoat it: being good at your job isn't enough anymore. The shift from "excellent performer" to "high-potential leader" requires demonstrating skills that nobody explicitly taught you. And if you're like me, the idea of "playing politics" or becoming a self-promotion machine makes your skin crawl.

Here's what makes Visible different: Busch offers a third way. You don't have to choose between grinding yourself into burnout or selling your soul to climb the ladder. Through her framework of working with People, on the Business, and on your Self, she shows how to advance authentically.

What I loved most:
- Real talk from someone who's been there (she rose to COO at Morgan Stanley, so she knows corporate realities)
- Practical action plans at the end of each chapter—not just theory
- The "rainmaker vs. caretaker" concept completely reframed how I think about my contributions
- Honest about the uncomfortable stuff (like how your nervous tics undermine your presence, or why that "nice person" reputation might be holding you back)

This isn't about becoming someone you're not. It's about making your existing value visible to the people making decisions about your future. If you're stuck at that mid-career plateau despite stellar performance, this book will show you exactly what's missing—and how to fix it without compromising who you are.

Perfect for: Hardworking professionals tired of being overlooked, anyone who's been told they need "executive presence" (but has no idea what that means), and good people who refuse to believe they have to be jerks to succeed.