🚀 Leadership Launchpad 🚀
🚀 Leadership Launchpad 🚀
A 90-day no-BS action plan for success for aspiring UX leaders. 7 steps + 3-part downloadable toolkit to transform you from overlooked high achiever to next in line for promotion.
Hey there, fellow UXer!
Why do some employees seem to effortlessly climb the corporate ladder while others remain stuck, despite their hard work and dedication?
It's because most people don't understand the unwritten rules of organizational dynamics.
They're playing checkers in a chess game, focusing solely on their job duties while ignoring the complex ecosystem of relationships, influence, and power that truly drives career advancement.
Today, you'll learn how to decode these hidden dynamics and leverage them to propel your career forward.
You’ll learn strategies for mapping the real power landscape in your organization, building strategic relationships (even if you hate networking), and positioning yourself as a leader-in-waiting.
By the time you finish reading, you'll have the insider knowledge and 3 practical tools to navigate office politics like a pro and take control of your professional destiny.
Ready to transform from a bystander to a player?
Let's learn how to become unforgettable in your organization—for all the right reasons!
I. Decoding Organizational Dynamics, or The Art of Not Being Clueless
Your organization isn't a meritocracy, it's a complex ecosystem of egos, alliances, and hidden agendas.
If you're still believing that hard work alone will get you to the top, you're in for a rude awakening.
1. Mapping the Power Landscape
Forget the org chart. That's for rookies.
As you grow in your UX career, your success depends more on working well with others across the company.
What you need is an influence map.
It will help you:
Find key supporters and potential challenges for your UX projects.
Create opportunities to show how valuable UX is to the company.
Build relationships that can help your career grow
Show how UX can help the business succeed!
Here's how to create one:
Identify the real decision-makers. Hint: They're not always the ones with the fancy titles.
Spot the gatekeepers. These are the unsung heroes who can make your life heaven or hell.
Recognize the influencers. They might not have official power, but their word carries weight.
First Action Step:
Draw your org's influence map.
Include formal titles, but focus on who actually pulls the strings. If you're not sure, you're not paying attention yet.
Case study
Maya, a mid-level UX designer, felt stuck.
Determined to advance, she tried the obvious route: impressing the Head of Product (her skip) with an idea for an ambitious redesign of their main app.
Which resulted in a polite "thanks, but no thanks."
Her proposal, apparently, didn't align with the company's "current direction."
Frustrated but not defeated, Maya had an epiphany:
What if she applied UX principles to map office influence?
Over the next couple of months, Maya discreetly observed and documented:
→ who spoke in meetings
→ whose ideas got implemented
→ how information flowed unofficially
She created an influence map (just like the one I recommend above) of the office, revealing an unexpected insight:
While the Head of Product had final say, he always glanced at “Emily from Data Analytics” before deciding. Making Emily, quiet but crucial, was the hidden power node.
Seeing that, Maya's strategy shifted.
She began collaborating with Emily closer, infusing her designs with data visualizations.
In meetings, she now directed her pitches subtly towards Emily, not just the Head of Product.
Six months later, a Lead Experience Designer role opened up. Maya's data-rich, strategically-presented portfolio made her the obvious choice.
Lesson learned: In UX, understanding the users of your ideas is just as crucial as understanding the users of your products.
2. Reading Between the Lines, a.k.a. Decoding Corporate BS
If you're taking corporate communication at face value, you're already losing.
It's time to develop your BS translator.
Here's a crash course:
"We're exploring new directions" = Layoffs may be coming