š¤« The Silent Career Killer #29
Being "under-remembered" | Unmasking 50 hidden threats to your UX career | part 29 of 50
Letās not sugarcoat it:
Most of the best designers I coach arenāt stuck because their work is bad.
Theyāre stuck because no one remembers what they did (or why it mattered).
Hereās the uncomfortable pattern Iāve seen too many times:
You work 10+ hours thinking, connecting dots, influencing quietly.
Meetings end. Projects ship.
Leadership vaguely knows it "got done" (but your name isn't attached to the win.)
Then comes the review timeā¦
ā¦where youāre called āreliableā but ānot strategic enough for the next level.ā
Been there?
Here is a quick story:
Last year, one of my mentees led UX for a critical B2B tool launch.
She caught a major compliance risk early - reworked the flows - saved the company $500k in potential penalties.
Leadership loved the final product.
Guess who they recognized?
The Product Manager who āpushed for earlier launch dates.ā
Why?
Because my mentee fixed the problem behind the scenesā¦
...and never reconstructed the story of what happened, why it mattered, or how she shaped the outcome.
She thought doing great work was enough.
Itās not.
The Core Problem:
Effort ā Visibility
When your work becomes strategic, it naturally becomes harder to see:
Your "deliverable" is a decision, a risk avoided, an alignment won (not a Figma file.)
Your "win" happens over 10 meetings, not in one big reveal.
And if you donāt actively frame those wins, the credit floats elsewhere.
(Not because people are malicious, just because they're busy and human.)
š© Red Flags Youāre Falling Into Invisible Work
You feel exhausted after meetings but have no written trace of your contributions.
People talk about outcomes, but your name isnāt mentioned.
You believe āeveryone knowsā you shaped a decision (they donāt).
Your manager says āyouāre doing good workā but canāt point to a specific strategic moment.
You feel frustrated but canāt prove your strategic thinking in 3 sentences or less.
ā
Green Flags That Youāre Building Strategic Memory
Leadership uses your phrases or framing in their own decks.
You hear secondhand that someone referenced your insight.
People ask you proactively for input on unscoped projects, not just designs.
You can clearly tie your actions to business outcomes in your own words.
If you want your strategic contributions to stick, practice this cycle immediately after moments of impact, and here is a framework for youā