🤫 The Silent Career Killer #35

Playing Someone Else’s Game | Unmasking 50 hidden threats to your UX career | part 35 of 50

If you’ve been in UX for a decade or more, this one’s for you.

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The Quiet Epidemic No One Names

By now, you’ve all seen the playbook:

“Post like a thought leader.”

“Refine your personal brand.”

“Model what works for the big names.”

But here’s what almost no one admits ↴

The higher you rise, the more subtle the self-erasure becomes.

No, you’re not copying others outright, but you’re “adapting.”

You’re picking up the language, chasing the same frameworks, bending your tone for the audience…

And bit by bit, your own edge gets sanded off.

I’ve watched brilliant directors shapeshift into whatever version of “leadership” is trending, only to wonder why their influence plateaus or, worse, declines.

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The Real Cost ↴

😩 You Become Forgettable

At lead and above levels, credibility isn’t earned by mimicking what’s popular.

It’s built on being recognizably yourself - in every room, every channel, every meeting.

If people can’t tell what you stand for (without referring your “headline”), you’ve become “just a voice” in the sea of others.

• Your perspective faded into the noise.

• Your “trusted advisor” status evaporated.

• Decision-makers kept you close but rarely tapped you for real influence.

• Your team saw you as capable, but not as the person who changed the conversation.

• You started to question if you’ve actually made a dent, or just followed a script…

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Then, there is a “deeper” trap” ↴

📉 Borrowed Authority Never Lasts