Influence Without Authority for Women in Tech

🎣 “They didn’t even cc me.” Yumi, a senior marketing director, discovered her billion-dollar product had been repositioned without her. Eighteen months leading the project. Then, overnight, it reported to someone else. 🧊 She didn’t mess up. She wasn’t underperforming. She just wasn’t.... there. Not at the executive offsite. Not at the Friday “golf and growth” circle. Not at the CEO’s birthday dinner, her peers casually got invited to. 🏃♀️ She was busy being excellent. They were busy being bonded. 🍷 When she asked her boss about the change, he looked puzzled: “You’re usually aligned with the bigger picture, so we assumed it’d be fine.” 🧩 Translation: Yumi was predictable and available, but not powerful enough to be consulted. Women are told to “build relationships.” Men build alliances. Women maintain connections. Men maintain relevance in power circles. It’s not who likes you. It’s who says your name when you’re not in the room. 🕰 And let’s be honest: the real decisions about budget, headcount, and succession are made off-the-clock and off-the-record. 📌 How do you stop getting edited out of influence? 1. 🗺 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹 𝗽𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿 𝗺𝗮𝗽 𝗡𝗼𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗼𝗿𝗴 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗿𝘁    the shadow organization. Who gets early previews? Who influences without title? Write it down and update it monthly.     2. 📣 𝗔𝘂𝗱𝗶𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗻𝗮𝗺𝗲-𝗱𝗿𝗼𝗽 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘁    If three senior leaders haven’t mentioned you this month, you’re invisible to power. Fix it with pre-wires, brief wins memos, and sponsor loops.     3. 🏛 𝗧𝗮𝗸𝗲 "𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗸" 𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗼𝗳  “𝗡𝗲𝘁𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴”    Skip passive panels. Show up where strategy happens: QBRs, investor briefings, offsite planning, cross-functional war rooms. Ask to observe; then add value.     4. 🔁 𝗕𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱 𝗮 𝗯𝗮𝗰𝗸𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗹 𝗼𝗻 𝗽𝘂𝗿𝗽𝗼𝘀𝗲    Recurring 1:1s across functions to co-design plans, not “catch up.” Influence travels faster sideways than up.     5. 🚨 𝗕𝗲 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗯𝘀𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗵𝘂𝗿𝘁𝘀    If you vanished for two weeks and nothing stalled, you’re not central enough to promote. Attach your work to decisions, not tasks.     🧨 If this feels raw, it’s because it is. Brilliant women are being rewritten out of their own stories, not for lack of performance, but for lack of positioning. 🎤 That’s why Uma and I are hosting a live online workshop on the 2nd. Oct: 👉 𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗼 𝗕𝗲 𝗦𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗛𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝗮𝘁 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗸 A practical session to help you build strategic visibility, engineer sponsorship, and get your work into the rooms where decisions are made. 🔗 Join here: https://lnkd.in/g3sec2pN 🚪 Come if you’re done waiting to be recognized. Or let them “assume you’d be aligned,” too....

Career advice I'd give other women in tech? I get this question a lot, typically behind the scenes. Here's what none of you want to hear… It's still a boys' club. Misogyny is thriving. Women are called "hysterical" when they're calm. Tech bros still act based on emotion and rarely from logic, and nobody cares. Don't believe me? At a client offsite, I shared that we'd hit all targets and beat their EOY gross margin goal in one quarter. The CRO couldn't keep up. He picked on me and derailed the mtg. The male CEO stood up, slammed his hands on the table and screamed, "GODDAMNIT DEVIN!" and accused *me* antagonizing and derailing the meeting. I was trying to DE-escalate. The 3 other execs and EOS facilitator we hired confirmed. CEO apologized days later after they all complained. I've done this for 15+ years as a marketer, CEO, and now growth advisor. The game hasn't changed. But the way you play it can. Here are 4 things I learned about building authority when the system isn't designed to hand it to you: 𝟭. 𝗔𝘀𝗸 𝗲𝘅𝗲𝗰𝘀 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗼 𝗰𝗼𝗿𝗻𝗲𝗿𝘀 I got called "too aggressive" after saying three sentences once. No proof. Just fairytales. So I started asking questions: Examples of behavior, specific language, what they considered “non aggressive.” Curiosity drove the shot callers crazy. They couldn't back it up. Establish facts while they try to rewrite history. 𝟮. 𝗕𝗲 𝗰𝘂𝗿𝗶𝗼𝘂𝘀, 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗷𝘂𝗱𝗴𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗹. Judging isn't strategic. Curiosity is. Understand what drives people, even the difficult ones. You'll have more leverage building alliances than standing on your soapbox. 𝟯. 𝗦𝘁𝗼𝗽 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗳 - 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗱𝗼 𝗶𝘁 Ship first. Explain later (maybe). I used to write perfect decks that my CEO never read. Then I began testing ideas without asking And sharing the results. "We tried this and conversion jumped 40%." That sentence built more credibility than any deck. If your boss gets upset, socialize your success even more. Results talk louder than permission. 𝟰. 𝗦𝗽𝗲𝗮𝗸 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗴𝘂𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗽𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿. For years I presented engagement metrics. Executives didn't care. Then I reframed everything: "This generated $500K in pipeline." "Not fixing this costs $50K a month." Same work. Different language. Make your impact so obvious they can't ignore it. The game is rigged. You do have to work harder. And, no, it's not fair. But you can still win. Just stop playing along Remember what industry you're in: beep-boop-bop and "Uber for..." ideas We're not saving lives. Most of the people above you aren't that important. And they don't hold the keys to your future. YOU do. I've been fired multiple times. I've had hate campaigns launched against me on Glassdoor. A bunch of people don't like me. Guess what? I'm doing great! YOU ARE TOO ❤️ I promise! Even when it doesn't feel like it.

In tech leadership, especially as women, there's a stubborn myth that if we simply work hard enough, someone will eventually recognize our efforts and "reward" us with the promotion or opportunity we deserve. Let me be clear: no one is coming to hand you your opportunities—it's up to you to claim your space. The most successful women in tech don’t wait for permission or formal invitations. They confidently step forward, unapologetically own their achievements, and actively create opportunities for visibility. If you want to advance your career, here’s how to stop waiting and start owning your seat at the table: 1. Document your wins: Keep a running list of your achievements—problems solved, measurable impact, and meaningful contributions. This is more than a brag sheet; it’s your toolkit for advocating powerfully when opportunities arise. 2. Speak in statements, not questions: Notice how often you phrase your ideas tentatively. Replace phrases like “I think maybe...” with confident statements: "The data shows this approach will boost our conversion rates by 15%." 3. Create your own platforms: Don’t wait for someone else’s invitation. Launch your blog, organize internal knowledge-sharing sessions, or propose that speaking engagement or panel discussion. Visibility isn’t granted—it’s claimed. Taking up space isn't about ego; it's about ensuring diverse, important perspectives (like yours) are represented in key industry conversations. When you advocate confidently for yourself, you pave the way for those following behind you. Ask yourself this: Where have you been waiting for permission instead of boldly claiming your space? What small but powerful step can you take this week to change that? Have a lovely weekend! #WomenInTech #FutureOfWork #5xminority

👶 "How do I influence cross-functional teams without formal authority, especially when I’m new?" This question from my former mentee reminded me of the early days of my UX career - when I felt like I had many good ideas but little to none authority to get them heard... I even remember one project where I suggested a small but impactful change to the navigation, and the response was, "Let's table this for now. How about making a cool splash screen instead?" 🤦♀️ But here's where it gets interesting ↴ ❌ Building your influence isn’t about asking for a "title". ✅ It’s much more about knowing how to show VALUE of your work in a way THAT RESONATES with the people making decisions - even when you’re new. Some of the most influential designers I’ve worked with learned how to do this without any formal authority. Here’s how they do it ⬇️ 1️⃣ They spot gaps no one’s talking about (and show up with solutions) 2️⃣ They speak to stakeholders in outcomes, not design processes 3️⃣ They build trust through small, high-impact actions I broke down the full approach in today's UX Mentor Diaries' issue → https://lnkd.in/eCvE8Pqs P.S. If you’re new to a team and wondering how to start influencing decisions, try asking stakeholders, “What’s your biggest challenge right now, and how can I help solve it?” It’s amazing how much trust you can build by simply listening and aligning 😉 ↓ ↓ ↓ ♻️ Share if it's helpful. 🧠 Follow Marina Krutchinsky to learn about building UX influence. ✍️ Join 5K+ smart UXers receiving actionable career tips in their inbox twice a week: uxmentor.substack.com

I remember a time when I sat in a senior leadership meeting, ready to share an idea I knew could shift the direction of our technology business strategy. I had done the work, analyzed the data, and prepared my case. I knew the impact it could have. But before I could finish my points, I was interrupted. Then it happened again. It was frustrating. But it wasn’t the first time. And it certainly wouldn’t be the last. Many women, especially, face this reality—being spoken over, ignored, or having their ideas co-opted without credit. Having a seat at the table doesn’t guarantee your voice will be heard. You have to claim that space. Here’s how you can position yourself to be heard and make an impact: Own your expertise. The first shift happens in your mind. You belong in that room. No one is handing out high-level roles for free. You earned your seat. Believe it. Act like it. Leverage storytelling. Facts tell, but stories sell. When you anchor your ideas in compelling narratives, they stick. People remember stories more than slides or statistics. Expand your influence beyond the room. Speak on panels. Post on LinkedIn. Write articles. When your voice is heard in multiple spaces, it’s harder for anyone to ignore or erase your contributions. Take on strategic, high-profile projects. One of my mentors once told me, “If you want to be heard, step into challenges others avoid.” I took that advice. It was tough, but it positioned me for my next leadership move. But remember: high-visibility projects can be risky, so choose wisely and ensure you have the right support. Be intentional with your voice. Speaking up isn’t just about volume—it’s about impact. Know when to speak, how to use your words to take back your moment in the spotlight, how to frame your ideas, and where to position your influence is key to making your voice count. The bottom line? Your voice is your power. Use it. Want more actionable leadership insights? Join me in The Winner’s Circle Live, where we break down strategies to amplify your voice, lead with impact, and WIN. Subscribe here: https://lnkd.in/ejyahF2m #ClaimYourVoice #LeadershipMatters #WomenInLeadership #ExecutivePresence #SpeakUpAndLead #AmplifyYourImpact #TheWinnersCircle #LeadWithConfidence