How designers earn influence without the title

Practical ways to build influence before you have the title

Hey, Miranda here 👋

A designer asked me recently:

“How do I influence cross-functional teams without formal authority; especially when I’m new?”

And I think this question shows up for a lot of designers, even experienced ones.

Because somewhere along the way, many designers internalize this quiet belief:

My job is to support, not to shape.

So you hesitate.

You wait to be invited.
You keep your head down and “just do the design.”
You hope your work will speak for itself.

Let’s talk about why that instinct is understandable, but also why it holds so many designers back.

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Support vs partnership

Most designers aren’t afraid of influence.

They’re afraid of overstepping.

• “Is this my place to say something?”

• “Am I annoying people by pushing here?”

• “Should I just wait until I’m asked?”

Especially when:

• product owns the roadmap

• engineering owns feasibility

• design is framed as execution

It’s easy to default into a supporting role.

But here’s the thing I’ve learned over and over again:

Teams don’t need designers who wait.
They need designers who help them make the right calls.

Influence comes from building trust, and trust is built through consistency.

Here is my own story of helping leadership make the right call on priorities:

The UX assumption that would’ve cost us 6-figures

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Influence starts with initiative, not permission

Influence doesn’t come from asserting opinions louder.

It comes from doing the groundwork.

That shows up as:

• pulling scattered inputs into a clear problem statement

• noticing when assumptions are driving decisions

• turning fuzzy discussions into something tangible

• helping teams see tradeoffs, not just options

This isn’t about pushing your ideas harder.

It’s about creating clarity in moments of ambiguity.

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The strategic shortcut for building influence

Designers rarely get to practice influencing outside of high-stakes situations.

But that’s exactly why I built The Strategic Designers Guild.

The Guild is a practice ground for influence — a place where you can:

• pressure-test how you frame problems

• practice articulating tradeoffs without overexplaining

• get feedback on how you show up in strategic conversations

• build confidence through reps, not theory

No titles required.
Just consistent practice with designers who get it — and direct access to me when you need extra support.

👉 The Strategic Designers Guild is for designers who want to stop waiting for authority and start earning influence.

🔓 Coming up for paid members
How to influence by creating clarity when things feel messy, and rallying people around the right problem before decisions are made.