I’m worried about my job
Welcome to The Coaching Couch. Transitioning from a practitioner to manager or leader in the research industry is not easy – it demands that we adapt, unlearn and rethink many of the things that served us well as individual contributors. Coaching Coach offers practical support and fresh ideas for growing managers and leaders.
Today’s question is: I’m worried about my job and the jobs of those in my team – how can we future-proof ourselves?
Thank you for this brave question. I think people at every level in the industry are worrying about the impact of a turbulent global economy and AI on job security. The problem with worrying is that it is draining – to you and your team’s energy, engagement, and motivation levels. It’s also a distraction. That’s why I love your question… you’re turning your fear into action, by asking ‘what can we do?’
What keeps you valuable when everything else is shifting?
Let’s start by identifying the one valuable thing you can always put into play, regardless of what the outside world is hurling it you.
And from all my years working agency-side and now as a coach, it’s this:
Strategic Influence.
Not preparing the perfect deck. Not being the ‘safe pair of hands’. Not learning AI.
Strategic influence is what helps you stay relevant, respected and indispensable.
The Value of Strategic Influence
1. It marks you out as strategic, not just senior.
Anyone can have strategic influence. You can have the word Senior / Director / Head Of in your title, but still feel at arms length from the decision-making process. Strategic influence is how you change that. It’s your ability to cut through complexity, move a conversation forwards, and guide decisions, especially when you don’t have formal authority.
2. It’s what AI can’t replace.
We already know the landscape is shifting. Budgets are squeezed, generative AI is becoming ever sophisticated, gathering insight and writing reports is increasingly automated. But shaping briefs, influencing brand / product / marketing strategy and helping businesses cut through the noise and make smart decisions… that’s leadership. And that’s needed more than ever, at every level.
3. It’s how you lead without direct authority.
As researchers, we spend time frustrated that we’re not always invited to the table. Brought in late, not consulted, reports gathering dust… these are the things we want to change. We have a deep knowledge of the consumer, the wider category and cultural knowledge, but rarely have formal authority over the decisions we want to influence. Strategic influence changes this. It’s about how you show up and add value, even when the power and final decisions sit elsewhere.
What does strategic influence look like?
- Framing research in business language: Risks, TradeOffs, Outcomes.
- Coming with a point of view (not just findings).
- Shifting hearts and minds through story & strategy.
- Ongoing communication with clients & stakeholders to become that trusted advisor.
- Being the voice of the external consumer, while guiding the internal agenda.
3 questions you can ask yourself to start building more influence:
- Where in your role are you being strategic, but not yet influential?
- What’s the first step you can take to start having more strategic influence?
- How will you know you’ve had more strategic influence?
Because what will matter most in these turbulent times, is not how busy you are, how many projects you juggled or how many decks you wrote. What will matter most is how much influence you had on the key decisions a business took.
Thank you for reading and I hope this helps you turn fear into fuel. If this resonated with you or you have an experience to share, drop a comment in the notes. If you have a question you want answered in a future column, get in touch at zoe@youburnbright.com.
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Coaching Corner is a bi-monthly column by Zoe Fenn. Zoe is a qualified coach with 15 years of agency-side experience, as a researcher, manager and leader. She now runs her own business, You Burn Bright, helping talented insight professionals become more effective managers and strategic leaders.
She runs workshops, 121 and group coaching programmes for agency-side and client-side professionals growing their management and leadership skills. Her next X-industry programme (£995pp) will start in January and is open to new managers and leaders (typically AD / D / Research Insight Lead / Manager level).
If you’re curious or want a sounding board for a management or leadership challenge – get in touch at zoe@youburnbright.com.