Too often we hear the same story — a strong researcher does strong research and it leads to nowhere. It is deep. It is thoughtful. The process itself was fulfilling. But then nothing comes of it. No new designs are created. No new business strategies are developed. No minds are changed. The strong work sits on a weak shelf weighed down by the multitude of strong research projects already on it and we once again ask ourselves, “Why?”

There are many possible answers to that question. For one, the research itself might not have been designed to be actionable. The output might not have been framed effectively or the handoff between research and design might have fallen short.

But maybe, just maybe, you did everything “right” and things still go wrong (read: there is truly no one “right” way to research — what is “right” for you and your team should be defined by you and your team).

In that case, what might be missing is your seat at the metaphorical and literal table where decisions are being made. In the great words of Hamilton, you need to be in the room where it happens.

Researchers will not have the level of impact most desire without key business decision-making context and a strategic voice when decisions are being made. But how do we get there?

Be a thought partner, not a provider.

A provider takes orders, a thought partner writes their own orders. They don’t ask, “What should I be researching?” They ask stakeholders questions like:

• What decisions are you trying to make?
• What is preventing your team from moving forward?
• What keeps you up at night?

And they listen, they empathize, and then they dig into their researcher toolkit to see how they can support their thought partners using research. They identify opportunities for themselves that fill in gaps in knowledge and drive forward decision-making. They are part of the team driving action versus a sporadic input into the team’s journey.

Research your stakeholders.

My future father-in-law likes to say that in any work setting you need to “learn the terms of the words”. In other words, learn how product people speak, designers think, and engineers work. Build your own understanding of the folks you work with, so that you can tailor the way you communicate and engage them effectively. Put as much care into how you share and bring others into your work as you do what you research.

I also strongly recommend eavesdropping if you are in an office setting. Knowing what folks are talking about when they’re not talking to you can help you identify highly impactful research opportunities.

If you’re not in an office setting, embed yourself further in your teams. Get yourself invited to meetings that you may feel like you don’t really need to be at and go to them. Learn how the team talks to each other, what pitfalls they tend to run into, what rituals need improving, how they collaborate, and then lend a hand.

Be flexible within the bounds of what you all are trying to achieve.

We all want to do the highest quality work possible, but how we define “high quality” can vary. For me, quality includes meeting business stakeholders where they are and helping them define where they want to be.

For example, my initial thought for a new project focused on understanding a new user group might be that we should do a 10-week contextual inquiry where we get to deeply know the users, fully understand their context, and build substantial confidence in our understanding. But what if my product partner has committed to launching something for our new user group in 12 weeks? I need to go back to the drawing board.

Instead, I might propose small, iterative, scrappy rounds of research focusing on getting us towards MMI (minimum meaningful insight), so we can drive towards an MVP (minimum viable product) together.

(Please note: MMI is not an “industry” term — I just made it up because it got my point across and felt catchy.)

If you hear something, say something.

If you took my earlier advice, you are already attending meetings that seem like they would be irrelevant to you. In those meetings — the ones where you may feel like you don’t belong — speak up. Share insights from ongoing work and findings from past work. Be concise and be confident. Easier said than done though, right?

Start by committing to sharing one idea in your next meeting. The idea could be something that you’ve learned through a recent project, an anecdote from a recent interview, or an idea for research that would drive the conversation forward. It could really be anything — what you share depends on what is being discussed. If the work you are doing aligns with what your stakeholders are working on, then it should be relatively easy to think of a relevant insight. If not, then it should be relatively easy to identify a gap that you may be able to fill.

Sharing a recent insight that helps bolster someone’s point (as long as it’s a true insight — not one massaged for the moment) can be an easy way to start sharing. That person is likely to glom on to what you shared, since it helps them make their own point. Then you have an advocate and someone who is much more likely to invite you to the next meeting.

Find your advocates.

There are people in your organization, whether you know them or not, who believe in research-driven decision making. If you’re having trouble finding them, you may not be looking in the right places. Branch out and build relationships cross-functionally. Find marketers who want to learn more. Talk with sales folks about what they’ve been hearing. Make connections across your organization to increase where your information is coming from and who is thinking of you when they need to make a difficult decision.

Ultimately, whether or not you have a seat at the table will have a lot to do with your leadership team and company culture, so don’t be too hard on yourself if it feels like you’re always losing musical chairs. Experiment with some of these tips and see how it works within your setting. Remember, impact comes from action and action is driven by people — when in doubt, build a better understanding of your organization and the people who run it to have the impact you desire.