About Olga

Olga Ziegelman is Head of UX Research and Research Operations at Alteryx. With a background in software engineering, cognitive psychology, and UX, she has worked across B2B and B2C products, startups, consultancies, and large enterprises. That path has given her a front row seat to how UX teams evolve, how Research Ops unlocks impact at scale, and what it takes to build and lead high-trust research teams. 

From IC to Leader: Leadership is Not a “Reward”.

Olga started by describing her own shift from hands-on UX researcher to leading research teams. The biggest surprise was realizing that the skills that earned her the promotion were not the same skills that would keep her effective in the role.

Before leadership, her strengths were:

• Deep research craft and methods fluency
• Strong moderation and analysis skills
• Comfort owning studies end to end

Once she moved into leadership, her strengths shifted:

• Creating clarity when things are ambiguous
• Influencing across teams and levels
• Navigating change and uncertainty
• Supporting people through coaching, not doing the work for them
  

She also reframed a common myth: leadership is not a “reward” for being the strongest IC. Instead, it is an opportunity you earn by already operating like a leader before anyone gives you the title.

Earning Your Seat: Influence Over Hierarchy

Olga emphasized that a title will not automatically get you into important rooms or keep you there. What is your ability to influence and move work forward?

She encouraged aspiring leaders to:

• Lead beyond direct reports: You won’t be effective if you can only lead people who report to you. Leadership is about influencing peers, stakeholders, and partners just as much.
  
  
• Build a “leadership portfolio” for yourself: Keep track of the systems you helped shape, the decisions you influenced, the people you coached, and the outcomes you drove. This doesn’t have to be public, but it helps you see your own growth over time.
  
  
• Observe leaders around you: Notice how different leaders make decisions and communicate. Note what you want to emulate and what you absolutely do not want to copy. Both are valuable data points.
  
  
• Manage your manager: Use one-on-ones to understand what problems your manager is trying to solve and then position yourself as someone who can help. When your work makes your manager and team more effective, doors tend to open.

For anyone thinking, “Why should I do leadership work before I am paid for it?”, Olga’s answer was simple: do it for yourself. If you don’t enjoy the work of leading, there are much easier ways to earn a paycheck.

One-On-Ones Are Where the Real Magic Happens

Olga describes herself as a “quiet leader,” and for her, the most meaningful leadership work happens in one-on-one conversations rather than in big all-hands moments.

She sees one-on-ones as the primary place where leaders can:

• Build deep trust and psychological safety
• Listen to what people really care about and what motivates them
• Help someone reframe a challenge or a stuck point
• Give direct, caring feedback and coach on behavior
• Support people in moments of vulnerability

Big presentations and polished decks still matter, but they are not where most people decide whether they trust you. People tend to remember how you made them feel when things were hard, not just what you said in a polished forum.

For individual contributors, she suggested using one-on-ones proactively: show curiosity about your manager’s challenges, share your own leadership ambitions, and ask directly for feedback and opportunities to stretch.

Leading Through Constant Change

Olga was clear that “stability” is mostly a myth in modern product and research organizations. Between economic shifts, layoffs, and the pace of AI, change is the norm rather than the exception.

Instead of waiting for calm, she encouraged leaders and aspiring leaders to:

• Acknowledge uncertainty openly: It’s better to say “I do not know yet, and here is what I do know and what we are watching” than to pretend you have all the answers.
  
  
• Stay transparent and grounded: Share what you can share, avoid sugar-coating, and be clear about what is still unknown.
  
  
• Set the emotional tone: Leadership isn’t about eliminating rough waters. It is about helping people navigate them without losing direction. Even when you cannot offer clarity, you can offer care, steadiness, and context.
  
  
• Normalize experimentation and learning: Especially in AI-heavy environments, nobody has the full playbook. Teams need permission to experiment, fail, learn, and adjust quickly.

The Middle-Management Squeeze

Olga described middle management as feeling like “the squeeze” or “being the middle child.”

Middle managers are accountable for:

• Translating executive vision into realistic plans and research goals
• Delivering on company KPIs and timelines
• Advocating for their team’s capacity, constraints, and well-being
• Holding space for individuals who may be struggling with change

That often means carrying pressure from above and below at the same time. There is no shortcut here; the work is to build transparency in both directions, set expectations clearly, and keep reiterating how research connects to the broader strategy.

For people who want to build toward this level, Olga suggested using existing UX skills as a bridge: you already know how to mediate between business and users, or design and engineering. Leading across execs and ICs is another flavor of that same negotiation and translation skill.

Leading Beyond Your Expertise (Including Research Ops)

Later in her career, Olga began leading disciplines that were not fully in her wheelhouse, including Research Ops. She was quick to shout out Research Ops leaders and practitioners as people she deeply admires and relies on.

Her approach to leading outside her own subject matter:

• Do not pretend to be the subject matter expert: Your job is not to solve every ops problem personally. Your job is to enable the people who can.
  
  
• Hire for what you are not: Early on, it is easy to hire “versions of yourself” because it feels comfortable. Over time, you realize you need people who think differently, communicate differently, and fill your blind spots.
  
  
• Build teams that are greater than the sum of their parts: Like a sports team, you need different positions and strengths, not a group of clones. A little bit of discomfort is a good sign that someone will stretch your thinking.
  
  
• Create the environment and mechanisms for success: Think less “how do I solve this?” and more “what tools, processes, and support do they need to solve this well?”
  
  

Quiet Leadership and Introverts in Charge

For a long time, Olga believed leaders had to be extroverted, fast on their feet, and always “on.” That image clashed with how she experiences herself as a person and as a researcher.

Her turning point came when a manager told her, “You are a researcher. Lead like one.”

Today, she sees her core leadership superpowers as the same ones that made her a strong researcher:

• Deep listening
• Empathy and perspective taking
• Thoughtful, systematic problem solving
• Careful sense-making over flashy hot takes

She acknowledged that quiet leaders still need to show up in visible ways, give presentations, and speak in large forums sometimes. But you do not have to become the loudest voice in the room to be effective. You can also:

• Use one-on-ones, small meetings, and written updates to influence decisions
• Follow up after big forums with thoughtful questions and ideas
• Reach out to executives for short “thought partnership” chats when something in a company meeting sparks an idea

The key is to find communication channels that feel authentic to you rather than performing a persona that will exhaust you and feel inauthentic to your team.

TL;DR | Key Takeaways

• Leadership is not a reward for great IC work. It is an ongoing practice that relies on different muscles: clarity, influence, and care.
• You can and should start leading before you have the title by influencing cross-functionally, creating a leadership “portfolio,” and managing your manager.
• Stability is not coming. Strong leaders acknowledge uncertainty, set the emotional tone, and help people navigate change without losing direction.
• Feedback and friction are invitations to align. Ask for examples, clarify expectations, and use them to refine how you communicate your impact

Thanks, Olga

Thank you to Olga Ziegelman for sharing such candid, human stories about UX leadership. Her perspective offered a grounded view of what it looks like to grow your influence, support your team through uncertainty, and lead in a way that fits who you are instead of who you think a leader “should” be.

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