You deserve a seat at the table. Here's how to earn it

A few years into my career as a PA, I got a call from Allergan, a $63 billion pharmaceutical company.

They wanted me to consult for their practice ownership consulting team.

This was unheard of for a PA. Especially since I'd launched a business that competed with them.

But they didn't care. They cared that I'd developed a proprietary way of creating win-win compensation packages for the dermatology industry, sliding scale structures that accounted for both productivity and leadership criteria.

I'd become the go-to expert for salary negotiations, mediations, and conflict resolution around compensation. They needed that expertise.

I earned that seat. Not through my clinical credentials. Through solving a problem the industry couldn't figure out.

Today, I sit on the University of Miami President's Council, advise founders and CEOs, and hold multiple board roles.

Not because of degrees. Because of approach.

Sometimes the table is a board seat. Sometimes it's the industry conference that matters. Sometimes it's being the advisor leaders call when they're stuck.

The table looks different for everyone. But how you earn it? That's the same.

1. Solve Problems Before You're Asked

Nobody invites problem-identifiers. They invite problem-solvers.

I didn't just point out compensation issues in dermatology practices. I created a methodology that fixed them.

That's what got Allergan's attention. I'd solved a high-value industry problem with a proprietary framework.

I launched a business around it that competed with them. They still wanted me on their team.

That's what problem-solving earns you: a seat even with your competitors.

I watch for this now with clients. The people who get promoted show up saying "here's the issue, here's what I think we should do, here's the data."

When you show up with solutions, people start asking: "What do you think?"

2. Speak to the Mission, Not Just Your Role

I stopped thinking like a PA and started thinking like a strategist.

Instead of "here's what I'm doing," I asked "here's how this impacts retention, revenue, efficiency."

Strategic thinkers get invited to strategic conversations.

When I advise teams now, I watch for who's connecting their work to the larger mission. Who's thinking beyond just their function.

Those are the people ready for more.

3. Build Relationships Before You Need Them

I didn't network to GET something. I invested in people because I valued their work.

Years later, those relationships opened doors I didn't know existed.

Board seats don't come from cold messages. They come from years of showing up and being someone people trust.

4. Demonstrate Impact with Evidence

When Allergan called, they didn't ask about my degrees. They knew I'd developed a proprietary compensation methodology that was changing how practices structured provider packages.

They knew I'd become the leading expert in salary negotiations and mediation for dermatology.

They knew I had a competing business but wanted me anyway.

That's what demonstrable impact looks like.

I knew my numbers. I could speak to the results my methodology was creating. Patient retention. Practice revenue. Provider satisfaction.

That's what people remember. Not your title. Your impact.

How to Spot It in Others

I pay attention to this now with clients.

Who's bringing solutions instead of just problems?

Who's connecting work to mission, not just executing tasks?

Who's building relationships across the organization?

Who's showing impact, not just effort?

Those people are earning seats. Even if they don't realize it yet.

If you're a leader, notice who's doing this. They're ready for more.

If you're trying to earn a seat, these are the behaviors people are watching.

What Most People Get Wrong

They think it's about credentials, waiting to be noticed, or working harder.

What actually works: solving problems, thinking strategically, building trust, showing impact.

I've watched brilliant people stay stuck waiting for permission.

And I've watched less credentialed people earn influential seats because they showed up as problem-solvers.

I work with founders and CEOs and teams navigating this exact thing everyday.

They've built successful businesses. But they're not always in the rooms where the biggest decisions happen.

Or they're in the room but not sure how to command respect.

That's what I help with. Earning the seats you deserve through strategic value and the kind of presence that makes people say: "We need them here."

If you're ready to level up how you show up, reply to this email. Let's talk.

I'm rooting for you,

Kasey

P.S. The people who make the biggest leaps aren't waiting for permission. They're already showing up like they belong. Because they do.