How do we take control of our own destiny as front-runners in a yet-emerging profession? We start with a clear look at how our work is situated in the organization, and what it takes to build long-term impact through research. In this talk, Dave will walk through the core skill areas that researchers and research teams need to succeed in modern organizations, as developed from workshops involving almost 500 research practitioners. We will see how those skills evolve and support each other over time, and gain a new tool to ‘map’ our professional growth as an evolving system instead of a rigid ladder.