You've landed your first Product Manager role—congrats! Now comes the tricky part: getting people to take you seriously when you don’t yet have a track record, direct authority, or fancy title.

Welcome to the invisible skill that defines great PMs: influence.

This session is designed for newer PMs (or anyone feeling unheard in their org) who are navigating the messy middle between being “the new person” and becoming a trusted product voice. You’ll learn actionable strategies to gain credibility, drive alignment, and build the kind of trust that gets your ideas taken seriously—even when you’re the most junior person in the room.

We’ll cover:

Why title doesn’t equal influence—and what actually does

Tactical ways to build trust with engineering, design, and stakeholders

How to speak with clarity and confidence when you don’t have all the answers

Quick wins to become the go-to person on your team

Real scripts and reframes to manage up, down, and sideways

This isn’t about faking it or posturing. It’s about developing authentic influence through mindset shifts, smart communication, and quiet leadership—so you can move your product (and your career) forward with intention.

Meet the Speaker:
Arya Baybordi is a Product Manager at Capsa Healthcare, a U.S. healthcare technology company, and a Lead Instructor at BrainStation’s Product Management course. With 6+ years of experience in PM roles across healthcare and robotics, Arya has helped mentor dozens of new product managers breaking into the field. His approach to influence combines first-principles thinking, practical frameworks, and storytelling that resonates with cross-functional teams.