Software systems are socio-technical systems: software products are intertwined with the organizations that build them. Organizational forces shape the software, which in turn shapes the organization, locking both into structures and patterns that can be difficult to change. This reality is what we need to engage with if we want to have impact as software developers, if we want our ideas to count, if we want to influence the culture we work in and shape the software being built. It's not enough to be tech-proficient. We must be able to communicate clearly and honestly, build trust and collaborate effectively, gain support for our ideas, understand and empathize with the concerns and priorities of others, negotiate fairly, give and take, choose which battles to fight and which to leave alone. But that's easy to say - how do we do it in practice?