What no leader should ever have to wonder: was I a diversity hire?

In high school I had to debate affirmative action. We were the only two non-white kids in class, and we were asked to take opposite sides.

My best friend argued it was necessary to address systemic injustice. I said I wanted to be chosen on "merit."

At 15 I assumed the playing field was equal. That if I was smart and worked hard, that would earn its due. What I observed later in tech: it wasn't equal.

With uneven feedback, even great leaders start to question if they belong. That's not imposter syndrome. It's a normal human response to an unfair system.

But that doesn't mean you second-guess your seat.

Merit is subjective. Your track record isn't.

Here's how I coach marginalized leaders: track your impact so you don't forget what you've built, especially when it's not mirrored back as often as it should be.

Start with the metrics most leaders know:

• Retention lift from your product initiatives
• Revenue growth driven by your strategic bets
• Headcount you've scaled, and how long your people stay

Then add the numbers we tend to overlook, even though they count just as much:

• Number of former reports who still reach out for advice
• Direct reports or peers who've followed you to another company
• Colleagues who've said, "We should start something together," and mean it
• Times you were recommended for opportunities you didn't even ask for

Tracking your impact won't fix the system. But it gets you out of your own way.

Write it down.

This isn't a feel-good exercise. It's a leadership framework to self-calibrate.

When you can't rely on the system to affirm your value, learn to track it for yourself.

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This post originally appeared on LinkedIn.