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Influencing Without Authority

How to win genuine support for your proposals when you cannot instruct anyone — mapping what stakeholders care about, building credibility, framing in the other party's terms and assembling coalitions — for professionals in industrial and energy organisations and self-directed learners.

55m
Total time
4
Competency levels
12
Lessons

What you'll learn

  • Explain why influence, not authority, moves most cross-functional work, and what distinguishes influence from manipulation
  • Map stakeholders by what they care about, how they are measured and how the decision actually gets made
  • Build and spend the two core influence currencies — credibility and reciprocity — deliberately over time
  • Frame a proposal in the other party's terms so it answers their priorities, not yours
  • Choose between push and pull influence styles to fit the person and the situation
  • Build a coalition of support before the decision meeting, and handle pushback without damaging the relationship

Curriculum

Progress through each competency level in order.

1

Awareness

  • Why influence beats authority
    Knowledge
    3m
  • Start from their world: what stakeholders care about
    Knowledge
    3m
  • Awareness check: influence foundations
    Assessment
    7m
2

Knowledge

  • Influence currencies: credibility and reciprocity
    Knowledge
    3m
  • Push and pull: choosing your influence style
    Knowledge
    3m
  • Knowledge check: currencies and styles
    Assessment
    8m
3

Skill

  • Framing, coalitions and the meeting before the meeting
    Knowledge
    3m
  • Assignment: run a real influence campaign
    Assignment
    3m
  • Skill check: influence in practice
    Assessment
    8m
4

Mastery

  • Sustained influence: networks, timing and influencing upwards
    Knowledge
    3m
  • Assignment: lead a cross-functional influence initiative
    Assignment
    3m
  • Mastery assessment: influence judgement
    Assessment
    8m

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