🤝 Influence Skills
How to Lead Without Authority: 7 Strategies That Actually Work
You don’t need a title to lead. In flatter, faster organisations, the people who get things done are the ones who can influence without relying on the org chart.
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A note from Nelson
“Some of the most impactful work I’ve done wasn’t when I had a title — it was when I had to convince people who didn’t report to me. That’s where real leadership skills get tested. No fallback. No ‘because I said so.’ Just influence.”
Here’s a scenario you might recognise: You’ve been asked to lead a project, but nobody on the team actually reports to you. They have their own managers, their own priorities, and their own reasons to put your work at the bottom of their list.
Welcome to horizontal leadership — the skill that matters more every year as organisations flatten, AI reshapes roles, and cross-functional collaboration becomes the norm.
According to DDI’s 2026 Leadership Trends report, by 2030 most organisations will have fewer layers, with leadership dispersing laterally across teams. The ability to influence without formal authority isn’t a “nice to have” — it’s becoming the core of how work gets done.
The Shift to Horizontal Leadership: 2025-2026 Data
The research is clear: influence skills are now core leadership competencies. Accenture’s 2025 leadership framework places them alongside technical expertise and operational management. Michigan Ross research confirms that people who master influence skills often emerge as informal leaders — shaping decisions and outcomes despite having no official authority. Meanwhile, professionals with strong soft skills get promoted 8% faster than those with only technical abilities. Influence isn’t soft — it’s the currency of collaboration.
Sources: DDI Leadership Trends 2026, Accenture 2025, Michigan Ross Executive Education
What’s your natural influence style?
Discover how you naturally lead and persuade — and how to adapt your approach for different situations.
Take the Free Quiz →🎯 7 Strategies to Lead Without Authority
1
Build Expertise That Others Need
Become the person people want to listen to
Harvard Business School calls this “expert authority” — the influence that comes from being genuinely knowledgeable. When you deeply understand your subject, people listen not because they have to, but because they want to. The more unique your expertise, the more valuable your input becomes.
✓ How to Apply This
Pick one domain where you want to be the go-to person. Dedicate 30 minutes daily to deepening that expertise. Share what you learn through internal updates, documentation, or informal conversations. Make your knowledge visible, not hidden.
⚠️ Common Mistake
Building expertise in isolation. It’s not enough to know things — people need to know that you know things. Visibility matters.
2
Understand Their Priorities (Not Just Yours)
Find the overlap between what you need and what they care about
The most common reason cross-functional teams fail? Everyone optimises for their own department. If you want to influence someone, you need to understand what success looks like from their perspective — and position your ask as something that helps them win, not just you.
✓ How to Apply This
Before your next cross-functional meeting, ask: “What’s their department measured on? What’s their biggest current problem? How does my project help or hinder their goals?” Then frame your request in their language, not yours.
🤖 Try this AI prompt
“I need to get buy-in from [role/department] for [project]. Their main KPIs are likely [guess]. Help me reframe my request in a way that shows how this project helps them achieve their goals, not just mine. Give me 3 different ways to position this.”
“Influence isn’t merely a badge reserved for managers. It’s the currency of collaboration. And anyone, at any career level, can learn how to use it wisely.”
3
Be Relentlessly Reliable
Trust is built through consistent follow-through
Research shows that in networked teams, individuals with high trust often keep group engagement high even without authority. Trust develops through integrity, competence, and consistent delivery. People follow people who do what they say they’ll do — every single time.
✓ How to Apply This
Underpromise and overdeliver. If you say you’ll send something by Friday, send it Thursday. If you commit to a meeting, never miss it. Small reliability builds big trust — and trust is the foundation of influence without authority.
⚠️ Common Mistake
Over-committing to build rapport. Saying yes to everything destroys credibility faster than saying no. Protect your reputation for delivery.
4
Build Your Network Before You Need It
Social capital is built over time, not on demand
Michigan Ross research emphasises that influence goes beyond moment-to-moment interactions — it requires social capital built over time. Leaders who invest in relationships, especially outside their immediate circle, gain access to broader insights and support when they need it.
✓ How to Apply This
Schedule one “relationship coffee” per week with someone outside your immediate team. No agenda, no ask — just genuine curiosity. These connections become invaluable when you need cross-functional support later.
🤖 Try this AI prompt
“I want to build my professional network strategically within my organisation. I work in [your department]. Suggest 5 types of roles or departments I should build relationships with, and give me a natural conversation starter for each that doesn’t feel transactional.”
“In flatter structures, every cross-functional project becomes a test of credibility, trust, and adaptability.”
5
Ask Better Questions
Questions engage people more than statements
Leadership research consistently shows that asking good questions often influences more effectively than making statements. Questions engage others in thinking, create discovery, and build ownership. Instead of telling people what to do, ask questions that lead them to your conclusion.
✓ How to Apply This
Replace “We should do X” with “What would happen if we tried X?” Replace “This won’t work” with “What challenges do you see with this approach?” Questions invite collaboration instead of triggering resistance.
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6
Build Coalitions Around Shared Goals
Find allies who benefit from your success
Research on leadership without power emphasises coalition building: find people whose objectives align with yours, even partially. Shared interest creates the basis for collaboration. Structure arrangements so all parties benefit — mutual value sustains coalitions through challenges.
✓ How to Apply This
Before launching any cross-functional initiative, identify 2-3 people who would genuinely benefit from its success. Involve them early. Give them ownership of pieces they care about. Now you have champions, not just participants.
🤖 Try this AI prompt
“I’m leading a [project type] that requires buy-in from multiple departments. Help me map potential stakeholders: who would benefit from success, who might resist, and who has influence but no direct stake. Then suggest an engagement strategy for each group.”
7
Make Others Look Good
Generous credit builds lasting influence
The leaders who build the most influence are often the most generous with credit. When the project succeeds, spotlight the contributions of others — especially those who took a risk by supporting you without being required to. That generosity gets remembered and repaid.
✓ How to Apply This
In every project update or presentation, explicitly name individuals who contributed. Copy their managers when sending praise. Public recognition is free to give and enormously valuable to receive.
⚠️ Common Mistake
Taking credit “because you did the work.” Yes, you did — but burning social capital for recognition is a bad trade. Your reputation will grow through the success of projects you lead, not the credit you claim.
“Your long-term effectiveness depends less on the power you accumulate than on the influence you develop.”
📋 The TRUST Framework for Influence
T — Track Record
Build a history of reliable delivery that precedes you into every room
R — Relationships
Invest in connections before you need to make withdrawals
U — Understanding
Know their priorities, pressures, and what success looks like for them
S — Shared Wins
Structure every collaboration so all parties benefit from success
T — Transparency
Be clear about your intentions, constraints, and what you’re asking for
💼 Real-World Scenario
The situation: You’re a product manager who needs engineering time for a feature, but engineers don’t report to you. Their manager has different priorities.
Ineffective approach: “I need your team to build this feature. It’s on the roadmap.”
Effective approach: “I noticed your team is dealing with a lot of support tickets on the X module. If we build this feature, it should reduce those tickets by about 40% based on similar implementations. Want to look at the data together?”
Why it works: You’ve framed your need as a solution to their problem. Now you’re allies working on a shared goal, not competitors for resources.
Ineffective approach: “I need your team to build this feature. It’s on the roadmap.”
Effective approach: “I noticed your team is dealing with a lot of support tickets on the X module. If we build this feature, it should reduce those tickets by about 40% based on similar implementations. Want to look at the data together?”
Why it works: You’ve framed your need as a solution to their problem. Now you’re allies working on a shared goal, not competitors for resources.
💡 The Influence Mindset
Leading without authority isn’t about manipulation or politics. It’s about creating genuine value for others while achieving your goals. The best influencers aren’t the smoothest talkers — they’re the people who consistently make others’ lives easier and outcomes better.
Discover Your Leadership Style
Understanding how you naturally influence others helps you adapt your approach for different situations and personalities.
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