September 2024 - Cohort 5

Practical skills for engineers & leaders to win buy-in, build trust, and drive results without authority. No fluff, just results.

Irina Stanescu

Impact through Influence in Engineering Teams

Google

Amazon

Dropbox

Microsoft

Changing minds is hard, but not impossible. Winning support, making a case, and reaching agreements are skills anyone can learn, but most people get them wrong. The reality is:➡️ People are irrational (even when it’s in their best interest).➡️ Good ideas don’t sell themselves.➡️ More arguments won’t magically make someone say “yes.” You need something else. You need influence. Without influence, it’s tough to shape decisions, keep people accountable, and move projects forward. This usually leads to missed deadlines, frustration, and feeling stuck. 💡 But it doesn’t have to be that way. For many people, influence is invisible. It’s cultural. It’s a nice-to-have. Yet it‘s the strongest force that drives results. With it, you’ll build trust, inspire action, and gain buy-in. In this course, you'll learn to:✅ Overcome the inner obstacles that limit your influence✅ Define how you want to show up and shape your reputation✅ Build trust-based relationships that create real opportunities✅ Handle pushback with confidence✅ Use proven persuasion techniques that fit different situations Course format:➡️ Pre-work videos &amp; articles➡️ Interactive live sessions➡️ Simple frameworks to explain complex concepts➡️ Worksheets &amp; templates to apply what you learn➡️ Ready-to-use phrases &amp; questions➡️ Office hours for personalized guidance Who takes this course?Software Engineers, Engineering Managers, Directors, CTOs, Product Managers, and Researchers from companies like Google, Amazon, Microsoft, Intel, and Square have found this course transformative. Bonus📩 Get a 1-year free subscription to The Caring Techie Newsletter ($100 value) www.thecaringtechie.com. Questions?Unsure if this course is right for you?Email me at thecaringtechie@gmail.com—I’m happy to chat!

Having the right idea doesn't matter ... if nobody else joins you.

Tech Leads and Senior+ Engineers lacking formal authority to mandate decisions, who rely on influence to lead, motivate, and get buy-in.

Engineering Managers who want to navigate complex, challenging cross-functional projects, where direct hierarchical influence is limited.

Anyone who wants to find a larger scope, have a bigger impact, and get to the next level.

Who is this course for

What you’ll get out of this course

Identify and reprogram mindset leaks—including impostor syndrome—using the Personal Power Leaks worksheet. Master confident word choices, body language, and reputation-building moves so you stop underselling yourself and make yourself heard.

Build unshakable personal power & an outstanding reputation

Use the 4-stage relationship framework and stakeholder power/interest grid to build, nurture, and maintain a tribe of allies

Build trust-based relationships

Practice the ACE framework extensively in every conversation to notice, listen, and connect. De-escalate conflict, land feedback that sticks, and make each stakeholder feel genuinely heard.

Master emotionally intelligent communication

Learn the principles for getting to a yes and the 9 persuasion tactics, then combine them in the “anatomy of an ask” template to structure your requests for maximum buy-in.

Ask for anything—and get a yes

Anchor your narrative in time/place, build tension, and close with a clear call to action. Structure and iterate slides using our spiral editing process to engage and persuade any audience.

Tell stories & deliver killer presentations

Learn to craft compelling problem pitches, refine them with feedback, rally the right stakeholders, and drive your initiatives from concept to adoption—so your ideas turn into real projects that deliver measurable impact.

Uncover and scale high-impact opportunities

Provide a brief description for each module as a way to sell the value of what students will be learning throughout the course.

First Module

Second Module

Third Module

Course syllabus

Irina's Pyramid of Influence

CTO | Author of Engineering Leadership newsletter

Senior Software Engineer @ Pinterest | Author of High Growth Engineer Newsletter

What people are saying

Meet your instructor

Foundations of Influence &amp; Power 90mins<ul><li>Case Studies</li><li>Psychology of Influence and Power</li><li>Mindset: Eliminate &amp; reframe power leaks</li><li>Mindset: Show up with Power</li></ul>Questions &amp; Answers (optional) 30mins

Monday January 15th, 2024

Personal Branding 90mins<ul><li>Understanding Personal Branding</li><li>The Personal Branding Framework</li><li>First Impressions: Write your personal elevator pitch</li></ul> Questions &amp; Answers (optional) 30mins

Thursday January 17th, 2024

Building Relationships in Organizations 90 mins<ul><li>The 5 stages of building relationships</li><li>The anatomy of trust</li><li>Organizational understanding: Build your influence map</li></ul> Questions &amp; Answers 30mins

Monday January 22rd, 2024

Principles and Tactics of Persuasion 90 mins<ul><li>Influencing up, down, and across</li><li>Moments of influence</li><li>The 9 Tactics of Persuasion</li><li>How to disagree without rubbing people off</li></ul> Questions &amp; Answers (optional) 30mins

Thursday January 25th, 2024

Course schedule

This course builds on live workshops and hands-on projects

Active hands-on learning

You’ll be interacting with other learners through breakout rooms and project teams

Interactive and project-based

Join a community of like-minded people who want to learn and grow alongside you

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