Workshop

Influence Without Authority: Move People You Don't Manage

Linda Scotti

Accredited Executive Leadership Coach

From great work to real influence: move people you don't manage

You know the person you need to get on board. The peer blocking your project. The senior stakeholder who won't make time. The team whose help you need—but can't demand.

You've made your case. You've brought the logic. You've explained the "why" five different ways. And you still get:

"That's not a priority right now…"

"I wasn't consulted, so no…"

Silence, polite agreement, and then nothing moves.

This workshop is for that moment. In 3 hours, you'll learn to move people you have no authority over—without pressure, politics, or burning the relationship.

Why "push and pull" is the differentiator

Most influence advice assumes a better argument will win people over. But when someone feels steamrolled, they protect their turf instead of partnering with you. Capable people over-rely on push—logic, agenda, pressure—and underuse pull: listening, questions, common ground, and shared control. Pull is what earns a real "yes" from people who don't report to you.

The Outcome

You'll leave with a system to:

Move a resistant stakeholder from "no" to a shared goal.

Get buy-in before you have the title.

Turn one-off wins into lasting relationships.

What you’ll learn

Turn resistance, blocked agendas, and "no" into shared goals, genuine buy-in, and lasting partnerships—without authority.

  • Map the situation, your real goal, and the true target so you stop influencing the wrong person the wrong way.

  • Spot whether the moment calls for push, pull, or both—and why your default is costing you.

  • Make your case with logic, values, and clear asks that land as conviction, not pressure.

  • Know the four push moves and exactly when each one earns respect instead of resistance.

  • Use deep listening and questions to surface what your stakeholder actually cares about and fears.

  • Build genuine common ground so people move with you toward a goal they now share.

  • Learn how offering information, credit, or control turns adversaries into partners (the move that saved my career).

  • Apply "hand over control to gain commitment" in turf wars, approvals, and cross-team asks.

  • Design a Situation → Goal → Target → Plan strategy for a real challenge you're facing this week.

  • Get live feedback on your plan and refine the exact language before you use it for real.

Workshop agenda

  • The Influence Gap: Why Great Work Isn't Enough

    Understand the promotion ceiling and why capable people stall. Diagnose your personal default—push or pull—and the situations where it quietly backfires on you.

  • Positive Influence: Safety, Connection, and the Two Energies

    Define influence that strengthens relationships instead of spending them. Learn the push/pull model and why psychological safety and connection make any influence attempt land.

  • Push, Done Right: Logic, Values, and Clear Asks

    Practice making your case so it reads as conviction, not pressure. Master the four push moves and learn to read when push earns respect versus when it triggers resistance.

  • Pull, the No-Authority Superpower: Listen, Ask, Connect

    Practice the four pull moves in a safe triad. Surface what your stakeholder truly cares about, build real common ground, and move them from "no" toward a shared goal.

  • The Reciprocity Move: Give First to Gain Commitment

    Work through a real turf war using "hand over control to gain commitment." Practice the written-agreement approach that turns gatekeepers into partners.

  • Build Your Influence Strategy: Situation, Goal, Target, Plan

    Map a live challenge you're facing into a four-step strategy. Choose your mix of push and pull and script the opening words you'll actually use.

  • Practice Lab + Feedback: Your Real Challenge, Live

    Run your strategy on a partner playing your real stakeholder. Get structured feedback on what landed, what triggered resistance, and how to refine it before the real conversation.

Learn directly from Linda

Linda Scotti

Linda Scotti

Contact

Executive Coach Driving Measurable Leadership Effectiveness and Behaviour

Google, Indeed
Google
Indeed
See all products from Linda

Who this workshop is for

  • The Ambitious IC

    You do great work but keep hitting a ceiling—because moving people you don't manage is the skill no one taught you.

  • The Cross-Functional Operator

    You drive projects through other teams and stakeholders, with influence but no authority, and need real buy-in.

  • The Aspiring Leader

    You want to lead before the title—turning peers, gatekeepers, and senior stakeholders into partners who move with you.

What's included

Linda Scotti

Live sessions

Learn directly from Linda Scotti in a real-time, interactive format.

Lifetime access

Go back to course content and recordings whenever you need to.

Community of peers

Stay accountable and share insights with like-minded professionals.

Certificate of completion

Share your new skills with your employer or on LinkedIn.

Maven Guarantee

Your purchase is backed by the Maven Guarantee.

Frequently asked questions

Maven for Teams

Reimbursement

Get your company to pay

Everything L&D needs: email template, receipts, and certificate of completion.

Get reimbursed

Team discount

Learn with your teammates

Save 20%+ when 2 or more teammates enroll in the same cohort.

Save 20%+ with a team

Private cohort

Run a cohort for your org

A dedicated cohort with a custom schedule and curriculum, tailored to your team.

Book a private cohort

$347

USD

Aug 20
·

11am–2pm EDT

Enroll