Mike Li

Ex-Amazon Director/General Manager

This course is popular

8 people enrolled last week.

The unwritten rules of influence, decoded for non-native speaking leaders

Built from teaching 500+ professionals across 25 countries, from companies like Google, Meta, Amazon, JPMorgan and Deloitte.
🏆 A Maven Top 30 Course of All Time
💫 Mike Li is one of Maven’s Top 10 Leadership Instructors of 2026

Have you ever wondered:

“Why does my manager keep telling me to improve my communication skill?”
“Why doesn’t my technical strength earn more trust from leadership?”
“Why was my idea ignored, but when a peer said the same thing, leadership listened?”

There’s a gap between doing great work and the unwritten rules of how workplaces decide who gets seen, heard and trusted. This course closes it. All sessions are live and recorded.

It’s more than a course. It’s a system to transform your career:

✈️ 12 months of access to every future cohort, including live Q&As
💬 10+hours of live Q&As per cohort to get your questions answered (60+hours for the 12-month period)
🌎 A private Slack community for ongoing support, even after the course
🤖 Claude Skills based on Mike’s frameworks to help you build strategies for each situation at work

🚨 The December cohort is the last one of 2026. Enroll now and start transforming your career.

What you’ll learn

You’ll learn the unwritten rules that 500+ senior ICs, managers and directors used to turn great work into trusted leadership.

Your manager says you’re strong in technical execution, but the promotion goes to someone else. Learn what’s really being judged, and when
Why stakeholders judge their memory of your work, not the work itself, and how a handful of moments becomes your label, for better or worse
How to create a roadmap to identify and strategically influence key stakeholders outside your direct team

Peers with less technical depth get more exposure to senior leaders. Learn how to build visibility without friction
How to get the credit you deserve, and share it strategically while still being remembered as the person who drove the result
How to stay top of mind with senior leaders without bragging or feeling inauthentic

How to push back without sounding defensive. Learn to navigate complex stakeholder dynamics so your pushback earns trust
How to raise concerns and flag risks without sounding negative, and voice your opinion strategically so it doesn’t backfire
How to handle disagreement with grace and read the room, so every tough conversation shows your leadership

“Improve your communication skills” is vague feedback. Learn what it usually means and fix the real issue
How to get “a seat at the table” by building the right stakeholder network, so decisions stop going around you
How to influence key decisions before they’re made, so you shape the outcome instead of reacting to it

How to protect your scope and your team while earning the trust of the leaders you work with
How to read stakeholder dynamics and get your voice heard without worrying about stepping on people’s toes
When a senior leader challenges you in public, how to respond calmly and come out with more credibility, not less

Build relationships across cultures without forcing small talk or changing who you are, so the right people know your name
Learn the business cycle your leaders plan around, so your asks and ideas land when decisions are actually being made
A step-by-step plan to practice in low-stakes moments first, so you walk into high-stakes meetings already prepared

Learn directly from Mike

Mike Li

Ex-Amazon Director/General Manager | Entrepreneur | Executive Coach

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Who this course is for

This course is designed for high-performing leaders who realize that technical excellence is no longer enough to move the needle.
You should enroll if you feel your contributions are overlooked or underestimated in high-stakes meetings or email chains.
ICs/managers who are ready to start mastering strategic communication to build credibility and influence your career trajectory

What's included

Live sessions

Learn directly from Mike Li in a real-time, interactive format.

Full Year Access of Future Live Sessions & Office Hour Q&As

For a full year, rejoin any future cohort, office hour Q&As included. Had a schedule conflict? Come back. Want a refresher? Come back. Most students get more from round two, because by then they’ve tried the tools at work.

10+ Hours of Office Hour Q&As per Cohort

Each Q&A session focuses on one theme, such as pushing back, getting visible or managing up. Hear the questions that come up most, answered live, and see how the frameworks apply across many real workplace scenarios. The FAQ bank has written answers to many more.

Lifetime Access to Course Recordings and Materials

Rewatch any lecture or Q&A from the cohorts you attend, whenever you need it, such as before an important stakeholder meeting, a big presentation, a promotion conversation, a new role or review season.

Lifetime Access To Slack Community

A private Slack for questions, job leads and ongoing support from 200+ students and growing. Members are senior ICs, managers, directors and VPs across tech, banking, consulting, pharma and more.

Foundation course included (3.5 Hours)

Start before your cohort begins, or catch up at your own pace. The foundation course covers the core ideas, so the live sessions can go deeper.

Claude Skills built on Mike's Frameworks

Turn the course into tools you use at work. Prep for a high-stakes meeting, map your stakeholders, plan a 1:1 with your manager, or rehearse a tough conversation, all guided by the same frameworks you learn in class.

Built for how workplaces actually work across cultures

Most leadership advice assumes everyone grew up with the same unwritten rules. This course doesn’t. Every tool is designed for professionals who work across cultures, industries or countries, and want to lead without changing who they are.

Certificate of completion

Share your new skills with your connections on LinkedIn, and use your certificate for reimbursement if your company has an L&D budget.

Maven Guarantee

Your purchase is backed by the Maven Guarantee.