Insights
Everything we’ve learned about influence, and a few things we’re still working out.
Think of this as the place where our facilitators empty their notebooks. You’ll find practical guides to the conversations you’ve been putting off, fresh thinking on why some people get heard and others don’t, and the occasional strong opinion. Some of it will help you tomorrow morning, and some of it might change how you see the people you work with. Dip in to our influence insights wherever you like.
Start here
Our guides on the challenges that come up most.
How to influence upwards
Why influencing senior leaders feels different, and how to change it.
How to handle conflict and difficult conversations
What’s really causing disagreements, and how to navigate them.
Influencing without authority
Why influence without positional power feels harder, and how to overcome that.
Browse by topic
How influence won the US its independence
For nine years Franklin hosted salons, wrote charming letters, befriended French aristocrats, and listened more than he spoke. He waited for the right moment to make an ask, and when it came, in the aftermath of the American victory at Saratoga, he was ready.
What got you here won’t get you there
As artificial intelligence absorbs more and more of the purely technical work, the premium on raw expertise is starting to soften.
Why influence skills matter more in the age of AI
AI has made expertise cheap. The one skill that hasn’t scaled the same way is the ability to walk into a room and shift what people think, do, or decide.
In the age of AI, trust is a superpower
AI can optimise processes and sharpen decisions, but it can’t earn the trust of the people you lead. In a world where more work is automated, the capacity to be trusted is the thing that still can’t be delegated.
Why nice isn’t the same as kind
Most workplaces reward nice and rely on kind. The people who get promoted for being easy to work with are often propped up by colleagues willing to have the conversations they won’t.
The real cause of most workplace conflict
Real influence often starts one layer below the words that are being said. It requires the confidence to name what you think might really be going on, and the humility to be wrong about it.
Stop trying to fix it
The objective here isn’t to be less useful but to be useful in a way that delivers the most positive outcome to a problem, strengthens those around you, and deepens trust and cooperation.
Why we’re worse listeners than we think
Just admitting that you’re finding it hard, showing that vulnerability, can help shift a conversation into territory you’d never reach otherwise.
The leadership confidence gap
Confidence isn’t a simple trait – it shifts depending on who you’re trying to influence, and why.
Using assertive language
Ever found yourself adding ‘maybe’ and ‘perhaps’? If that sounds like you, rest assured that you’re not alone. And that there is a better way.
5 minutes with a Director
That once brilliant idea comes out as a timid suggestion. The Director has switched off and is heading to their next meeting.
When experts become leaders
Part of our guide to influencing without authority.The technical expertise that we bring to a role is often a core strength and the primary reason that we join an organisation. Over time a technical role can begin to morph, either by accident or design, into a...
Not sure where to start?
Take our two-minute self-assessment to see which of these situations is your biggest gap, or get in touch to talk about a programme for your team.