Influencing Without Authority

How can businesses go beyond using AI for incremental efficiency gains to create transformative impact? I write from the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland, where I’ve been speaking with many CEOs about how to use AI for growth. A recurring theme is that running many experimental, bottom-up AI projects — letting a thousand flowers bloom — has failed to lead to significant payoffs. Instead, bigger gains require workflow redesign: taking a broader, perhaps top-down view of the multiple steps in a process and changing how they work together from end to end. Consider a bank issuing loans. The workflow consists of several discrete stages: Marketing -> Application -> Preliminary Approval -> Final Review -> Execution Suppose each step used to be manual. Preliminary Approval used to require an hour-long human review, but a new agentic system can do this automatically in 10 minutes. Swapping human review for AI review — but keeping everything else the same — gives a minor efficiency gain but isn’t transformative. Here’s what would be transformative: Instead of applicants waiting a week for a human to review their application, they can get a decision in 10 minutes. When that happens, the loan becomes a more compelling product, and that better customer experience allows lenders to attract more applications and ultimately issue more loans. However, making this change requires taking a broader business or product perspective, not just a technology perspective. Further, it changes the workflow of loan processing. Switching to offering a “10-minute loan” product would require changing how it is marketed. Applications would need to be digitized and routed more efficiently, and final review and execution would need to be redesigned to handle a larger volume. Even though AI is applied only to one step, Preliminary Approval, we end up implementing not just a point solution but a broader workflow redesign that transforms the product offering. At AI Aspire (an advisory firm I co-lead), here’s what we see: Bottom-up innovation matters because the people closest to problems often see solutions first. But scaling such ideas to create transformative impact often requires seeing how AI can transform entire workflows end to end, not just individual steps, and this is where top-down strategic direction and innovation can help. This year's WEF meeting, as in previous years, has been an energizing event. Among technologists, frequent topics of discussion include Agentic AI (when I coined this term, I was not expecting to see it plastered on billboards and buildings!), Sovereign AI (how nations can control their own access to AI), Talent (the challenging job market for recent graduates, and how to upskill nations), and data-center infrastructure (how to address bottlenecks in energy, talent, GPU chips, and memory). I will address some of these topics in future posts. [Original text: https://lnkd.in/gbiRs2mi ]

Rick Rubin went on stage in Helsinki the day after my talk. Someone asked how he resolves creative differences with artists. His answer was simple: change the conversation from "I disagree" to "let's build it." Then he shared a story: An artist played him a song. The transition didn't work. Rubin told him so. The artist said, "We'll just cut that part in half." Rubin thought to himself: What a dumb idea. But he didn't say that. He said, "Let's try it." The artist played it. It worked. Rubin is a legend. He's produced everyone from Johnny Cash to Jay-Z. Instead, he bit his tongue and let the artist prove him wrong. The principle: when you make an idea tangible, it stops being the person's idea. It becomes something you can both look at objectively and improve together. Once you build it, the truth is obvious. Here's what this looks like in practice: Your designer wants to change the entire homepage layout. You think it's too risky. Instead of three meetings debating it, you say: "Let's build a prototype and test it with 50 users this week." Your sales team wants to restructure the pricing page. Instead of blocking it because you're worried about conversions, you say: "Let's run it as an A/B test on 20% of traffic for two weeks." Your engineer wants to rebuild a core feature from scratch. You think it's overengineered. But instead of killing it in the planning phase, you say: "Spike it out in three days and show me if the performance gain is real." You're not saying yes to everything. You're saying, "Let's find out." Rubin also said something that stuck with me: "If there's disagreement, I always side with the artist's vision. Because to them, it's their career. To me, it's just one piece of my portfolio." Most leaders think backing down makes them look weak. Rubin knows that siding with the person who has the most at stake makes better work happen. Your job isn't to be right. It's to create the conditions where the best idea wins. Stop debating. Start building. P.S. This insight is from this week's newsletter where I break down why Yamaha dominates while Steinway got sold to private equity: https://lnkd.in/efSqP_9K P.P.S. Access additional research links, the podcast, and the full archive in the first comment 👇 Thank you to Nordic Business Forum!

Not ads. Not influencers. This is what builds a D2C brand. 8 years ago, when Varun Alagh and I launched Mamaearth, we weren’t the biggest brand. We didn’t have endless budgets or massive influencer deals. What we had was intent. We replied to every DM ourselves. Took feedback personally. And obsessed over what one customer was trying to say, not how many followed us. I myself talked to over 3,000 mothers to understand what they want in a baby product. That’s what most people miss about D2C: The consumer doesn’t just buy your product. They buy your intent. 🔹They notice when you make changes based on their reviews. 🔹They remember how fast you responded when they had a concern. 🔹They talk about your brand when you listen to them like a person, not a number. The edge in D2C isn’t speed or scale. While those are important too, what tops the list is how real your relationship with your consumer feels. If you're in the D2C space, don’t chase virality before you’ve built trust. And don’t confuse transactions with loyalty. What’s one lesson that’s shaped how you show up for your consumer? #Entrepreneurship #MondayMotivation #LeadershipLesson #D2C

One skill separates great communicators from average ones: Perspective-taking. The ability to see things from someone else’s point of view. But most people do it wrong. Here’s how to do it right, especially when you’re leading or being led: When you’re the boss, persuading down: You’re trying to convince Maria on your team to do something different. She’s pushing back. Your instinct might be to assert your authority. But that’s a mistake. Here’s why… Research shows: The more powerful you feel, the worse your perspective-taking becomes. More power = less understanding. So if you want to persuade Maria, don’t lean into your title. Do the opposite: dial your power down, just briefly. Try this: Before the next conversation, remind yourself: Maria has power too. I need her buy-in. Maybe she sees something I don’t. Lower your feelings of power to raise your perspective. From that place, ask: → What does she see that I’m missing? → What might be in her way? → What’s a win-win outcome? That shift changes the entire dynamic. Instead of steamrolling, you’re collaborating. And that’s how you earn trust and results. Now flip it. You’re the employee persuading your boss. It’s a high-stakes moment. You’re nervous. So do you appeal to emotion? No. Drop the feelings. Focus on interests. Here’s the key question: “What’s in it for them?” Not how you feel. Not your big dream. → Will it save time? → Improve performance? → Help them hit their goals? Make it about their world, not yours. Why? Because every boss has a mental shortcut: → Does this employee make my life easier or harder? Be the person who brings clarity, ideas, and upside. Not complaints, drama, or friction. In summary: → Persuading down? Dial down your power to see clearer. → Persuading up? Focus on their interests, not your emotions. Perspective-taking is a superpower, if you learn how to use it. Now practice, practice, practice.

As Duarte grew, I’d hear feedback that decisions were made too slowly, which confused me. In reality, we didn’t have a system to recognize when the team was asking for a decision. We thought they were just informing us, so decisions would languish. We weren’t ignoring them, failing to act, or even making incorrect decisions... We just didn’t realize a decision needed to be made in the first place. It dawned on the exec team that the lack of clarity during the conversation is what slows teams down. Leaders and teams can share the same language for decision-making. Much of it is about shaping recommendations that actually lead to the right type of action and making the urgency clear. Here’s the shift that changed everything… We started mapping every decision against two factors: urgency and risk. Low risk, low urgency: Decide without me. Your team runs with it. Low risk, high urgency: Inform on progress. They update you, but keep driving. High risk, low urgency: Propose for approval. They bring a recommendation, and you decide together. High risk, high urgency: Escalate immediately. You're in it together, right now. Once my team understood which quadrant a decision lived in, they knew exactly how to approach me. And I knew exactly what my role was. The framework gave us a shared language. People can’t act on ideas if they don’t understand how decisions are made. Leaders should define how recommendations move from idea to approval to action. That transparency keeps progress from stalling. Remember: One of the biggest threats to your company isn't a lack of good ideas. It's a lack of clarity. #Leadership #ExecutiveLeadership #OrganizationalCulture #DecisionMaking

Your leadership team is underperforming. (And cracking the whip harder won't fix it.) Here's what nobody tells you about accountability: The harder you push, the less they deliver. I've watched CEOs destroy their executive teams this way: 🔥 Public callouts in meetings 🔥 Micromanaging every decision   🔥 Threats disguised as "motivation" 🔥 Fear-based deadline pressure Result: Your best leaders become corporate zombies. They show up. They comply. They stop caring. The expensive truth: Fear creates compliance. Clarity creates commitment. And you need commitment to win. Real story from last month: → CEO constantly berated his team for missing targets → 3 VPs quit in 6 months → Company lost $2M in transition costs alone Different CEO, different approach: → Created radical clarity around expectations → Listened without judgment → Built safety to admit mistakes early → Revenue up 40% in 12 months The difference? One used accountability as a weapon. The other used it as a framework for excellence. The 4 frameworks that create compassionate accountability: 1. RACI Matrix - Ends the "whose job is this?" chaos (Everyone knows their lane AND their value) 2. OKRs - Aligns hearts and minds (Shared goals create shared ownership) 3. EOS Accountability Chart - One person, one seat (Clear ownership without overlapping egos) 4. OGSM - Strategy meets reality (No more "I thought you meant..." conversations) But here's the key: These aren't hammers to hit people with. They're maps to help people win. The paradox of leadership: High standards + High support = High performance High standards + Low support = High turnover Your leadership team doesn't need more pressure. They need more clarity. Because when accountability comes from compassion, not control: → Problems get solved, not hidden → Leaders take ownership, not cover → Teams push forward, not back Stop managing through fear. Start leading through frameworks. Your leadership team is capable of greatness. But only if you create the conditions for it. Save this. Share it with your team. Because the best leaders don't create followers. They create owners. And ownership starts with clarity. P.S. Want a PDF of my Accountability Cheat Sheet? Get it free: https://lnkd.in/dpWsuT4b ♻️ Repost to help a CEO in your network. Follow Eric Partaker for more leadership insights. — 📢 Want to lead like a world-class CEO? Join my FREE TRAINING: "How to Work with Your Board to Accelerate Your Company’s Growth" Thu Jul 10th, 12 noon Eastern / 5pm UK time https://lnkd.in/dCJ-nCxM 📌 The CEO Accelerator starts July 23rd. 20+ Founders & CEOs have already enrolled. Learn more and apply: https://lnkd.in/dgRr89bM

🚫 Sallie didn’t know there had been another meeting. Her calendar was full. Board prep. Budget review. Performance check-ins. 🔺She was nailing it. Her Q3 forecast was ahead. Her team was stable. She had just been recognized in the regional town hall as a “quiet powerhouse.” But one Monday morning, things shifted. Her team’s largest product portfolio was moved under a different division. ❌ No warning. No heads-up. No explanation. She confronted her VP Arun, “This shift with Horizon AI… when was that decided?” 😑 Arun looked at her like she was asking about the weather. “Oh, that. It was just a chat during the EXCO offsite a month ago. Johan, Mira, and I were golfing before the quarterly and started thinking big picture. It unfolded then naturally.” Naturally... A “chat” that repositioned her entire career. That left her out of strategy, out of scope, and out of power. She was still in the meetings. Still thanked for her work. Still on the org chart. But the center had quietly shifted. And she was no longer in it. 🧠 They didn’t demote her. They just moved the future elsewhere, without her name in it. Visibility isn’t about being seen. It’s about being embedded in the backchannel where decisions form, before agendas are set, before decks are built, before you’re told what’s happening. 💡Here are 5 Power Moves to Never Miss That Meeting Again: 1. 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝘁𝗵𝗲 "𝗦𝗵𝗮𝗱𝗼𝘄 𝗖𝗮𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗮𝗿"    Every org has one! It's not on Outlook, it's who's meeting before the meeting . Find out who plays tennis, who runs, who does charity galas. That’s where alignment gets made. Not in Town Hall Q&As.     2. 𝗥𝗲𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗲 “𝗧𝗿𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗯𝘂𝘁𝗼𝗿” 𝗪𝗶𝘁𝗵 “𝗧𝗿𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗳𝗶𝗱𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗲”    People don’t invite executioners to brainstorms. Be the one they test ideas on, efore they’re public.     3. 𝗕𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱 𝗮𝘁 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝘀𝘁 𝗢𝗻𝗲 𝗨𝗻𝗼𝗳𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗹 𝘁𝗼 𝗣𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿    A walking coffee with Mira.    A side Slack with Johan.    Get into the conversations that don’t need calendar invites.     4. 𝗡𝗮𝗿𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗰 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴, 𝗡𝗼𝘁 𝗝𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘀    Stop only reporting outcomes. Share how you think, how you frame decisions. Signal that you can co-create, not just deliver.     5. 𝗘𝗻𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗿 𝗮 𝗦𝗲𝗮𝘁 𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝗵𝗮𝗱𝗼𝘄 𝗧𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲    Offer to host a small internal roundtable on a pressing issue. Invite senior players. Curate the room. Build your own visibility circuit.     📥 Ready to stop being looped in after the decision? Join the waitlist for the next cohort of ⭐ 𝗙𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗛𝗶𝗱𝗱𝗲𝗻 𝗧𝗮𝗹𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗩𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀 ⭐ https://lnkd.in/gx7CpGGR Because the real power meeting won’t be announced. You’ll have to know how to find it. 👊 And be expected when it happens.

A project manager without authority is just a punching bag with a calendar. 👉 Without real authority, you're just a punching bag with a calendar. You absorb blame. You chase updates. You manage scope, risk, and emotions, without the power to say no or make it stick. 🟡 What authority really means: Having a voice that gets heard — not just listened to. Influencing priorities — and not just reacting to them. Saying "no" without fear — because boundaries matter. Shaping process — not just executing tasks. Being backed by leadership — not hung out to dry. 🟢 What to do instead: ✅ Build trust across teams. Influence is currency. ✅ Make your role visible. Speak up. Educate stakeholders. ✅ Ask for sponsorship. Get a leader to back your voice in tough rooms. ✅ Push for clarity. Authority without role clarity is noise. ✅ Be proactive. Don’t wait to be given power — act like a leader now. 💡 You don’t need to be a dictator. You need to be a respected driver.

If you ever feel like delegating takes longer than doing it yourself, these are the only models you need! Delegation isn’t about giving work away. It’s about creating a system where your team can perform without constant supervision. Here are 5 proven models that make delegation more effective (and less stressful): 1. The Five Levels of Delegation Every task doesn’t need the same level of oversight. Here’s how to choose the right one: Level 1: Do exactly what I ask. Level 2: Research options and bring me a recommendation. Level 3: Decide, then check in before acting. Level 4: Decide and act - keep me informed. Level 5: Take full ownership; I trust your judgment. 2. The DELEGATE Mode Define the task → Empower → Let them know expectations → Establish parameters → Generate commitment → Authorize resources → Track → Evaluate Structure turns delegation into development. 3. The RACI Matrix Clarify roles: Responsible (who does it) Accountable (who owns results) Consulted (who gives input) Informed (who needs updates) It prevents the “too many cooks” problem. 4. The MoSCoW Method Prioritize before delegating: Must-haves, Should-haves, Could-haves, and Won’t-haves. It helps teams stay aligned when everything feels urgent. 5. The Skill-Will Assessment Before delegating, ask two questions: Do they have the skill? (Yes/No) Do they have the will? (Yes/No) High skill + Low will = They need motivation, not instruction Low skill + High will = They need coaching, not criticism The best leaders don’t hoard work. They design systems where others can thrive, and that’s what real influence looks like. P.S. What’s the hardest part of letting go of control for you?

The higher you rise in leadership, the easier it becomes to believe that experience should give you all the answers. It usually gives you better judgement, context and the ability to recognise patterns faster. Yet experience can also make us increasingly certain of our own point of view. That certainty can become a limitation. Some of the strongest leaders I have coached are deeply experienced, yet remain genuinely curious. They ask questions when they could easily give instructions. They invite disagreement, listen to people much younger than them and stay open to the possibility that someone else may see something they have missed. I find that an important distinction in leadership. “I know” closes a conversation. “Tell me” creates room for another perspective, another possibility and occasionally, a much better answer. Experience should strengthen your judgement without reducing your curiosity. The moment we believe there is nothing left to learn is often when our experience starts working against us. #Leadership #LeadershipDevelopment #ExecutiveCoaching #GrowthMindset #Curiosity #Learning #LeadershipCoaching