In this episode, I’m getting practical about upward influence and what actually helps an idea land with senior decision-makers.
Building on the last episode, I’m looking at Yukl and Tracey’s influence tactics and the difference between simply having a strong argument and creating the conditions for someone to support it.
I’ll talk through the tactics that tend to work best when influencing upwards, including rational persuasion, inspirational appeals, consultation and coalition building.
I also share the mistakes I used to make, why consultation became one of the biggest shifts in my own approach, and how thinking carefully about timing, sequencing and what really matters to the other person can completely change the outcome of a high-stakes conversation.
Highlights:
(01:30) – Why being right is only half the job when you need someone senior to say yes
(02:32) – The tactic I used to skip because it felt slower, and why it now changes everything
(03:18) – Why building allies before the meeting is not manipulation, it is groundwork
(05:49) – The three influence tactics that work best upwards, and why the magic is in combining them
(06:41) – The three questions I now ask before any high-stakes conversation
(08:03) – Stop walking into the room with a good idea and hoping it lands, build the tactical plan first
