ATD: Influence Isn't A Seat - It's A Skill

One of the questions I hear most often in my C-suite leadership coaching work is some version of: "How do I get more influence?" It's a fair question but I've come to believe the framing itself is part of the problem.

In a recent piece for ATD's Talent Development Leader, I partnered with CTDO to challenge a deeply held assumption about how influence actually works. The core idea: there is no such thing as function-level influence. Influence is individual, intentional, and situational. Most importantly, it’s never granted, it’s earned.

Too many leaders operate under the belief that if they do great work, influence will follow. Makes sense, right? But influence isn't tied to org charts or budget size. 

You don't have influence. You build it, over and over again, in specific moments with specific people around specific decisions. In those moments, the question your colleagues are asking themselves is "Does this person help me think better about what matters right now?"

The ATD article walks through three mindset shifts and six concrete practices for building that kind of influence. As I frame it in my executive coaching work, influence is rooted in credibility + relevance + timing. The goal isn't to be influential everywhere; it's to be intentional about where influence is actually possible, and to become the person certain tables simply can't function without.

→ Read the full article in ATD's Talent Development Leader

Influence Is Not A Seat - It's A Skill.pdf

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My custom workshops are designed to help leadership teams build exactly this kind of strategic influence — with real tools they can apply immediately.