Influence is the ability to shape decisions and move people forward without relying on formal authority. These articles explore how leaders build influence across teams, functions and matrix organisations, with practical tools and everyday approaches you can use.

How Do I Lead People Who Don’t Report to Me?

By |2026-11-06T18:33:06+00:00October 23, 2026|Categories: Leadership, Leadership questions, Leading Teams|Tags: , |

How do you lead a seconded or matrix team when its members report to other managers? Drawing on six ideas from Adam Grant, this article explores how to build commitment, use different perspectives, manage disagreement, encourage candour and create accountability without relying on formal authority.

Mapping power in a matrix organisation: Seeing who can really make things happen

By |2026-11-06T18:32:54+00:00September 29, 2026|Categories: Complexity & Systems thinking, Leadership, Leadership tools|Tags: , |

Formal authority rarely reveals who can really make things happen. This practical guide shows leaders how to map effective power, informal influence, adaptive capacity and relationships in a matrix organisation, and use that clearer picture to identify the conversations, connections and experiments most likely to create movement.

Building an influence map: a practical tool for leading across a matrix

By |2026-11-06T18:32:46+00:00September 19, 2026|Categories: Leadership|Tags: , |

Most leaders can draw their reporting line from memory. Far fewer can draw the map of relationships that actually gets decisions made. Here's how to build one, and use it, in a matrix.

How do I give difficult feedback to someone more senior than me?

By |2026-11-06T18:32:44+00:00September 17, 2026|Categories: Leadership questions|Tags: , |

Quick answer You can give difficult feedback to someone more senior than you, but the standing, evidence and timing behind it need to be more deliberate than they would with a peer. Ground what you say in something you observed, offer it as information rather than instruction, and choose your moment carefully. Five things to consider before giving feedback to someone [...]

How do I create accountability without authority?

By |2026-11-06T18:32:12+00:00June 30, 2026|Categories: Leadership questions|Tags: , , |

You have responsibility for outcomes you can't enforce. You built influence, a network, and a steering group that made real commitments — and weeks later, half of them have quietly slipped. This article explores why accountability has to be created deliberately in a matrix, and five practices that make commitments hold once people leave the room.

How do I convene people who don’t report to me?

By |2026-11-06T18:32:10+00:00June 24, 2026|Categories: Leadership questions, Peter-Block|Tags: , , |

I was coaching a Programme Director leading a major operational transformation across their whole business. She was experienced, credible, and well-organised. The steering group met monthly. Attendance was strong. The agenda was always covered. And yet, three months in, almost nothing was moving. When we explored what was happening, the pattern became clear. People were coming to the meetings. They were [...]

How do I build influence across functions and departments?

By |2026-11-06T18:32:07+00:00June 6, 2026|Categories: Leadership questions|Tags: , |

You have responsibility but no direct authority. In a matrix organisation, influence is the primary leadership currency. This article explores how to build the credibility, relationships, and approach that create genuine commitment rather than surface compliance.

How do successful leaders create commitment in matrix organisations?

By |2026-11-06T18:32:05+00:00June 4, 2026|Categories: Leadership questions|Tags: , , |

What separates successful matrix leaders from everyone else? Their ability to create commitment. Discover four capabilities that help leaders influence across boundaries, build networks, convene stakeholders, and act as stewards of the wider organisation.

How can I better manage conflict with my boss?

By |2026-11-06T18:41:47+00:00May 15, 2026|Categories: Leadership questions|Tags: , |

Conflict with a manager is often a structural misalignment rather than a personality clash. Discover how to use the AID model and the psychological contract to transform vertical tension into strategic alignment.

How can a team manage an over assertive team member without a formal leader?

By |2026-11-06T18:41:41+00:00April 9, 2026|Categories: Leadership questions|Tags: , |

When one voice dominates in a leaderless team, performance suffers. This article explores how teams can rebalance participation by revisiting agreements, structuring conversations, and addressing behaviour collectively

What can I do to influence upwards more effectively before and during key meetings?

By |2026-11-06T18:40:58+00:00December 2, 2025|Categories: Leadership questions|Tags: , , , , |

Influencing upwards is harder than it looks, especially when leaders shift position once the room fills. These evidence-based strategies show how to steady the ground before and during key meetings so your ideas have a better chance of taking hold.

How to craft a compelling business case: a leadership guide

By |2026-11-06T18:40:49+00:00November 17, 2025|Categories: Leadership|Tags: , , , , |

A business case is more than a technical document. It is a moment of leadership that creates clarity, builds trust, and earns genuine commitment. This guide explores practical principles for shaping a compelling business case that people believe in and want to support.

From Leaders to Connectors: Rethinking the centre of the room

By |2026-11-06T18:39:50+00:00August 15, 2025|Categories: Community, Peter-Block|Tags: , , , |

Inspired by Peter Block’s Connecting for Common Good series, this blog explores the shift from leader to connector: building trust, belonging, and shared accountability through everyday habits, cultural practices, and real-world examples from around the globe.

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