Influencing Without Authority
Influencing Without Authority: Leading Through Collaboration
In product management, leadership often doesn’t come with a title. As Product Managers (PMs), we frequently influence teams and stakeholders without direct authority. The key isn’t control, but building trust, fostering collaboration, and aligning everyone towards a common goal.
Why Influencing Without Authority Matters
PMs often collaborate with teams like engineering, sales, and marketing, who have their own priorities and challenges. Influencing without authority is crucial in aligning these groups towards the product vision, ensuring smooth execution, and driving business success.
How to Influence Without Authority
Build Credibility and Trust Trust is the foundation of influence. By being transparent and consistent, you can earn the respect needed to lead.
Example: As Product Director at Automation Anywhere, I led a critical project for cloud revenue recognition during our hyper-growth phase. To gain buy-in, I mapped out the end-to-end process and aligned teams with a shared vision, which helped build the trust necessary to move forward.
Align Goals and Vision Ensure everyone understands how the project aligns with both product and personal goals. When teams see the bigger picture, they are more likely to buy in.
Example: The project at Automation Anywhere involved sales, customer success, and engineering teams with differing priorities. I aligned them around the shared goal of accelerating cloud revenue and improving customer experience, which helped drive collaboration.
Leverage Empathy Listen to the concerns and motivations of others to better understand their challenges. Empathy fosters collaboration and encourages buy-in.
Example: I actively listened to sales, customer success, and operations to address their pain points, which allowed me to craft a solution that worked for everyone.
Create a Sense of Ownership Empower cross-functional teams by involving them early and giving them ownership over parts of the process.
Example: I empowered engineering teams to lead technical decisions while ensuring alignment with the overall product strategy. This ownership led to greater engagement and accountability.
Be a Facilitator, Not a Dictator Guide teams rather than dictating decisions. Facilitate discussions, allow input, and foster a collaborative atmosphere.
Example: By hosting regular bi-weekly meetings and encouraging open dialogue, I kept the teams aligned and allowed them to take ownership of key decisions.
Be Patient and Resilient Influence doesn’t happen overnight. Stay patient, persistent, and resilient through challenges, and others will begin to recognize your leadership.
Example: Despite challenges like resource constraints and resistance from certain teams, I maintained focus and kept teams motivated to overcome obstacles.
Communicate Clearly and Consistently Keep communication open and transparent to ensure everyone is aligned and informed. Regular updates maintain momentum and trust.
Example: I kept stakeholders informed through consistent updates and status reports, ensuring everyone remained aligned on progress and goals.
The Impact of Influencing Without Authority
When done effectively, influencing without authority leads to exceptional outcomes. It creates a culture of collaboration, drives shared ownership, and accelerates success.
Example: This project that I led was transformative—launching a solution that reduced onboarding friction, improved revenue recognition, and enabled us to hit our growth targets, significantly contributing to our IPO readiness. This success solidified my reputation as a product leader who can navigate ambiguity and drive results.
Ultimately, leadership is about guiding others, not controlling them. By mastering the art of influencing without authority, PMs can create lasting impact—even without formal power.
