Influence used to come with clear hierarchy: you had a title, a team, and a defined chain of command. Today, work rarely flows that neatly. Decisions are shaped across matrices, projects are cross-functional, and progress depends on people who don’t report to you—peers, senior stakeholders, regional teams, partners, or specialists with scarce expertise.

At the same time, the environment is noisier and faster. Priorities shift mid-quarter, attention is fragmented, and teams are stretched. When pressure rises, organisations often default to misalignment: competing agendas, slow decisions, “agree in the meeting, disappear after,” and passive resistance that never shows up openly.

This is why influencing is no longer a soft skill. It’s a performance skill. Leaders at every level need to create clarity, gain commitment, and keep work moving—without relying on positional power.

Influencing without authority means getting outcomes through trust, relevance, and alignment, rather than control. It’s the ability to move an idea forward when you can’t mandate it, escalate it, or “pull rank.”

It shows up when you need to:

• Drive a project across functions (but no one is formally accountable to you)
• Align stakeholders with conflicting priorities
• Secure resources from another team
• Challenge decisions upward with diplomacy
• Lead change where people are tired, sceptical, or overloaded
• Influence across cultures, time zones, and different communication styles

In these situations, authority doesn’t win commitment—relationship capital and credibility do.

Influencing without authority is built on a few core levers:

1) Clarity of purpose (your “why”)
People don’t commit to vague requests. They commit when the goal is clear, meaningful, and linked to outcomes they care about.

2) Understanding what matters to others (their “why”)
Influence starts with curiosity: What are their pressures? What are they measured on? What are they protecting? What are they afraid might happen?

3) Trust and credibility
When people trust you, they give you airtime. When they believe you understand the business, they take your ideas seriously. Trust comes from consistency, listening, and fairness—not charisma.

4) Framing value and trade-offs
Without authority, you rarely “win.” You co-create a path that works for both sides: what you need, what they need, and what’s realistic right now.

5) The quality of the ask
A strong ask is specific, timed, and easy to say yes to—or to negotiate. “Can you support this?” is weak. “Can you allocate one analyst for two weeks so we can hit the compliance deadline?” is actionable.

6) Handling resistance without damage
Resistance isn’t the enemy; it’s information. Influential leaders can surface concerns early, address them calmly, and keep relationships intact—so momentum doesn’t stall.

Ultimately, influencing without authority is about earning commitment—not compliance. It’s how you build alignment in complexity, protect relationships under pressure, and deliver results in a world where leadership is less about control and more about connection.

Influencing with Impact is a practical, skills-based programme that helps you influence with clarity, credibility, and connection. It’s not about manipulation or “slick” persuasion. It’s about understanding what matters to others, communicating value in a way that lands, and building trust so people choose to move with you.

Accredited by IBF, the programme is designed for the realities of financial services, with real-world role plays and scenarios drawn from stakeholder-heavy environments. The learning is highly experiential and engaging—you’ll practise the conversations that matter most, get feedback in the moment, and leave with tools you can apply immediately.

Participants build a repeatable approach to influencing, including how to:

• Clarify the purpose and desired outcome of each conversation
• Read stakeholder responses to understand needs, concerns, and priorities
• Invite stakeholders to share their views to uncover perspective and context
• Recognise cultural and individual differences—and adapt your approach accordingly
• Create open dialogue that reduces misunderstanding and builds alignment
• Demonstrate empathy while communicating a clear goal and direction
• Ask purposeful questions to surface issues early and move the conversation forward

After 23 years at Nokia (including 11 years as a senior executive), I saw first-hand that the leaders who consistently delivered results weren’t always the smartest in the room—but they could build alignment quickly, navigate complexity, and earn buy-in across cultures and functions.
When I became an executive coach, influencing skills showed up again and again as the difference-maker: whether someone was leading a transformation, managing performance conversations, or driving initiatives without formal authority. This programme brings together the most useful, real-world tools I’ve seen work—grounded in human connection, clarity, and credibility.

What is IBF?

The Institute of Banking and Finance (IBF) Singapore supports skills and professional development in the financial sector through industry standards and training support.

What is the IBF Standards Training Scheme?

The IBF-STS provides funding support for training and assessment courses that cover key skills needed in the financial sector and are accredited under the Skills Framework for Financial Services.

How funding typically works (in principle)

Funding levels and caps can change over time, but IBF publishes the current parameters. IBF has previously announced adjustments such as:

• 50% subsidy for locals (Singapore Citizens/PRs) for accredited programmes
• 70% subsidy for Singapore Citizens aged 40+
• A grant cap per participant per programme (e.g., S$3,000 in past parameters)

IBF-STS eligibility and funding quantum are subject to IBF’s prevailing terms and conditions.