ProfessionalDevelopment
By Keith Willis
Every year, LTEN welcomes many new members who are in their first training position because of the role’s developmental nature. For some, it’s their first home office role after succeeding in the field.
Adding to the challenge is the hybrid nature of today’s organizations. In sales, the scoreboard is clear: Move share, drive volume and execute the plan. Success is visible and measurable. In the home office, the game changes. Results depend less on personal execution and more on cross-functional alignment.
Do you spend more time aligning and persuading than designing learning?
In today’s matrixed organizations, the work of learning and development (L&D) extends far beyond designing training. It requires coordinating across multiple functions, aligning priorities and translating business goals into building training for the field.
Trainers must gather input from a variety of stakeholders, adjust to shifting priorities and ensure programs fit within regulatory, brand and commercial expectations. Much of the effort is aligning people and decisions so that learning can happen.
There are a lot of cooks in the kitchen. That reality makes alignment difficult, especially if it’s the first time you have been exposed to this level of coordination. Influence is a skill.
The ability to influence without authority is what separates reactive training functions from strategic partners. In sales, performance is straightforward: again you move, share, drive volume and execute the plan. In the home office, success now depends on persuasion, alignment and cross-functional influence.
Leading without authority means getting results through people you do not control. In training, that shows up when you need leadership buy-in for launch plans, alignment with marketing on plan-of-action workshops, commitment from sales leaders to coach differently or budget approval without owning a profit-and-loss statement.
Most L&D professionals feel the tension between high expectations and limited control. When influence is accidental, it feels exhausting. When influence is strategic, it becomes powerful.
Influence does not begin in the meeting. It begins with trust. The trust equation provides a practical lens: Trust equals credibility plus reliability plus intimacy, divided by self-orientation. When credibility is high, commitments are kept, relationships are genuine and self-interest is low, influence becomes easier and more sustainable.
If L&D is perceived as disconnected from commercial realities or not focused on business outcomes, influence will require persuasion. When training is seen as commercially aware, consistent and aligned to business priorities, influence requires less effort.
Before trying to persuade, it is worth asking whether senior leaders see you as competent in their world, whether you understand the business and whether you consistently deliver on your commitments. Influence without trust creates friction. Influence built on trust creates momentum.
Executive presence plays a critical role in this equation. Senior leaders are always asking four silent questions:
Why should I pay attention?
Why should I care?
What supports this?
What do you want from me?
Many L&D proposals fail because they do not answer these clearly. Without a proactive plan aligned to brand strategy, launch milestones or quarterly business objectives, training reacts instead of shaping the conversation. That is when L&D becomes an order taker.
Using data to share a point of view changes dynamics. When training ties recommendations to brand goals and field performance, it positions itself as a partner in execution. The shift from activity language to outcome language is executive presence. Strategic L&D frames learning in terms of revenue impact, time-to-proficiency, field execution quality and measurable behavior change. When you speak in business terms, leadership listens.
Another common mistake is treating all stakeholders the same. Clarity about who drives decisions matters. Not all relationships require equal effort. Some individuals have high power but weak relationships with you. These are often sales vice presidents, brand leaders, general managers or market access directors.
Many L&D professionals overinvest in allies who already support them but lack decision authority. Strategic influencers invest early in high-power relationships. They build credibility before they need approval. Influence requires prioritization.
One of the most overlooked disciplines in L&D is pre-wiring. Too often, teams walk into meetings hoping to persuade in real time. High-level influencers secure alignment before the meeting takes place. Pre-wiring involves scheduling one-on-one conversations, understanding stakeholder pain points, surfacing objections privately, adapting ideas collaboratively and securing informal commitment before a formal presentation.
When done well, the meeting becomes confirmation rather than debate. You are no longer fighting resistance publicly; you are aligning privately.
Influence is relational capital. Regular one-on-one conversations are one of the most practical ways to build that capital. Strategic L&D leaders schedule consistent one-on-one meetings not only when a project requires approval, but as an ongoing discipline. These conversations build familiarity, surface priorities early and create space for candid dialogue.
Corporate structures distribute power across functions. Without an internal network, L&D has little leverage. Strong L&D leaders build relationships across sales, marketing, medical and market access. They maintain connections even when they do not need anything. They share insights, including field observations, competitive trends and performance data. If you only reach out when you need approval, you are late. Influence is built before it is required.
Change management highlights why influence matters. L&D often owns implementation without owning authority. Whether it is a new product, new customer relationship management tool, updated messaging or revised compliance standards, resistance is common. People resist change when it feels imposed. They embrace change when it aligns with their self-interest, solves a real pain point and feels co-created.
Influencing without authority requires understanding what others value. It is not politics. It is alignment.
Mastering influence does more than make projects easier. The same skills used to succeed are required to position yourself for your next role: clear communication, relationship building, understanding stakeholder priorities and delivering on commitments
Influence is central to career growth. It reduces burnout and elevates L&D from order-taker to strategic partner. Senior leaders notice who aligns stakeholders early, anticipates resistance, frames learning in business terms and builds coalitions across silos. These are leadership behaviors.
Leading without authority is not optional. It is the work. The professionals who master influence by building trust, pre-wiring decisions, speaking the language of the business and investing in their networks move from supporting the business to shaping it.
When that happens, influence no longer feels exhausting. It becomes your advantage.
Keith Willis is president of Core Management Training. Email Keith at kwillis@coremanagementtraining.com or connect with him through linkedin.com/in/keithawillis.
