115 min
Pick one thing stuck on someone you don't manage, today. Name one outcome blocked by a person you have no authority over. Write what you need from them and, in one line, why moving it helps them too. Script 1.
Week 11 of 13Phase 3: Build the case
Get things done without the authority
The read (3 minutes)
Almost everything worth doing depends on people you can't give orders to: a peer in another team, someone senior, someone in another team with their own priorities. Leadership before the title is mostly this skill. Not charisma, not pushing. The quiet ability to get a yes from someone who doesn't have to give you one. For your case, it's also proof: someone operating at the next level moves things across lines they don't control.
The move that works is simple and most people skip it: make the yes easy. Tie what you need to something the other person already wants, do enough of the work in advance that agreeing is easy, and make the default action approval rather than a project. "Could you look into this for me" is a big ask. "I've drafted it, this is a quick yes or no, and if you're good I'll take it from here" is easy. People say yes to easy.
The second half of influence is timing. The relationships that move things for you are the ones you built before you needed anything, which is what phase 2 set up. This week you also reach out to one person whose backing you'll want when you make your case, and you offer something first. The backing you built before you needed anything counts for far more than backing you chase in a hurry.
This week's moves
220 min
Make the ask the easy way. Send it framed around their goal, with the work pre-done so saying yes costs them almost nothing. Script 2.
315 min
Build one relationship before you need it. Reach out to one peer, inside your team or out, whose backing you'll want for your target. Offer something useful first. Script 4.
Script bank
Word for word, ready to use. Edit any script to make it yours, then copy it.
1.The ask that matches their goal
"I'm working on [outcome]. I think it also helps you with [their goal]. Could you [one specific small thing]?"
2.The ask you've already made easy
"I've drafted [the thing] so this is a quick yes or no for you. If you're good with it, I'll take it from here." Always pre-do the work and make the easy answer the one you want.
3.The recommendation up
When you need a senior person to move, bring a call, not a question: "Here's what I'd do and why. I wanted your read before I run with it." You lead the thinking; they get the final word, and you keep your standing.
4.The early outreach
"You know [area] better than I do. I'd value your take on [thing] sometime. And if there's anything on your side I can help move, say the word." Give before you take.
5.The closed loop
After someone helps: "Done, thanks for the steer. Here's what came of it: [one line]." People learn that helping you pays off, and they help faster next time.
Friday debrief prompts
Your Friday email carries the reply template. These are the prompts inside it.
- What did you move through someone you don't manage, and how did you frame the ask?
- What made the yes easy, or what made it hard?
- Who did you reach out to, and what did you offer first?
Re-entry note
Missed week 10? Do this week's move 1 and move 2, then claim an outcome over the weekend. Owning and influencing belong together anyway.