Hey, it's Rachel Cook, your modern mentor. I'm the founder of Lead Above Noise, a firm

specializing in helping teams and organizations create better working experiences that deliver better

results. You know, I work with a lot of teams that work with a lot of teams. Like, it feels like

our work keeps getting more and more cross-functional every year.

A marketing project is almost never just a marketing project. It's the inputs from sales and

client management that make it sing. A nurse needs the hospital's front desk staff in order to

make a change happen. A bank teller wants to try something new and may need the teller to their right and left

to agree and get on board. But when marketing or nursing or the teller at your local bank

aren't the boss, they're not in charge, how can they compel their peers to do the thing they need

them to do? This is often referred to as influencing without authority. And it's an art,

more than a science. But I've picked up a number of tips over the years, and I'd love to share

some of my faves with you today. First, make your vision sing. First things first,

rather than trying to twist someone's arm into helping you with something at work,

start by making an offer they just can't refuse. Like imagine I said to you, hey, I'm developing a keynote

talk on how to lead through change and I'd appreciate your help in doing some research for me.

Now I'll imagine you rolling your eyes and wishing you were anywhere but in this conversation.

But let's say I changed that to, hey, I'm developing a keynote talk on how to lead through change

because people are struggling and leaders want to better support them.

And this talk will deliver the tools and confidence they need to create change.

Okay, maybe that second one sounds more exciting

to me than to most, because leading through change is an area I love. But honestly, in this second

scenario, you're at least a little bit more open to hearing what comes next, right? You're probably

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