The Subtle Art of Influencing Your Boss, Without Them Realising It
Have you ever noticed how some people consistently receive quick approvals, while others (maybe you) spend weeks waiting for a decision? Same meeting rooms. Same execs. Different outcomes.
It’s not luck. And it’s not charisma.
It’s how they package their choices.
Most people bring chaos. The best bring clarity.
If you pause and reflect, most of us have been taught the wrong formula for influence.
We think:
Influence = long meetings + persuasive storytelling + endless debate.
But in reality?
Influence = making decisions feel easy.
If you ignore upward influence, here’s what happens:
Decisions stall.
Pivots happen too late.
Teams turn into feature factories.
The truth about influence
Influence isn’t showmanship. It’s framing choices that enable your executives to say yes, quickly and confidently.
You’re not trying to “sell” your idea. You’re making it safe to approve.
Executives don’t want more data. They want clarity and consequence.
They want to know:
What outcome are we buying?
What’s the risk if we don’t act?
How does this align with the company’s goals or current pressure (ROI, runway, or retention)?
Right now, capital is tight. Everyone’s scanning for return. And with AI shrinking build times, the new bottleneck isn’t delivery, it’s decision quality.
Leaders who can guide decisions clearly, quickly, and confidently become indispensable.
A mini case study: Influence without the drama
The Situation:
Emma, Head of Product at a SaaS scale-up, felt invisible. Her ideas rarely landed. Exec meetings dragged on. By the time decisions were made, the team had already burned weeks, and morale was tanking.
She started questioning if she even belonged in the role.
The Shift:
Emma stopped pitching features. Instead, she packaged choices around outcomes.
She went into her next exec meeting with:
A clear goal: Reduce churn by 10%.
Three paths to get there, each with ROI and risk.
One strong recommendation.
A binary decision: yes/no + resources.
The Result:
The CEO made a call in minutes. The team moved fast. Churn dropped 8% that quarter. And more importantly, her confidence (and the team’s) skyrocketed.
No charm required. Just clarity.
The 3-step habit of quiet influence
Lead with outcomes, not effort.
Execs don’t buy story points, they buy impact.Frame three options, one recommendation.
Choice = autonomy.
Recommendation = leadership.Ask for a binary decision + resource.
No “let’s revisit next sprint.”
No ambiguity. Just momentum.
You’re not dictating. You’re creating guardrails.
They set the runway. You land the plane.
The mindset shift: De-risk, don’t dominate
When the stakes are high, break big bets into smaller parts. Propose a small slice, deliver it, review it, and then expand. You’re not just making the decision easy, you’re making it safe.
Options = freedom. Guardrails = safety.
The ripple effect
When you lead with empathy, lower the threat level, and package decisions clearly, you get:
Faster approvals.
Fewer reversals.
A calmer, more confident team.
That’s what real influence looks like, not loud, not political, but quietly powerful.
PS: If you’re ready to build that kind of influence, the kind that earns trust without drama, check out The Confidence In You program. It’s designed to help you move from managing features to leading strategy.