Skip to content

Managing Up and Influencing Without Authority

In many African organisations, results depend on colleagues and executives who do not report to you, from busy department heads to demanding board members. This course shows professionals how to build credibility, read organisational dynamics, and secure buy in without relying on positional power. Participants leave able to manage their own managers, win support across silos, and get things done through persuasion rather than command.

Ready to book? Secure your place on this programme.

Register for this course

What you will be able to do

  • Map the interests, priorities and pressures of the senior people you need to influence.
  • Build a trusted working relationship with your own manager and adapt to their style.
  • Apply proven influence techniques to gain commitment from peers who do not report to you.
  • Frame proposals and requests in terms of the outcomes decision makers care about.
  • Navigate competing agendas and secure resources across departmental boundaries.
  • Handle pushback and disagreement with senior stakeholders professionally.

Course outline

  1. 01Why Influence Matters More Than Authority
  2. 02Understanding Power and Politics in the Organisation
  3. 03Building a Productive Relationship With Your Manager
  4. 04Reading Stakeholder Interests and Motivations
  5. 05Core Techniques of Persuasion and Influence
  6. 06Making the Case: Framing Ideas for Senior Audiences
  7. 07Handling Resistance and Difficult Personalities
  8. 08Building a Personal Influence Action Plan

Who should attend

This course suits managers, specialists, project leaders and ambitious professionals who must deliver results through people they do not directly control. It is especially useful for those working across matrix structures or reporting to demanding executives.

Dates, venues and fees

DatesVenueDaysFeeCalendarRegister
28 to 29 Sep 2026Dar es Salaam2US$1,100Closed
29 to 30 Sep 2026Kigali2US$1,100Register
30 Sep to 1 Oct 2026Kampala2US$1,100Register
1 to 2 Oct 2026Accra2US$1,100Register
5 to 6 Oct 2026Lagos2US$1,100Register
6 to 7 Oct 2026Cairo2US$1,100Register
7 to 8 Oct 2026Mauritius2US$1,100Register
8 to 9 Oct 2026Dubai2US$1,100Register
12 to 13 Oct 2026Online2US$900Register
23 to 24 Nov 2026Johannesburg2R10,000Register
24 to 25 Nov 2026Cape Town2R10,000Register
25 to 26 Nov 2026Durban2R10,000Register
26 to 27 Nov 2026Pretoria2R10,000Register
30 Nov to 1 Dec 2026Windhoek2US$1,100Register
1 to 2 Dec 2026Gaborone2US$1,100Register
2 to 3 Dec 2026Maseru2US$1,100Register
3 to 4 Dec 2026Mbabane2US$1,100Register
7 to 8 Dec 2026Lusaka2US$1,100Register
8 to 9 Dec 2026Harare2US$1,100Register
9 to 10 Dec 2026Lilongwe2US$1,100Register
10 to 11 Dec 2026Blantyre2US$1,100Register
14 to 15 Dec 2026Mozambique2US$1,100Register
17 to 18 Dec 2026Nairobi2US$1,100Register

Fees are per delegate. South African venues are priced in rand; other locations and online in US dollars. Fees exclude 15% VAT where applicable. Group bookings of three or more delegates from the same organisation qualify for a reduced rate; contact us for a quotation.

Related courses in Leadership and Management

Leadership and Management

Strategic Leadership and Executive Decision Making

Senior leaders rarely fail for lack of intelligence; they fail by deciding slowly, deciding alone, or deciding on yesterday's assumptions.

Next session
5 to 9 Oct 2026
Venue
Nairobi
5 day programme
FromR18,000
See all Leadership and Management courses