Are You Struggling to Influence Upper Management?

ishikalatwal
Aug 18
3 min read

Have you ever felt like your ideas are overlooked, your hard work goes unseen, and you're constantly struggling to get ahead? If so, you're not alone, and this blog is for you.

Influencing upper management is one of the most critical skills for any professional, whether you're a director, manager, or team lead. It’s the difference between doing the work and driving the future.

And here’s the truth: influence isn’t about being louder, it’s about being smarter.

Influence ≠ Office Politics

Most people think influence means being aggressive, political, or the loudest voice in the room. But real influence is built on two pillars:

Strategic Thinking
Relationship Capital

You don’t earn influence by flooding inboxes or constantly reminding leaders how hard you’re working. You earn it by becoming a trusted presence, someone who speaks their language and aligns with their priorities.

A Real-Life Coaching Moment

One of my clients once shared a brilliant idea in a project steering committee, he explained it clearly, step-by-step. People nodded politely, but the meeting moved on.

Ten minutes later, someone else repeated the same idea. Suddenly, it was hailed as brilliant.

My client felt invisible. During our coaching session, he realized he had framed his message from his world, not their world. That was his turning point.

He learned to translate his message into executive terms, a skill that changed everything.

Speak Their Language

Your influence grows when you stop speaking your language and start speaking theirs. That means:

Aligning with what matters to them.
Offering value in ways that match their priorities.
Understanding how upper management thinks.

5 Strategies to Influence Upper Management

1. Understand Their World

Executives operate in a world of competing priorities, limited time, and relentless pressure. Your brilliant idea? It’s one of 50 they’ll hear today.

So your job isn’t just to share, it’s to translate value into their language. Speak in terms of outcomes, not processes. Tie your message to strategic objectives. Quantify the impact.

Ask yourself: Why should this matter to them now?

2. Get to the Point

Executives make decisions quickly. Lead with your headline. Instead of building up to your idea, start directly:

“I recommend we pilot X project because it will save us $200K this quarter.”

Then unpack it. Think of it as executive storytelling:

Headline
Evidence
Implications
Call to Action

You’ve got 90 seconds to earn their attention. Make every word count.

3. Build Trust Over Time

One-off influence is great. Long-term impact comes from credibility.

Follow through.
Show up prepared.
Admit when you don’t know something, and find the answer.

Executives notice who’s reliable. Influence isn’t granted, it’s earned through consistent value delivery.

4. Use Strategic Empathy

Influence isn’t manipulation, it’s alignment.

Ask yourself:

What pressures are they under?
What do they care about most?
What’s keeping them up at night?

When you show that you understand their world, your voice carries more weight. This is called strategic empathy.

5. Master the Power of Framing

The way you frame your message matters more than you think.

Position your idea as a solution to their problem.
Present options, not demands.
Link it to their broader vision.

One of my favorite coaching questions is:

“How do we make this their idea, not yours?” - That’s where real influence lives.

Final Thoughts

To influence people at the top, you don’t need to be louder; you need sharper opinions.
Understand the executive mindset. Lead with outcomes. Deliver consistently. Speak in a language that moves strategy forward.
If this blog resonated with you, share it with your colleagues who are ready to elevate their leadership voice. And if you’re serious about building executive presence and influence, let’s connect.

Coaching isn’t just for when you’re stuck; it’s the fuel for your next leap.