The Learning Shift
The Learning Shift Podcast
Stop Trying to Convince—Start Co-Creating
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-12:23

Stop Trying to Convince—Start Co-Creating

If you’re spending too much energy selling your ideas and still not getting buy-in, it might be time to stop persuading—and start partnering.

Featured Book:
Leading Without Authority by Keith Ferrazzi

Big Idea:
In today’s flatter organizations, your ability to lead is directly tied to your ability to collaborate. Authority isn’t granted—it’s earned through trust.

Discussion Beats:

  • What “co-elevation” means and why it’s better than collaboration

  • How to build a mission-based alliance—not a transaction-based one

  • The mistake of waiting for permission, and what to do instead

  • Tools to transform passive stakeholders into active champions

Summary:
Ferrazzi introduces the concept of “co-elevation”—a practice of pulling people into shared ownership of a mission, regardless of reporting lines. He challenges the outdated top-down model and makes a compelling case for influence through connection, trust, and shared accountability. The book is filled with conversation starters, mindset shifts, and modern leadership behaviors that prioritize partnership over persuasion. It's particularly useful for hybrid or decentralized teams.

Closing Takeaway:
True influence isn’t about control—it’s about commitment. And that’s built through shared goals, not top-down direction.

Core message:
Stop waiting for permission to lead. Authority isn’t given—it’s earned through trust, relationships, and shared mission.

You don’t need a title to lead—you need trust, clarity, and the guts to go first.
This session is for the middle movers, the quiet instigators, and the cross-functional players who are done waiting for permission.


👉 Join us for Influence Without Authority — Mastering the Psychology of Buy-In.
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A quick note on how this content was created: To bring you thoughtful and timely insights, parts of this article were created with the help of AI tools, then reviewed and refined by a human (that's us!). We use technology to support clarity and creativity — but the heart of our content is always guided by experience, learning, and purpose. As always, we encourage you to explore these ideas with curiosity and critical thinking. If something sparks a question or you want to dig deeper, we’re here to keep the conversation going.

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