Expertise is an input to a decision. Influence determines whether it changes the outcome.
Technical Influence is the practical study and application of how specialized knowledge becomes credible, persuasive, and actionable inside organizations. It combines evidence from behavioral science, negotiation, and organizational decision-making with the realities of technical leadership.
Why it matters
The work of security, privacy, risk, and technology leaders often depends on decisions made by people who do not share their expertise. Better analysis matters, but so do audience understanding, credibility, framing, resistance, and commitment.
Five capabilities
- Understand the decision — Identify who decides, what they value, and which constraints shape the outcome. For a board briefing, determine whether the board is being asked to approve an investment, endorse a risk appetite, or provide guidance.
- Earn credibility — Establish the expertise, trustworthiness, and relevance necessary to be heard. In a risk acceptance discussion, explain what the evidence supports, where uncertainty remains, and who will own the residual risk.
- Frame the tradeoff — Translate technical recommendations into choices that matter to decision-makers. For a cyber funding request, show what each option buys, what it costs, and what exposure remains if the organization defers.
- Navigate resistance — Anticipate objections, competing priorities, and organizational dynamics. For a cross-functional control change, speak with affected teams before the meeting to understand their constraints and what would make the change workable.
- Secure commitment — Move beyond agreement toward ownership, action, and follow-through. After a decision, record the owner, resources, deadline, and how progress will be reviewed.
Influence without manipulation
Ethical influence helps decision-makers understand the evidence, the tradeoffs, and the consequences of their choices. It does not depend on hiding material facts, manufacturing urgency, or exploiting vulnerabilities. The objective is better-informed decisions—not compliance at any cost.
Research agenda
I study persuasion, negotiation, trust, and executive judgment. AI-mediated persuasion and how autonomous agents influence people and one another are adjacent and growing areas of inquiry.