Influence without authority: A lot of jobs (especially product ones) are dependent on influencing people or driving alignment without authority. I think it boils down to data, emotion and ego. Here& #39;s what I& #39;ve learnt so far, and some best practices to do so:

1. Have zero ego: & #39;I& #39;m the expert& #39; or & #39;I think this is right& #39; is bad. Irrespective of who you& #39;re talking to, go with & #39;I don& #39;t know, but this is what I have learnt so far& #39;. With ego, the discussion is finished before it even begins. Talk about the & #39;why& #39;; which brings me to

2. Explain the why as deeply as possible: Data is the best way to do this, if you don& #39;t have data, use a proxy and build arguments and ladder up on the basis of this data and first principles. Sometimes you don& #39;t have facts, which brings me to

3. Appealing to emotion: If you don& #39;t have data, appeal to emotion. Its counter-intuitive, but it might be helpful to frame arguments against yourself, until you get to & #39;that& #39;s right& #39; from the other person. This will precisely identify the bit of your argument they disagree with

4. Don& #39;t disagree and commit: I personally do not like it, as it festers over time. Some folks wear it as a badge of honour though. If you and your stakeholders absolutely cannot agree on something, *respectfully* escalate or get a 3 P view; which brings me to the last one

5. Do not threaten or accuse: & #39;I will talk to your manager& #39;/& #39;Why don& #39;t you ever understand& #39;/& #39;Why are you so difficult& #39; are garden variety accusations that are full of biases, bad intent and should not be done.
Any other tips I should know of?