From Expertise to Impact: Influencing without Authority
Practical 60-minute workshop for sustainability professionals.
Sustainability professionals often build their credibility through expertise.
But as roles become broader, the hardest challenges are often no longer technical.
You may know what needs to happen, yet the decision sits with someone else. Different stakeholders may have competing priorities. Sustainability may matter, but not always feel urgent to the people whose support you need.
That is where influence becomes critical.
In this live 60-minute workshop, we will explore how to move from being the person with the answers to creating the conditions for others to engage, decide and take ownership.
We will look at:
why expertise alone can stop being enough
where stakeholder influence tends to get stuck
how to better understand what matters to different stakeholders
how to create alignment without needing everyone to agree
how to build ownership beyond the sustainability team
how to apply these ideas to one real stakeholder challenge from your own work
The session includes one short breakout exercise, so you can apply the framework to a real situation rather than only discuss the theory.
You will leave with a clearer way of thinking about influence and one practical experiment to try in your next stakeholder conversation.
Who is this for?
This workshop is designed for sustainability, ESG and impact professionals who are increasingly working across functions, influencing without formal authority, or moving from technical expertise into broader strategic or leadership responsibility.
Format
60 minutes live online
Interactive session with one breakout exercise
Limited places to keep the discussion useful and personal
What to bring
Come with one real stakeholder challenge where progress currently feels slower or more difficult than you would like.
About Silvana
Silvana van Schaik, CPCC, ACC is a leadership and transition coach with more than 15 years of experience across sustainability, ESG, talent and leadership development. She works with experienced sustainability professionals navigating career and leadership transitions, with a particular focus on the shift from expertise to broader organisational influence.