Chris Harrison Chris Harrison

The Art of Persuasion: Influencing Without Authority

Guiding Without Commanding

As a Product Owner, you’re responsible for shaping the vision, prioritizing work, and driving value delivery—but here’s the kicker: you don’t have direct authority over the people who turn that vision into reality. Developers, Scrum Masters, and stakeholders all have their own priorities, and you’re often caught in the middle trying to influence without stepping on toes.

Sound familiar? The good news is that persuasion isn’t about manipulation or forcing agreement. It’s about building trust, communicating effectively, and framing opportunities in ways that inspire collaboration and action. In this article, I’ll share three strategies to help you excel as a Product Owner, even when you’re not the boss.

Building Trust as the Bedrock of Influence

Trust is your greatest asset as a Product Owner. If your team doesn’t trust you, they’ll question your priorities, ignore your input, and sideline your vision. The good news? Trust is built through consistent action and by living out the Agile values of Commitment, Courage, Focus, Openness, and Respect.

Here’s how I build trust in my role:

  • Commitment: I ensure that when I say I’ll provide clarity or remove roadblocks, I deliver—every time.

  • Courage: I’m not afraid to challenge ideas or push back when priorities threaten the product’s vision.

  • Focus: I help the team stay aligned with the customer’s needs and the business goals, even when shiny distractions arise.

  • Openness: I’m transparent about trade-offs and why certain features make the cut while others don’t.

  • Respect: I treat every team member as an equal partner, valuing their expertise and input.

Here’s an example: Once, I faced a situation where developers were frustrated about constantly shifting priorities. They felt like their work was being dismissed mid-sprint. Instead of brushing off their concerns, I facilitated a retrospective to uncover root causes. I committed to creating a more stable backlog and ensured that incoming requests were prioritized with clear reasoning. By openly sharing the roadmap and listening to their frustrations, I rebuilt trust—and the team’s productivity soared.

When you practice trust-building actions daily, you’ll see your team lean in, listen, and buy into your vision.

Communicating to Align and Inspire

As a Product Owner, communication isn’t just about relaying what needs to be done. It’s about connecting with your team and stakeholders in a way that inspires action and alignment. This requires emotional intelligence, clear messaging, and a dash of storytelling.

Samantha’s Journey to Winning Over Stakeholders Samantha, a friend of mine, was a Product Owner working on a large-scale SAFe implementation. Stakeholders were resistant to the idea of committing resources to an extensive PI Planning event.

Instead of demanding compliance, Samantha took a different approach. She shared stories from other organizations that had seen remarkable results through PI Planning. She openly acknowledged their concerns, saying, “I know this feels like a big time investment. I’d be asking the same questions if I were in your shoes. But let me show you how this aligns with our goals and simplifies work downstream.”

Samantha also made sure stakeholders were involved in the process by inviting them to facilitate specific breakout discussions. By including them and addressing their fears with data and empathy, she turned skeptics into advocates who championed the process in future PIs.

When you communicate with clarity, connection, and confidence, you’ll align stakeholders and inspire your team to rally behind the product vision.

““Product owners are influencers, not commanders. Your ability to inspire and align the team and stakeholders determines the success of your product.””
— Roman Pichler

Framing Challenges to Ignite Innovation

Challenges and pushback are part of the game. But as a Product Owner, your superpower lies in reframing obstacles into opportunities that inspire creativity and action.

Example: Turning Backlog Chaos Into a Breakthrough I once worked with a digital retail company where the backlog had become a black hole of “just in case” features. The team was overwhelmed, and stakeholders had lost faith in the product’s direction.

Instead of tackling the backlog head-on, I reframed the situation: “What if we treated this as an opportunity to rediscover what really matters to our customers?” I proposed a collaborative session where the team and stakeholders identified the top three customer pain points. We scrapped features that didn’t serve those priorities and focused on delivering value fast.

By shifting the conversation from “what’s wrong with the backlog” to “how can we wow our customers,” the team found renewed energy. In two sprints, we delivered a feature that improved conversion rates by 15%, and stakeholders were thrilled.

Framing challenges in a positive light gives your team permission to innovate and unlocks their best ideas.

Are You Ready To Level up Your Influence?

Influence is the most powerful tool in your Product Owner toolkit. When you master the art of persuasion—building trust, communicating with impact, and reframing challenges—you become a catalyst for change and a champion for your team and customers.

Are you ready to sharpen your influence and drive meaningful results? Explore how coaching can help you master these skills and take your career to the next level. Click here to schedule a discovery session and start leading with purpose and confidence.

 
Read More