I haven't been active in here much but I'd like to share an example. Being in a highly regulated industry, my department (regulatory affairs) ends up being a lynch pin of sorts for many projects because a large portion of our company documentation is centered around regulations and submissions. Our company operates using decision by consensus and I meet biweekly with executive and product management to assess prioritization. I found there was often inefficiencies in projects because of the disconnect between those requesting changes and those executing the work. It was difficult to push for different options when you have a small window to argue a point and cannot give proper weight to the unseen work. A much better approach was using collaboration to build trust. Going out of my way to push forward the desires of Product Management helped build a better understanding between us. They now trust that I have their goals at heart rather than just those of my team, and often show up for me when I'm the lone dissident on a timeline or strategy. So although I didn't necessarily start without authority, I find influence can be broadened or reciprocated by helping others with more influence achieve their own goals.