S9 Ep9: Building Alliances at the Top Table: Collaborating with Other Senior Leaders to Drive Unified Outcomes

Welcome back to Your Path to Career Success — the podcast that helps you build the skills, confidence, and strategies to thrive in your career.In this episode, we kick off Phase 3: Expanding Influence Beyond Your Function. Last week, we explored how to act like an executive before you hold the title. This week, we focus on building alliances at the top table — collaborating with other senior leaders to drive unified, enterprise-wide outcomes.Here’s the truth: no executive succeeds in isolation. Leaders who rise to the top are not only technically strong—they know how to mobilise influence, align priorities with peers, and create collective success across the organisation. What You’ll Learn in This Episode: • The mindset shifts needed for effective cross-functional collaboration • Practical ways to build trust and credibility with peers at the top table • Common pitfalls that can undermine your influence at senior levels • A reflection exercise to start mapping and strengthening your alliance network todayThis episode is packed with actionable insights, stories, and exercises to help you shift from functional success to enterprise impact. By moving from competition to collaboration, earning peer trust, and influencing without formal authority, you’ll become a leader who others want to partner with at the top table. What Next? A big thank you for tuning in to Your Path to Career Success — where your ambition meets actionable advice.🦉 Ready to expand your influence at the executive level? Book a free discovery call and explore how my Unlock Your Career Potential coaching programme can support your leadership journey: https://calendly.com/thecareerowl🦉 If this episode gave you strategies to strengthen cross-functional alliances, subscribe, leave a review, and share it with a colleague preparing for senior leadership.🦉 Follow me on LinkedIn for daily insights and behind-the-scenes leadership strategies. Useful Resources: 📘 Influence Without Authority by Allan R. Cohen & David L. Bradford — practical guidance for persuading and collaborating without formal power. 📘 Team of Teams by General Stanley McChrystal — insights on breaking down silos and fostering enterprise-wide collaboration. 📘 Crucial Conversations by Kerry Patterson, Joseph Grenny, et al. — techniques for handling high-stakes conversations that build trust and alignment. Next week: We’ll focus on Communicating with Impact in the Boardroom — presenting insights and recommendations that shape executive decisions and influence organisational outcomes.I would love to know what you think of the episode