Leading and influencing when you don't manage anyone
Description
#DEVELOP
Leading and influencing when you don't manage anyone
Much of professional services work means getting things done through people you don't manage: academics, colleagues in other teams, committees and senior staff. Many staff lead projects, coordinate change and advise decision-makers long before they have a team of their own.
This two hour workshop is for professional services staff who need to lead and influence without line management responsibility. It covers where your influence comes from when it isn't your job title, how to build working relationships across the academic and professional services divide, how to move a proposal through a committee or a senior colleague, and how to lead a piece of work with people who don't report to you.
Attendees will leave with:
A map of the people they need to influence, and where their own credibility comes from
A plan for one piece of work they need to move forward without formal authority
Practical approaches for committees, senior colleagues and cross-team projects
Tuesday 8 December 2026 | Online | 10:00 to 12:00 | Members £35 + VAT | Non-members £75 + VAT
Open to AHEP members and non-members. Counts towards the AHEP Professional Framework: Working together; Empowering development.
Lineup

Maria Kukhareva | Lead Consultant | AHEP Consulting
Maria Kukhareva is an expert coach, facilitator and AHEP Lead Consultant with 25 years' expertise in UK higher education. She holds an MBA in Marketing and a Professional Doctorate in the Sociology of Education and is Senior Fellow of Advance HE. Her practice draws on Erickson solution-focused coaching, the Fearless Organisation's work on psychological safety, and Physical Intelligence framework. Maria has worked with leaders from Head to PVC level, helping individuals get clarity, address their blind spots and deepen leadership capability. With teams, she rebuilds communication and gets results in fast-paced and high-pressured environments. Her recent clients include Warwick University, UCL, the University of Exeter, the University of Chester and the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine. Her facilitation is known for combining warmth with rigour: appreciative and strengths-based, but never short on evidence, depth and insight. She brings the insider's perspective to conversations, helping turn your ambition into an actionable plan.
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