--- title: "Up, down, sideways and out: where are you on the Influence Curve?" description: Many cyber and tech leaders are promoted for their technical depth. Leadership asks for influence in four directions. A two-minute video explainer. --- [Skip to content](https://donovanleadership.com/blog/up-down-sideways-and-out-where-are-you-on-the-influence-curve#main-content) ![cropped-DON\_LongRGB01](https://donovanleadership.com/hs-fs/hubfs/cropped-DON_LongRGB01.jpg?width=886&height=247&name=cropped-DON_LongRGB01.jpg) - [Home](https://donovanleadership.com/) - [Coaching](https://donovanleadership.com/executive-coaching-transform-your-leadership-style-donovan-leadership) Show submenu for Coaching - [One on One Coaching](https://donovanleadership.com/one-on-one-coaching) - [Group Coaching](https://donovanleadership.com/group-coaching) - [Blog](https://donovanleadership.com/blog) Show submenu for Blog - [All Posts](https://donovanleadership.com/blog) - [Research](https://donovanleadership.com/blog/tag/research) - [Books](https://donovanleadership.com/books) Show submenu for Books - [The Sounding Board](https://donovanleadership.com/sounding-board) - [About](https://donovanleadership.com/about) Show submenu for About - [Contact Us](https://donovanleadership.com/contact) Open main navigation Close main navigation - [Home](https://donovanleadership.com/) - [Coaching](https://donovanleadership.com/executive-coaching-transform-your-leadership-style-donovan-leadership) Show submenu for Coaching - [One on One Coaching](https://donovanleadership.com/one-on-one-coaching) - [Group Coaching](https://donovanleadership.com/group-coaching) - [Blog](https://donovanleadership.com/blog) Show submenu for Blog - [All Posts](https://donovanleadership.com/blog) - [Research](https://donovanleadership.com/blog/tag/research) - [Books](https://donovanleadership.com/books) Show submenu for Books - [The Sounding Board](https://donovanleadership.com/sounding-board) - [About](https://donovanleadership.com/about) Show submenu for About - [Contact Us](https://donovanleadership.com/contact) - [Influence Curve Quiz](https://quiz.donovanleadership.com/?utm_source=website&utm_medium=site-header&utm_campaign=influence-curve) [Influence Curve Quiz](https://quiz.donovanleadership.com/?utm_source=website&utm_medium=site-header&utm_campaign=influence-curve) Oct 29, 2026, 4:11:57 PM # Up, down, sideways and out: where are you on the Influence Curve? [Brian Donovan](https://donovanleadership.com/blog/author/brian-donovan) Share: [facebook-f icon](http://www.facebook.com/share.php?u=https://donovanleadership.com/blog/up-down-sideways-and-out-where-are-you-on-the-influence-curve) [linkedin-in icon](http://www.linkedin.com/shareArticle?mini=true&url=https://donovanleadership.com/blog/up-down-sideways-and-out-where-are-you-on-the-influence-curve) [Twitter icon](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?url=https://donovanleadership.com/blog/up-down-sideways-and-out-where-are-you-on-the-influence-curve) [pinterest-p icon](http://pinterest.com/pin/create/link/?url=https://donovanleadership.com/blog/up-down-sideways-and-out-where-are-you-on-the-influence-curve) [envelope icon](mailto:?body=https://donovanleadership.com/blog/up-down-sideways-and-out-where-are-you-on-the-influence-curve) "It's easier to do it myself than explain it to someone else." A cyber leader told me that a few months after he was promoted for his technical depth. It's one of the most honest things a new leader has said to me, and I hear versions of it often. Technical expertise got him the role. But leadership is about producing results through people, and that takes influence. Not in one direction, but in four: - **Up** to your management - **Down** to your team - **Sideways** to your peers and colleagues - **Out** to strategic suppliers and partners His breakthrough came when getting the best from his people became his new problem to solve. The same curiosity that made him a strong engineer was now pointed at people, not systems. ## Why this matters more now As AI takes on more of the technical work, your ability to influence matters more, not less. Growing it a little at a time isn't enough. You need to multiply it. ## The five stages of the Influence Curve In my book, *Leadership Is Changing the Game*, I describe five stages leaders move through: **Position, Permission, Performance, Inspiration and Service.** I explain each one in this two-minute video. It's not a one-way climb. A new job, a new boss or a reorganisation can take you back down the curve. In leadership, you're never done. ## Where are you on the curve? If you're curious about where you sit on the curve, and where you need to be, take the free three-minute Influence Curve quiz. [**Take the quiz**](https://quiz.donovanleadership.com/?utm_source=blog&utm_medium=blog-video&utm_campaign=influence-curve) And a question to end with: when did you realise your job was no longer to solve the problem, but to grow the people who solve it? [Thought Leadership](https://donovanleadership.com/blog/tag/thought-leadership), [influence curve](https://donovanleadership.com/blog/tag/influence-curve) ## Related posts [![](https://donovanleadership.com/hs-fs/hubfs/AI-Generated%20Media/Images/The%20image%20features%20a%20modern%20office%20environment%20with%20a%20sleek%20conference%20table%20at%20the%20center%20surrounded%20by%20highbacked%20chairs%20On%20the%20table%20there%20are%20several%20open%20laptops%20displaying%20graphs%20and%20charts%20alongside%20notepads%20filled%20with%20handwritten%20notes%20The%20w-1.jpeg?height=200&name=The%20image%20features%20a%20modern%20office%20environment%20with%20a%20sleek%20conference%20table%20at%20the%20center%20surrounded%20by%20highbacked%20chairs%20On%20the%20table%20there%20are%20several%20open%20laptops%20displaying%20graphs%20and%20charts%20alongside%20notepads%20filled%20with%20handwritten%20notes%20The%20w-1.jpeg)](https://donovanleadership.com/blog/big-kahuna-leadership-survey-white-paper-2012) [Research](https://donovanleadership.com/blog/tag/research) ## [Big Kahuna Leadership Survey White Paper 2012](https://donovanleadership.com/blog/big-kahuna-leadership-survey-white-paper-2012) [Brian Donovan](https://donovanleadership.com/blog/author/brian-donovan) Jul 2, 2012, 3:00:00 PM The “Big Kahuna Leadership Survey” collected the views of 60 influential business and community... [Read more](https://donovanleadership.com/blog/big-kahuna-leadership-survey-white-paper-2012) [![The Human Operating System for Modern Leaders Infographic](https://donovanleadership.com/hs-fs/hubfs/The%20Human%20Operating%20System%20for%20Modern%20Leaders%20Infographic%20Resized%202.jpg?height=200&name=The%20Human%20Operating%20System%20for%20Modern%20Leaders%20Infographic%20Resized%202.jpg)](https://donovanleadership.com/blog/beyond-ai-and-dashboards-the-human-operating-system-for-modern-leaders) [Personality and Behaving Transactionally Program](https://donovanleadership.com/blog/tag/personality-and-behaving-transactionally-program), [AI](https://donovanleadership.com/blog/tag/ai), [Transactional Intelligence™](https://donovanleadership.com/blog/tag/transactional-intelligence) ## [Beyond AI and Dashboards: The Human Operating System for Modern Leaders](https://donovanleadership.com/blog/beyond-ai-and-dashboards-the-human-operating-system-for-modern-leaders) [Brian Donovan](https://donovanleadership.com/blog/author/brian-donovan) Jan 29, 2026, 5:15:00 PM Most leadership breakdowns I see in technology and cyber roles are not caused by a lack of... [Read more](https://donovanleadership.com/blog/beyond-ai-and-dashboards-the-human-operating-system-for-modern-leaders) [![](https://donovanleadership.com/hs-fs/hubfs/AI-Generated%20Media/Images/AI%20Leadership%20Quote%20Card-2.png?height=200&name=AI%20Leadership%20Quote%20Card-2.png)](https://donovanleadership.com/blog/when-technical-excellence-stops-delivering-outcomes) [Leadership and AI](https://donovanleadership.com/blog/tag/leadership-and-ai), [Leadership Roundtable](https://donovanleadership.com/blog/tag/leadership-roundtable), [Influential U](https://donovanleadership.com/blog/tag/influential-u) ## [When Technical Excellence Stops Delivering Outcomes](https://donovanleadership.com/blog/when-technical-excellence-stops-delivering-outcomes) [Brian Donovan](https://donovanleadership.com/blog/author/brian-donovan) Mar 19, 2026, 6:38:09 PM Organisations are investing heavily in the technology. The tools, the systems, the infrastructure.... [Read more](https://donovanleadership.com/blog/when-technical-excellence-stops-delivering-outcomes) [facebook-f icon](https://www.facebook.com/DonovanLeadership/) [linkedin-in icon](https://www.linkedin.com/in/brianfdonovan1/) [Twitter icon](https://x.com/Briandonovan1) - [Privacy Policy](https://donovanleadership.com/privacy-policy) - [Disclaimer](https://donovanleadership.com/disclaimer) - [Contact Us](https://donovanleadership.com/contact) --- PO Box 536 Camberwell VICTORIA, 3124 Australia [![Donovan Leadership](https://donovanleadership.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/cropped-cropped-DON_LongRGB01-Apr-17-2025-10-42-20-2134-PM-Jun-18-2025-10-42-41-2821-AM.jpg?width=886&height=236&name=cropped-cropped-DON_LongRGB01-Apr-17-2025-10-42-20-2134-PM-Jun-18-2025-10-42-41-2821-AM.jpg "Donovan Leadership")](https://donovanleadership.com/) Copyright © 2025, ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@type" : "BlogPosting", "author" : { "@type" : "Person", "name" : "Brian Donovan", "url" : "https://donovanleadership.com/blog/author/brian-donovan" }, "dateModified" : "2026-10-29T07:36:36.843Z", "datePublished" : "2026-10-29T05:11:57.000Z", "headline" : "Up, down, sideways and out: where are you on the Influence Curve?", "mainEntityOfPage" : { "@id" : "https://donovanleadership.com/blog/up-down-sideways-and-out-where-are-you-on-the-influence-curve", "@type" : "WebPage" }, "publisher" : { "@type" : "Organization", "logo" : { "@type" : "ImageObject", "url" : "https://donovanleadership.com/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/cropped-cropped-DON_LongRGB01-Apr-17-2025-10-42-20-2134-PM-Jun-18-2025-10-42-41-2821-AM.jpg" }, "name" : "Donovan Leadership" } } ```