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Courses
See what you would learn
Get cooperation from people who do not report to you.
A course for anyone whose work depends on people they cannot instruct. It covers understanding what the other side needs, making a case they can say yes to, and building agreement that holds without authority behind it.
Open Cadence on the App Store, type the sentence when it asks what you want to learn, and answer a few setup questions. Free to start. Android testers can request early access.
Type this when Cadence asks what you want to learn
I need cooperation from people I do not manage. Teach me how to understand their priorities, make a useful case, and build agreement without relying on authority.
Change any word so it fits your situation. The course is built from what you type and a few setup questions.
- Best for
- Work relationships
- Prerequisites
- None. Bring the situation you have.
- Course length
- 7 to 30 lessons, sized to your goal
- Lesson pace
- About 10 minutes a day
- Format
- Read it, or play the audio
- Access
- Available on the App Store, with early features and Android testing access
Before the course is built
Setup asks about your situation first.
Lesson 1 opens on the moment you describe, and the examples use your role. For this request, expect questions like these.
- Who do you need cooperation from: another team, senior people, external partners, or peers?
- Is the difficulty getting attention, getting agreement, or getting follow-through?
- Is there a specific ask you are trying to land now?
Right for now
If any of this sounds familiar, start here.
You get a yes and then nothing
Agreement in the meeting, silence afterwards.
You over-rely on escalation
Getting your manager involved works once and costs every time.
Course arc
Where the course goes, in order.
Cadence writes the lessons for you, so the exact path follows your answers. This is the ground a course built from this sentence covers.
01 / 06Why authority is overrated
Most work crosses reporting lines, and what people respond to when no one can compel them.
Their side of the table
Mapping incentives, pressures and what a yes costs them.
Reciprocity and credibility
Building the goodwill and track record that make requests easier before you need them.
Making the ask
Specific, small, and framed in their outcomes, with the alternative made clear.
From yes to done
Owners, dates and a check-in, agreed in the room.
When you are still stuck
Escalation used rarely and well, and the relationships that make it unnecessary.
What changes
What you will be able to do, and what you will stop believing.
You will be able to
See their priorities clearly
Know what the other side is measured on and worried about.
Make a case they can accept
Frame the ask in their terms, with the cost and benefit visible.
Turn agreement into action
Get commitments specific enough to follow through on.
Ideas this course corrects
Influence is about persuasion technique
It is mostly about understanding the other side and having credibility before you ask.
A yes means it will happen
A yes is a start. Specific commitments and follow-up are what produce action.
Course questions
What to know before you start.
Is this a fixed course?
No. Cadence builds the course when you type the sentence and answer a few setup questions, so the lessons follow your situation. This page describes what a course built from this request covers. You see the whole path before Lesson 1.
Who is this course for?
A course for anyone whose work depends on people they cannot instruct. It covers understanding what the other side needs, making a case they can say yes to, and building agreement that holds without authority behind it. It sits under Work relationships in the Work & ambitions part of the library.
Do I need any prior experience?
No. Setup asks what you already know and where you want to use it, and the course starts from there. Bring a real situation if you have one; the examples are built around it.
How long does it take?
Courses run 7 to 30 lessons of about 10 minutes, sized to what you asked for. One lesson a day is the intended pace, and you can go faster. Lessons can be read or played as audio.
Does this course award a certificate or degree?
No. Cadence is for practical self-learning and does not award accredited degrees or professional certification.
Start today
Type it, answer a few questions, open Lesson 1.
The sentence to type
I need cooperation from people I do not manage. Teach me how to understand their priorities, make a useful case, and build agreement without relying on authority.
Open Cadence on the App Store, type the sentence when it asks what you want to learn, and answer a few setup questions. Free to start. Android testers can request early access.