Psychology at Work | Career Success, Leadership, Communication Skills 90. Positive Influence: The Art & Science of Building Relationships to Skyrocket Your Career with Mo Bunnell
Mar 4, 2026
Mo Bunnell, founder of Bunnell Idea Group and author of Give to Grow, teaches simple ways to build influence without schmoozing. He explains the Give to Grow approach, a three-step method to offer value upward, and how to reclaim time with the cut-to-climb tactic. Practical tips cover skip-level access, working with gatekeepers, and keeping a relationships list to scale impact.
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Mid Career Success Requires Positive Influence
- Technical excellence stops being enough at mid-career; success requires getting things done through others and shaping agendas.
- Mo Bunnell explains senior roles value positive influence: building buy-in, stakeholder alignment, and motivating teams over solo execution.
Use Bite Sized Giving To Build Influence
- Give your expertise away in bite-sized, strategic ways to become the person others turn to for solutions.
- Mo recommends sharing small, actionable insights that steer decisions so stakeholders buy into ideas and subsequently hire you to implement them.
Judgment Trumps Raw Information
- Information abundance doesn't equal directional judgment; people need someone to synthesize implications and recommend next steps.
- Mo highlights that expertise paired with a POV makes you indispensable because others rarely know what to focus on next.
