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Run the Room

You’re working harder than the people getting results

Published 7 months ago • 1 min read

Run the Room

Show, don't sell.

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When we want buy-in, our instinct is to persuade—explain the vision, justify the need, build the perfect case.

But the fastest way to change minds isn't through words.

It's through proof.

I learned this in Liberia, trying to convince policymakers that community health workers could transform their health system.

They didn't need another PowerPoint. They needed to see it work.

So we built a pilot. Trained workers. Tracked outcomes. Let the data speak.

Within months access to healthcare in the district climbed to 100%.

The proof moved faster than any argument ever could: the Minister of Health ultimately adopted the pilot country-wide.

Now here's what most leaders miss:

Proof isn't just about results. It's about visibility, timing, & contrast.

1) 𝘝𝘪𝘴𝘪𝘣𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘺 (who witnesses it, who talks about it, how it circulates)

2) 𝘛𝘪𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘨 (momentum has a shelf life, capture attention while the win is warm)

3) 𝘊𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘴𝘵 (document the before and after in sharp relief, the gap creates belief)

When you design proof this way, you're not just showing it works. You're showing it's inevitable.

Try this:

Before your next big ask, shrink it into a pilot.
Run the play once.
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Make the outcome visible: Loop in 2-3 skeptics as witnesses
Make it timely: share results while momentum is hot
Mark the contrast:ocument the "before" state as clearly as the "after."
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🌿 Then let the proof do the persuading.

Make your value legible in one sitting

Most high-stakes leaders struggle to get traction for their work—even when it’s important.
The reason? Their message is too complex, buried in credentials, or just doesn’t land fast enough.
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So they get sidelined in key decisions, misunderstood by execs, and overlooked for opportunities.
Until someone less qualified—but sharper in delivery—gets the buy-in, budget, or role.
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I do rapid message rewrites for high-stakes leaders so their value is undeniable in one sitting.

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That’s why I run the 90-minute Make It Land Sprint: it's the fastest way to sharpen your message, LinkedIn, and influence.

Result: more visibility, faster yeses, and the power to shape outcomes.

This one’s filling fast.
​No future sessions scheduled.

Weekly insights on building influence without authority—so you can run the room, shape outcomes, and move systems.

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Run the Room

Get in the room. Run it. Change what happens when you leave. That's the work I do with senior leaders moving standards from concept to institutional adoption. My work has been featured in The New York Times, TIME, The Lancet, and Foreign Policy. Each Saturday, one short note on making it easy to move decisions that matter—three minutes to read, used in next week's meeting.

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