Assertiveness Part 2: From Authority to Influence
How to give feedback that builds teams and drives results
You’ve built your Authority Narrative. You know why your voice matters. But here’s what I see with 90% of the leaders I coach: they have the story, but they’re terrified to use it when it counts most.
The moment arrives: your team member delivers a presentation that misses the mark completely. Everyone knows it. The silence is deafening.
Do you address it directly and risk seeming harsh? Or let it slide and watch the project suffer?
This is where authority becomes influence - in those crucial feedback moments that define your leadership. Most pharmaceutical leaders avoid these conversations entirely, or handle them so poorly that nothing changes.
This week, we’re exploring how to use your Authority Narrative to give feedback that actually lands and creates positive change. Plus, I’ve created a Feedback Converter tool that transforms your raw, unfiltered thoughts into professional feedback using proven frameworks - you’ll find the link at the end of this newsletter.
The Conversation That Changed Everything
I coached Emma, a VP of Market Access, who’d spent months watching her pricing team consistently submit reimbursement dossiers without proper health economic evidence. The pattern was clear: rushed submissions, inevitable payer pushback, costly relaunch delays.
Emma had the expertise - “Having secured reimbursement across 12 European markets for complex oncology therapies” - but she couldn’t bring herself to address the problem directly. She’d hint at improvements, send helpful articles about HTA requirements, even volunteer to “review” submissions, but never had the direct conversation.
The breaking point came when their latest NICE submission was rejected for insufficient cost-effectiveness data, delaying UK market access by ten months and costing the company millions in lost revenue.
That’s when Emma used the SBI feedback model and how to anchor it in her Authority Narrative:
Her conversation: “James, I wanted to discuss the recent NICE submission. In yesterday’s review meeting, I noticed the cost-effectiveness model was missing real-world evidence data, and the budget impact analysis didn’t include comparator costs. Having worked through similar NICE rejections before, I know this pattern typically leads to 8-12 month delays whilst we generate missing evidence. I’d like to work with you on a submission checklist that ensures all HTA requirements are met upfront - would you be open to that?”
Result: James immediately asked for Emma’s help. They developed a systematic evidence review process that became the standard for all their market access submissions. No major HTA rejections in the following 18 months.
Emma didn’t become confrontational. She became helpful. And her feedback actually stuck because it came from a place of expertise, not criticism.
The Science of Effective Feedback
Here’s what Harvard Business School’s research reveals about feedback in pharmaceutical environments:
The Problem:
67% of pharma leaders avoid giving constructive feedback entirely
84% report that feedback conversations “don’t seem to change behaviour”
Only 31% regularly give positive feedback to reinforce good performance
The Solution: When leaders use structured feedback methods anchored in their expertise, three things happen:
Acceptance increases by 73% - people listen when expertise provides the context
Behaviour change occurs 2.8x more often - structure makes feedback actionable
Relationship quality improves - clarity reduces defensiveness
The key insight: feedback works when it comes from authority and follows structure. Your Authority Narrative provides the credibility; proven frameworks provide the roadmap.
The Three Feedback Frameworks That Work
Framework 1: The Feedback Sandwich (Best for Regular Performance Discussions)
Structure: Positive → Constructive → Positive
