Power, Politics and Influence

Power, Politics and Influence: Navigating Your Organization

Build Relationships & Master Organizational Dynamics

Every organization has its own dynamics – and the most effective leaders know how to navigate them. This course gives you the tools to build strong relationships, align teams around a common purpose, and influence key stakeholders. Learn how to scale leadership impact, break down silos, and lead across functions with confidence.

Dates: September 16 - October 21, 2025
Schedule: 11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Cost: $995*

Certificates will be awarded based on successful completion of the training.

* Enroll two or more employees and receive a 20% discount on registration.
* TCU alumni, faculty and staff receive a 30% discount as part of our community.
* U.S. veterans and non-profit employees are eligible for a 10% discount in recognition of their service.

Skills and Insights You Can Apply

Build and strengthen key stakeholder relationships.
Navigate organizational power structures with confidence.
Align teams and departments around a shared vision
Shape and sustain a strong organizational culture
Lead effectively across functions and competing priorities
Use influence to drive innovation and meaningful change

Is This Course Right for You?

This course is for leaders who want to strengthen their influence and navigate complex organizational dynamics. Ideal participants include:

Senior leaders looking to drive alignment and strategic change.
Mid-level managers who need to collaborate across silos & functions.
Emerging and high-potential leaders seeking to build credibility and influence.

Meet Your Faculty Leaders

Jim Roach

Executive Director
Executive Education

Mr. Roach has 25 years of experience in corporate human resources leading learning and development programs to build leadership capabilities, enhance organizational effectiveness and deliver improved business results. He spent more than 20 years at Verizon leading the organization effectiveness initiative and developing custom leadership and functional development programs. He also spent 15 years leading executive education leadership certificate programs at SMU and five years leading programs for L-3 Link Simulation & Training. He has been honored with several teaching excellence awards and has designed and delivered courses on subjects such as executive presence and communication, authenticity, presentation style, leading in today’s business environment, learning agility, creativity and leadership, retaining top talent, and building and managing the employment relationship. He holds a BA and MS in economics from the University of Illinois.

Abbie Shipp

Professor
M.J. Neeley Professor of Management
Management and Leadership Department

Dr. Abbie Shipp is the M. J. Neeley Professor and Department Chair of the Management & Leadership Department at TCU. She is an award-winning professor, working with undergraduate, graduate, and executive audiences on topics such as adaptive leadership, employee engagement, and leading change. Her research focuses on the psychological and subjective experience of time at work including: the perception of trajectories at work, how individuals react to change, how time is spent on work tasks, and how individuals think about the past/present/future. She has published a two-volume book (“Time and Work”) and is an Associate Editor at Academy of Management Review, the top conceptual journal in management. Prior to joining TCU, Dr. Shipp taught at Texas A&M University, the University of North Carolina, and Oklahoma State University and she was employed by The Boeing Company and TV Guide. Prior consulting engagements include Ernst & Young, Marriott International, AT&T, Halliburton, Texas Transportation Institute, Inspirus, and Working Solutions. She is also a member of the board of directors of United Way of Tarrant County and serves as chair of the strategic planning committee. Dr. Shipp holds an MBA from Oklahoma State University and a PhD from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Cameron Potter

Manager of Employee Success, TCU

Dr. Cameron Potter is the Human Resources Manager of Employee Success at Texas Christian University (TCU). Cameron has also served as a Professor in the TCU Honors College, College of Education and Harris College of Nursing & Health Sciences. At TCU, Cameron’s work is focused on the growth of Executives, Managers, and Supervisors – dynamically developing leaders to succeed through experiential coaching, creative problem-solving, influential decision-making, and implementation of meaningful feedback systems.

Cameron’s expertise lies in the intersection of values and action – an area of personal and leadership congruence he calls “Praxis”. He draws on his experience as a school principal, experiential educator, certified coach and trained facilitator to design leadership inflection points.

Prior to joining TCU Cameron served as a Senior Learning Partner for Carskadon & Associates (C&A). During his time with C&A Cameron partnered with local nonprofits, businesses, and private/public schools – including Los Angeles Unified School District – to train, develop and assess senior executives and administrators. In addition to facilitating training sessions, Cameron accomplished this through collaborative coaching, change navigation, transformational learning and formal accreditation reviews (e.g. Western Associated of Schools and Colleges/WASC).

He is credited with multiple publications and presentations including; Ethical and Moral-Meaning Making Through Intercultural Initiatives, Development of Situational Judgment, and The Promise of Systematic External Review for Professional Leadership Education Programs.

Cindy James

Instructor

Cindy has more than 25 years of leadership experience managing teams of 20 employees up to several hundred employees in size. Her experience is focused primarily as a senior human resources leader with additional expertise in operations and business management. Cindy is currently the Senior Director of Talent Acquisition and Employee Development for Elbit Systems of America in Fort Worth Texas. Prior to her role at Elbit, she was the Vice President of Human Resources at the Options Clearing Corporation and was previously a Senior Vice President at AmeriCredit. Her depth of expertise in the human resources function includes talent acquisition, employee relations, HR systems, organization development, culture, business partnerships, training, and total rewards. She has developed a multitude of learning and development programs targeted at individual, team, and organizational development. Cindy is also a partner in her family’s agricultural business based in the Fort Worth area.

She holds a Bachelor’s of Business Administration and Master’s in Human Resources Management from Dallas Baptist University. From the same university, she is currently a PhD candidate in Leadership Studies, basing her research on the confidence of women leaders who work in male-dominated organizations. She is certified in 360^o degree feedback from the Center for Creative Leadership, certified in Hogan Assessments, and is a certified coach from the International Coaching Federation.

Questions?

Please contact

Laurie Yesley

Director of Executive Program Development
l.yesley@tcu.edu
817-257-4682

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