Many leaders know the feeling – we’ve got a vision, a plan, and the authority to make it happen. But somewhere between the big idea and the day-to-day work, things stall. Resistance creeps in. Momentum fades. Why? Because at times, we don’t see who or how our culture is being shaped behind the scenes. Influence – not authority – is what actually moves people.
If you had a map showing you exactly who drives commitment, influence, and action in your organization, what would you do with it?
An organization’s culture is built through the invisible professional networks of relational connections - relationships, trust, and influence – often by people who don’t have the titles, rather they are colleagues who hold credibility among their peers.
This book invites leaders to return to the joy of their work that is found in leading through a framework for creating Intentional Influence – a cascading model that creates ripple effects which begins with Leading Oneself to Leading Others and expands to Leading Teams and Leading the Organization.
Intentional Influence introduces the powerful and practical practice of Cultural Mapping. You’ll learn how to map the relational connections inside your organization, identify committed members, address resistance, and strategically build capacity to support cultural commitments and the implementation of initiatives.
The result? Not just short-term compliance, but a culture built upon commitment. Leading through this framework offers leaders an inspiring blueprint for creating an organizational culture where commitment thrives. This framework works for schools, businesses, and nonprofits by intentionally harnessing the cascades of cultural influence.
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Dr. Ben Johnson serves as the Assistant Superintendent for Secondary Schools in Bismarck Public Schools, North Dakota. A leader, author, and executive coach, Ben has a passion for developing innovative systems that align culture, leadership, and learning through his Cultural Mapping framework. His work centers on building commitment through relationships and purpose—helping leaders transform compliance into authentic engagement. Ben is also the author of Intentional Influence: Harnessing Cultural Mapping to Build Commitment.
Bobby Dodd (JD) is an award-winning educational leader, speaker, and principal known for his focus on organizational culture and innovative leadership. He brings decades of experience helping schools and leaders build capacity through trust, collaboration, and reflection. Bobby’s leadership philosophy blends servant leadership with practical strategy—empowering leaders to develop high-performing, connected teams where everyone leads with purpose. Bobby is also the coauthor of Intentional Influence: Harnessing Cultural Mapping to Build Commitment.
At Cascading Solutions, LLC, our executive coaching and strategic planning services help you create cascades of intentional influence throughout your organization in order to shape the culture and lead the implementation of initiatives. Cultural Mapping is a practical process for uncovering, visualizing, and engaging the real networks of trust and influence in your organization. We analyze your current organization's professional network and create a roadmap to guide your people towards building commitment towards the desired vision.
Every action you take influences someone. The question is—are you doing it on purpose? In Intentional Influence, we introduce Cultural Mapping—a game-changing framework for leaders who want to go beyond titles and hierarchy. It’s about uncovering the real networks of relational connections, commitment levels, and influence that shape your organization’s culture every day. When you know who truly moves the needle, you can engage them to align people, purpose, and practice—and that’s how you build commitment that lasts.
If you had a map showing exactly who drives the culture - trust, morale, and action in your organization—what would you do with it?
