Managing the movement of 300,000 daily passengers taught me this: Complex systems require simple solutions.

For 19 years at LIRR, I've orchestrated equipment strategies, crisis responses, and service expansions that keep New York moving. Now I'm applying those lessons to FIFA 2026's logistics challenges.

MY TRACK RECORD:
- $500K+ annual savings through strategic optimization
- 95% service reliability during Hurricane Sandy
- Led LIRR's most significant service expansion in 100+ years
- PMP, Lean Six Sigma Black Belt, PMI-RMP certified

CURRENT FOCUS:
Analyzing how 80,000 fans will navigate World Cup venues. Creating educational content on stadium logistics, fan mobility, and innovative travel strategies. Building bridges between transit expertise and sporting excellence.

PASSION PROJECTS:
Exploring innovative models for youth sports accessibility. Developing content that democratizes elite knowledge. Building communities around shared values of excellence and opportunity.

Let's connect if you're working on:
- Mega-event logistics
- Transit innovation
- Fan experience design
- Youth development through sports

Based in NYC. Thinking globally.

Note: Personal views and content. Created outside work hours.

Gregory Charles

I help project and program managers become strategic, influential leaders, by developing the power skills, confidence, and presence that make a real difference.

Have you ever?
   -  Thought “How do I get people to listen when I’m not their manager?”
   -  Send reminders… and more reminders… and still get no response.
   -  Staying late to “make up for” delays caused by others not doing their part

Would you wish?
   -  To influence decisions and outcomes even without the title
   -  To be seen as a leader by their team and leadership
   -  To feel confident pushing back, guiding direction, and navigating resistance
   -  To accelerate into senior roles 

In my program - Influential PM Academy - you will master stakeholder relationships, turn resistance into trust, and communicate with strategic influence so you can elevate your impact, shape key decisions, and accelerate your career. All without playing political games, chasing approval, or relying on authority you don’t have.

I’m Raquel Horta, a Project and Program Manager consultant, coach, and instructor with over 20 years of experience leading complex, high-visibility initiatives across small, large, and global organizations. I’ve managed large programs, guided strategic transformation efforts, and supported senior leadership as Chief of Staff.

I combine deep project management expertise with a strong focus on power skills: helping leaders increase influence, lead with confidence, and thrive in high-pressure environments.

I’m also a speaker and the author of “Power Skills: The Human Edge in Project and Program Management”, because I believe leadership is about more than delivery; it’s about impact.

If you’re ready to move beyond being “just the project manager” and start elevating your impact, influencing outcomes, and leading with confidence, join INFLUENTIAL PM ACADEMY.

Raquel Horta

When I started as a Project Manager, I believed authority was the job.
The title.
The budget.
The decision-making power.

I was a consultant. Teams were assigned to my projects and reported to me from a project perspective. On paper, I had “authority.”

And yet…
That alone didn’t make projects run smoothly, on time, or on budget (yes, those were the goals back then).

What I didn’t realise at first was that something else was making the difference.

I was building relationships.
I was earning trust.
I was influencing stakeholders ( often without thinking about it).

It wasn’t a question of “If I had the authority…”.
It became a question of “How do I influence?”.

So I became intentional about:
 ✨ Building trust
 ✨ Understanding what truly mattered to each stakeholder
 ✨ Communicating clearly
 ✨ Aligning goals early and often

Slowly, people came on board.

Not because they had to.
But because they wanted to.

Projects landed on time.
Budgets held.
Stakeholders were aligned.
And the team actually worked as a team.

That’s when it clicked.

In project management, your real superpower isn’t authority, it’s influence.

Titles may open doors, but influence is what moves decisions, energy, and people.

Today, as a coach, this is exactly what I help project and program managers build. Because it’s the difference between managing tasks… and leading people.

💡 Think about your last project. Did you rely on authority or influence?
Which one actually got results?


🔁 Repost if you found this helpful and want to share with your network. Let’s learn and grow together!

______________
I’m Raquel, and I help project and program managers become strategic, influential leaders by developing the power skills, confidence, and presence beyond tools and certifications.

Project & Program Management Coach | I help project & program managers become strategic, influential leaders to accelerate their careers | Speaker | Author “Power Skills: The Human Edge in Project and Program Management”

We all have an identity. Something unique to ourselves.
As project managers, we have one too.

And because our role requires influence, why not develop an Influential Identity?

This idea kept coming up when talking with clients and other PMs, so I decided to create the Influential Identity framework.

The Influential Identity framework is my system for helping project and program managers understand their unique way of being influential and use it to build trust, navigate stakeholders, and make real impact without relying on authority.

The framework is built around five key elements:
1️⃣ Values
The principles that guide your decisions and actions

2️⃣ Purpose
Your “why” that motivates you and inspires others

3️⃣ Influence profile
How you naturally affect people and situations

4️⃣ Mindset blockers
The beliefs or fears that hold you back

5️⃣ Strategic leader profile
The leadership behaviours you demonstrate

This framework helps project and program managers see how they influence others, identify gaps, and take action to grow.

Influence isn’t a trait you’re born with. It’s a competency you can discover, develop, and refine.

Have you ever reflected on your own influence identity? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments.



🔁 Repost if you found this helpful and want to share with your network. Let’s learn and grow together!

______________
I’m Raquel, and I help project and program managers become strategic, influential leaders by developing the power skills, confidence, and presence beyond tools and certifications.

If any project manager in my network is interested.

I am hiring for two key roles at Everway: 

Senior Project Manager and a Project Manager. One position will be located in the UK (Project Manager), while the other will be based on the East Coast US(Sr Project Manager). Both roles will involve managing important strategic projects and collaborating with cross-functional teams and senior leadership within the organization. Please see the descriptions for more details. 

https://lnkd.in/gPMhFrFr

https://lnkd.in/gu7DaMRB

There are 5 Power Skills and 25 competencies covered in my book — “Power Skills: The Human Edge in Project and Program Management.”

The five Power Skills are:
🚀  Problem Solving
🚀  Communication
🚀  Leadership
🚀  Strategic Thinking
🚀  Growth Mindset

I won’t go through all the competencies here, but Influence is one that I consider core to effective leadership.

As I write in my book:
“Influence is about moving people without pulling rank. It’s about inspiring action, creating alignment, and getting people genuinely committed to the work ahead. It is leading by example.”

Influence is what allows project and program managers to turn ideas into action, build trust with stakeholders, and create impact beyond authority or titles.

In my experience, you can have all the technical skills in the world, but without influence, your ability to lead and deliver meaningful results is limited.

Have you ever thought about influence as a leadership skill you can learn and strengthen? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments.


🔁 Repost if you found this helpful and want to share with your network. Let’s learn and grow together!

______________
I’m Raquel, and I help project and program managers become strategic, influential leaders by developing the power skills, confidence, and presence beyond tools and certifications.

When I decided to help project managers build their influence, I spent time thinking about the turning point in my career that shaped my mindset around influence vs authority, and I couldn’t find a single “aha” moment.

I believe it was over the years, as I observed what worked and what didn’t, that my approach evolved. 

I started leaning into the things that moved projects forward and stepping away from the things that didn’t.

People often think: “If I had the authority to… the project would…”

That’s the #1 mistake.

You don’t need authority to get results. You need influence.

Influence is what aligns stakeholders, gains commitment, and makes teams actually deliver. Authority can open doors, but influence is what moves the work and the people forward.

💡 What’s one area where you’re relying on authority instead of influence? Could a shift change your results?


🔁 Repost if you found this helpful and want to share with your network. Let’s learn and grow together!

______________
I’m Raquel, and I help project and program managers become strategic, influential leaders by developing the power skills, confidence, and presence beyond tools and certifications.

I’ve seen it happen too many times: a project looks good on paper but it still struggles to succeed. 

Often, it’s not about the plan. It’s about influence.

Here are the 3 most common reasons projects fail when influence is weak:

1️⃣ Stakeholders aren’t aligned – Without influence, people do their own thing. Misalignment leads to delays, conflicting priorities, and frustration.

2️⃣ Resistance slows progress – When you can’t influence key players, decisions stall, risks aren’t addressed, and momentum is lost.

3️⃣ Teams don’t commit – Authority alone rarely inspires. Without influence, the team delivers tasks, not outcomes. Engagement drops, quality suffers, and ownership disappears.

Influence isn’t about manipulation. It’s about trust, clarity, and connection. 

It’s what turns plans into results.

💡 Think about your last project. Where could stronger influence have prevented a delay, risk, or misalignment?


🔁 Repost if you found this helpful and want to share with your network. Let’s learn and grow together!

______________
I’m Raquel, and I help project and program managers become strategic, influential leaders by developing the power skills, confidence, and presence beyond tools and certifications.

I keep hearing project managers saying:

“I feel invisible in meetings. I raise points, but they just get ignored. I don’t know how to get people to take me seriously.”

Sound familiar? Many project managers feel stuck here. Capable, experienced, but unable to get their voice heard when it matters most.

I’ve been there myself: knowing you have the experience and ideas but feeling like your voice just doesn’t carry.

Here’s how to start turning things around:

💡Understanding your influence identity → who you are as a leader and how you naturally inspire trust.

💡Mapping your key stakeholders → knowing who to engage, why,  when and how.

💡Crafting strategic conversations → framing ideas in ways that align with stakeholders’ priorities.

💡Building credibility and trust → through consistent delivery, empathy, and clear communication.

Fast forward a few months, the transformation is remarkable and you can say:
“I can finally steer discussions with senior leaders. They listen, they challenge me, and they involve me in decisions I was never part of before. I feel like I’m finally making an impact.”

Influence isn’t about authority. It’s about being seen, being heard, and shaping decisions without needing a title.

If you’re a project manager who feels stuck in meetings or unheard by leadership, this is possible for you too. Start by looking at your relationships, your approach, and the way you communicate your ideas.

Have you ever experienced that moment when you realized people were actually listening to you? I’d love to hear your story in the comments. 



🔁 Repost if you found this helpful and want to share with your network. Let’s learn and grow together!

______________
I’m Raquel, and I help project and program managers become strategic, influential leaders by developing the power skills, confidence, and presence beyond tools and certifications.

Early in my career as a Project Manager, I made a mistake that stayed with me for years.

I was leading a complex initiative with smart, experienced people.
The plan was solid.
The timeline was realistic.
The risks were identified.

Yet… things weren’t moving.

Stakeholders were slow to respond.
Decisions kept getting delayed.
Tension was building in meetings.

So I did what many PMs do when pressure rises: I pushed harder.
More follow-ups.
More justification.
More data.
More “explaining why this matters”.

From the outside, I looked competent and in control.
Inside, I was frustrated and exhausted.

Here’s the mistake I made: I believed clarity and logic would be enough to move people.

What I missed was influence.

I wasn’t slowing down to understand what really mattered to each stakeholder.
I wasn’t adapting my communication to their concerns, context, or priorities.
I wasn’t creating space for trust; I was trying to earn buy-in through effort alone.

When I shifted my approach, everything changed.

I listened more than I spoke.
I focused on relationships, not just deliverables.
I stayed calm, even when things felt urgent.
And I stopped trying to convince; I started connecting.

The project didn’t just recover.
The conversations changed.
The energy changed.
And so did my leadership.

That experience shaped my values:
 ➡   Calm over control
 ➡   Influence over authority
 ➡   People before process

Most PMs don’t fail due to lack of skill.
They struggle because no one ever taught them how influence actually works.

Think about a moment when pushing harder didn’t help.
What might have changed if you’d led with influence instead?

🔁 Repost if you found this helpful and want to share with your network. Let’s learn and grow together!

______________
I’m Raquel, and I help project and program managers become strategic, influential leaders by developing the power skills, confidence, and presence beyond tools and certifications.

Sharing with my network... For PMs in UK!

We're looking for a Project Manager to join our team on a fixed-term contract to cover maternity leave. 

This role is part-time, has excellent benefits, and involves working with a distributed team. 

Please read the full job description for more information: https://lnkd.in/eNzuXVrt

The closing date for applications is Sunday 11 January 2026.

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Gregory Charles

Raquel Horta

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taplio

The Battle

Gregory Charles

Raquel Horta

Followers

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Engagements

Likes

Performance Score.css-goub6s{font-size:var(--chakra-fontSizes-md);font-weight:500;color:var(--chakra-colors-gray-600);display:block;margin-top:var(--chakra-space-1);}Raquel Horta's LinkedIn Performance

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