Leading Without Authority: Build your influence & lead without authority
Posted by [email protected] on Oct. 19, 2022 / Subscribe 0
by Naga Mallika Gunturu
As project and program management professionals, we work with contributors from different functional areas but rarely do these people directly report to us. Thus the ability to influence without positional authority and drive outcomes is a crucial skill for successful project and program managers. With the rise of virtual teams, team autonomy, flatter organizations, and an increased pace of technological change, this need to lead teams without positional authority is becoming more of a norm.
Here are a few ways in which you could build your influence and lead without authority:
- Clarify the context: Make it clear to your team “why” the task is important and how it fits the overall purpose. This helps make a better case for your decisions and also provides an opportunity for the team to challenge or validate your thought process and provide alternate perspectives. This open conversation helps in establishing alignment and building trust between you and your teams.
- Establish your credibility: In order to influence others they must trust you and your abilities. This includes demonstrating that you have done your base work, know the facts and limitations, and understand the impact of your actions and decisions. This can also include demonstrating your awareness of how your organization works, its culture, influencers, etc. Keep up your promises and do not hesitate to talk about your weaknesses and vulnerabilities. Also, bring visibility to the good work you are doing—but that does not mean bragging. Clearly articulate the value you bring in by means of your work and show interest in taking on challenging projects or roles in your organization.
- Leverage and expand your network: Reach out to your network to see if anyone knows how the teams that you would work with generally function. Try to understand what works and what does not. Along with this, build a broad network of relationships inside and outside your organization. This comes quite naturally for some people, while it is not so easy for others. Evolve a personal approach and follow it with discipline to overcome the inhibitions and build a solid network.
- Exhibit Emotional Intelligence: Be an active listener and show empathy toward others. Appreciate the work done by others and provide constructive criticism when necessary. This creates an environment where people feel valued which in turn enhances employee engagement with the organization's goals and objectives.
- Experiment with different influencing styles: Each of us has a style that we respond to the most and is likely the one we use to influence others by default. While it is important to understand what our default style is, it is equally important to experiment with other styles and understand which style works best for the given situation and folks involved.
- Rationalizing: Emphasis on using logic, facts, and reasoning to present ideas.
- Asserting: Emphasis on rules, law, and authority to influence others. Clear articulation of preferences and dislikes and applying pressure on others to agree to one’s viewpoint, if needed.
- Negotiating: Looking for compromises or trade-offs, making concessions to establish a common ground and reach an outcome that satisfies the greater interest of all those involved.
- Inspiring: Appealing to others by establishing a common sense of purpose, shared mission, and exciting outcomes.
- Bridging: Influencing outcomes by connecting and uniting teams, building partnerships. Using personal relations and human connection as a means to influence others.
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