This is one particular topic that seems to be a roadblock for leaders. I’m often asked “How can I influence if I don’t have formal authority over that person or team?” To clarify, I’m using the term “influence” and I don’t mean in a manipulative fashion. Some other ways to think about it are: how can I be seen a leader and respected by others if I don’t have formal authority? You might be tasked with leading a group of colleagues, but you aren’t their direct boss on the org chart or your boss might delegate something to you that involves collaborating with others outside of your team.
Be aware that authority bias is a real thing. We have a tendency to trust and be more influenced by the opinions of an authority figure, unrelated to the actual content. Remember this is also based on your perception of how you view authority.
As a sidenote, I personally don’t prefer the term “authority” because it’s so command-and-control however, for this purpose, it means the formal line on the org chart. This formal line can be a real hang-up for people when it comes to influencing.
Some people feel they can’t influence without formal authority because they have no way to hold people accountable and this is can be valid concern. Organizational culture has a large impact on this, especially if your organization is lacking accountability. I see leaders avoiding responsibility and tasking their direct reports with doing their ‘dirty’ work because they don’t want to do it themselves, which results in throwing the person into the deep end (if you are a leader, it can be a good exercise to question your intentions for delegating). It can also be a personal insecurity or imposter syndrome; often, people say things to me like “Why would these people listen to me or respect me?” This might be a great opportunity to do more self-promoting and share your insights and expertise with your coworkers.
What stops people from influencing might also be rivalry, fear of failing, underestimating what you have to offer or differing priorities. Some people also tend to take things pretty personally and the more personal they take something, the more personal they will be with anyone who challenges it. We all have our own personal goals and sometimes those can get in the way of achieving the team or organizational goals.
The answer is: YES, you absolutely can influence without having formal authority. Many of us might not want to hear that answer because it is something that requires time, effort, patience, and highly-effective interpersonal skills. Sometimes, we might want to take the easy route and say “I don’t have any formal authority so I can’t be seen as a leader or influence” to avoid the effort it takes.
We might not realize it, but, usually, we have someone that we respect and go to for advice or seek counsel from that isn’t a formal boss. Who is this in your life? Is there someone at work that fits this description? What is that person doing that you respect so much? What qualities do they have? Is it their attitude? Behavior? Communication? What is it about them that you respect? This person might not have formal authority over you, yet, you listen to them and trust them.
I’m going to give you the big secret of success here: it’s all about building genuine, trusting relationships. If you aren’t trusted or seen as sincere, you’re not going to be able to influence. For this reason, this is not something that can be done speedily. Some people want a quick fix for this and that’s not possible. Long-term strategy and outlook is necessary for building trusting relationships.
Focus on your connections. You don’t want to wait until the time comes that you need to get something done because then you’ll have to spend time building or rebuilding the relationship. Usually, with my clients, this topic comes up at a time when they are tasked with influencing without formal authority. Start now: take a proactive approach to building relationships.
It helps to always clarify your specific goals and intentions. Share your intention often. (To be able to share it, you must be aware of it!)
Choose to view everything with positive intent and assume everyone is a potential ally.
As with anything, mindset can be helpful here. Step into the mindset that you’re going to fully embody leading this goal, objective, or initiative; get specific on how you want others to perceive you. Act from the mindset that these people are on your team. What will it take for you to get into that mindset?
Utilize your managing-up skills to ask clarifying questions: “What level of authority do I have with this?” “How should I hold others accountable?”
Make the objective or measurement of success about achieving goals, not changing behavior.
Constantly ask yourself “Am I building a wall or a bridge here?” then reflect on ways you can build bridges to connect more powerfully with others.
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