How to Lead When You're Not in Charge: Leveraging Influence When You Lack Authority

by Clay Scroggins

If you are creating something great, your time will come. And if your time hasn’t come yet, keep working to create something great.

That’s what critical-thinking leaders do. And you can hardly turn it off. You will always be looking for ways to make things better, to say things better, to do things better. That’s what leaders do.

leaders who are critical thinkers don’t just criticize and whine; they learn. They start by questioning things. Why do we do it this way? Is there a better way? What would happen if we stopped that? Why is this working? What’s the real “win” here? Asking questions is at the heart of critical thinking. Questions challenge assumptions.

Being observant is another key leadership quality, because as we carefully observe things, we are able to better determine cause-and-effect relationships. Leaders know what to pay attention to and can find the variable that has changed or is out of place and is causing a certain result.

Owners see things others don’t see. Owners have more buy-in than others do. Owners care more deeply because their future depends on it.

can also be an enemy of critical thinking. I will get to the end of my day and realize I’ve generated no new thoughts, no new ideas. I’ve only been reacting to circumstances and solving problems. If you find yourself constantly in that mode, you need to reclaim control of your life.

The most dangerous outcome of thinking critically is that subtle pull you feel to become a critical person. There are times that line between being critical and thinking critically is razor thin.

key difference between someone who is critical and someone who is a critical thinker?” After a few moments, someone shouts out my favorite answer. Motive.

People who are great critical thinkers want you to win. They’re motivated to make something better. Yes, they may deconstruct, but it’s for the betterment of others. They don’t even care about the credit. When I point out something wrong with what you’re doing because I think I see a better way for you, I’m thinking critically to serve you.

So if you’re not careful, your critical thinking will make others feel like you’re giving them grades. When you stand in the back of the room evaluating the performance of another team, pay attention to your posture. Pay attention to your countenance. Pay attention to what you say when you see them next.

This is not about whether you should convey the thoughts that could better those around you. It’s about how you pass on those thoughts. I’m convinced that you can say anything—even hard and honest truth—if you say it in love and with a caring tone. When you communicate critical thoughts to those beside you, below you, or to your boss, you need to do so with a helping hand, not a grading tone.

Assure the listener you are for him or her.

Always present a solution to any problem you raise.

Keep your blood pressure as low as possible when communicating feedback. If you can’t talk about it without getting emotional, you’re not ready to talk about it.

Deliver potential challenges in the rhythm of positive-challenge-positive. Some call it a compliment sandwich and some just call it wise.

Jesus never held a clipboard, but if anyone had the right to grade others, it was the perfect, sinless Son of God. But that’s not why he came. Jesus didn’t come to condemn the world; he came to save it. He was far more interested in helping others than in grading them.

And as you learn to think critically, never forget that the towel is the way God leads us, and it is always more powerful than the clipboard.

Every one of us is walking around carrying loads of messy contradictions.

Anyone who has created anything has done it through intentionality. Even those who try and fail gain the benefit of an opportunity for learning.

Hoping someone will hand you responsibility may not be helping your boss. If you truly want to be a leader who is leading when you’re not in charge and capable of being trusted with more, you have to be willing to add responsibilities to your current role.

Part of his job was to find ways within his area of responsibility to make better what we were trying to accomplish. That was his job, not my job.

On our team, the people I trust most are the ones handling the most and taking the initiative to find and solve the problems I haven’t even noticed yet. So if you’re not busy, get busy! A

There are those who are deciding what kind of person they want to be and those who are simply responding to what life is handing them.