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

by Clay Scroggins

You may not directly blame someone for why something is not working, but you still want to avoid statements that imply blame or would lead your boss to question whether you have a particular individual in mind.

Instead of using an ultimatum to effect change, convince your boss that you are on the same team, that you are behind him or her. Make sure your boss is aware of your perspective and explore together what the implications are if the decision is or is not made. Include them in the process of evaluating, rather than presenting specific choices or actions as foregone conclusions if immediate action is not taken.

Before you decide to approach your boss or even someone in another department with something potentially challenging, you need to think through the relationship you have with them.

In every relationship, make sure the other person is convinced of these simple truths: “I am not in this relationship for me. I am in this for you.” That’s love. And to lead well as you are relating to your boss, you have to choose to love your boss this way. If you don’t, challenging up won’t work.

One of the greatest difficulties in challenging up is learning to challenge the process without appearing to challenge the person.

To build trust, practice faithfulness. Nothing will win your boss over like selfless faithfulness over an extended period of time.

Bring up disagreements when emotions are low.

Champion publicly. Challenge privately.

Your physical posture is important, but your nonphysical or emotional posture is just as important, if not more so. Your emotional posture is determined by the thoughts and feelings you allow yourself to have toward yourself and your boss. Nothing affects your posture more than what you tell yourself about yourself and about your manager.

Choosing to trust your boss builds trust with your boss.

Admit to yourself and to your boss that you may be missing information.

It does you no good to walk into a situation thinking you have it all figured out. There is always information you’re lacking that can help you understand the situation more clearly.

If you can’t stay emotionally neutral about a situation, you’re not ready to bring it up.

Prepare yourself to be okay with a no.

The most powerful reason to challenge the status quo is to make it better. Any other reason for change is counterproductive. But not everyone will agree on what defines better. The challenge is that it might be clear to you, but it is your responsibility to communicate this and make it crystal clear to your boss.

Start by finding the why. Begin by answering some simple questions: Why? Why are you suggesting this change? Why will this change make it better? The answer to why is not always easy to find, but if you can nail this, it will help you be clear about the meaning and purpose of this change.

Hold tight to why, but be loose with what.

Approach is everything. With the right approach, you can say just about anything. With the wrong approach, it doesn’t matter if you’re right or wrong; it won’t work.

Adjust your approach to fit the person.

Declare your intentions before you challenge.

Ask questions of curiosity and mean it.

Great leaders know how to lead when they’re in charge because they’ve been leading long before they were ever given that authority.

Start asking yourself what type of leader you want to be tomorrow. And start becoming that type of leader today.

Good leaders are viewed favorably by those closest to them in the company. Great leaders are viewed favorably by everyone in the company.

The best way to be the type of leader people want to celebrate is to care deeply about the people you work with. Effective leaders are inclusive. When they succeed, the people around them succeed. A rising tide lifts all boats.

One of the best things you can do to be a better leader is to watch and learn from the people who are in charge. Great leaders have the ability to learn from those above them and apply those lessons. Look at leaders you admire (and leaders you don’t admire) and start paying attention to how they lead. The best leaders are learners.

The question we should ask ourselves is this: are the people I’m leading here for me or am I here for them?