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

by Clay Scroggins

When you find people who can get things done in an organization conspiring against them, you’ve found leaders. Why? Great leaders leverage influence and relationships over title and position. When a leader is left with nothing to leverage other than title and position, the end is near. The best leaders lead like they’re not in charge even when they are. The best leaders become the leaders by mastering the art of leading when they’re not in charge.

You don’t have to be in charge to make a difference. You can lead without being in charge! ANDY STANLEY

Leaders don’t sit back and point fingers. Leaders lead with the authority of leadership . . . or without it. The authority is largely irrelevant—if you are a leader, you will lead when you are needed.

Influence has always been, and will always be, the currency of leadership.

leaders do not need to be in charge to lead.

When people have to tell you they’re in charge in order for you to follow, you know instinctively that something has gone desperately wrong.

Jesus argues that the best leaders, the ones who align with his vision for leadership, will lead as servants who are aware of their responsibility and who answer to a higher calling.

Each of us has a unique opportunity to create something right where we are. It doesn’t require special authority or a fancy title or having the corner office.

Near the core of what makes a person a leader is their sense of identity. The way you see yourself is determinative for your life and for the decisions you make as a leader. Your sense of identity directs you in every situation. It is foundational, determining the level of confidence you have when you challenge your boss in a disagreement. It establishes your sense of security when you face doubts. It’s what enables you to process your emotions during tense conversations. Though much of your identity is formed at an early age, your identity is always evolving. So it’s never too early or too late to begin processing your sense of self.

Your personal identity is even more crucial when you’re determining how best to lead when you’re not in charge. Most people in this situation focus on learning new behaviors to compensate for a lack of authority, but the challenge goes deeper than that. Leading well without formal authority has less to do with your behavior and far more to do with your identity. Like the ace of spades, who we are trumps what we do every time.

How we see ourselves affects our ability to follow others, our ability to lead others, and our ability to find the future God has for us. And until you know who you are, you cannot do what God has called you to do. As we will see in this chapter, before God pushes men and women into the call of duty, he shapes and molds their character by speaking into their identities. He has done that with me, and I believe he wants to do the same with you.

As you can see, your self-identity is complicated, so let’s put it in simple terms: your identity is the conception you have of yourself. It is those core beliefs about yourself that you tell yourself all day long. The most important ongoing conversation you have in your life is the one you have with yourself every day. There are five basic components of identity, and to help you remember them, I’ve made sure they all start with the letter “P.” They are your past, your people, your personality, your purpose, and your priorities.

We were all created to have a purpose, but let’s go one step further. We were all created to thirst for a purpose. Every one of us has a desire to see and understand how our lives fit into a bigger picture. Every one of us has been hardwired to desire a reason for our existence. Why am I here? What can I uniquely contribute to the world? These kinds of existential questions have more of an impact on our identity than we admit. What you believe about why you’re on earth will deeply affect the opportunities you see available to you and how you should capitalize on them with your time, gifts, talents, and energy.

The clearer you are about who you are . . . • the more consistent you will be with others. • the more confident you will be about what you do. • the less concerned you will be with the opinions of others. • the less confused you will be by your emotions.

If you fail to believe what God says about your identity, you will fail to reach the potential he’s put in you as a leader. Your ability to be a fearless leader is squarely rooted in your identity.

the best leaders may or may not have all the authority they need or want, but the security of their identity—especially as someone called and loved by God—gives them a freedom and fearlessness to do what is right. They are able to challenge well, to lead by making a way even when there isn’t a way.

Every time we respond in fear, we miss an opportunity to lead, and this failure of leadership is an issue of identity. When fear keeps me from “leading up” like I know I need to, it is due to a distortion in my identity. Fear has overcome who I know I could be or should be.

Ambition is what drives us to want more opportunities, to have more influence, and to contribute to the overall mission of life with greater impact.

God blesses us by giving us a purpose for living.

A kabash leader doesn’t need authority, but he or she cultivates influence through relationships. A kabash leader knows that the way to the front isn’t by pushing ahead or waiting until the game is over; it’s getting behind people and helping them move ahead.

No man or woman is ever fully acquitted of all responsibility. Just as there are inalienable rights, there is such a thing as inalienable responsibility. What this means is that everyone leads something. Everyone is in charge of something—even if it’s just you. Each one of us is responsible for the choices and decisions we make. We must all learn to rightly influence ourselves.

You need to own your desires and ambitions; no one can lead you any further than you’re leading yourself.

“Nothing so conclusively proves a man’s ability to lead others as what he does on a day-to-day basis to lead himself.”

With the small choices you make when no one else is looking, when it’s just you and God, you are proving or disproving to him (and to yourself) your future ability to lead others.

Self-Leadership Principle #1: Model Followership.

Self-Leadership Principle #2: Monitor Your Heart and Behavior.

Self-Leadership Principle #3: Make a Plan.

Everyone needs to be able to answer this question: what are you doing to lead yourself well? What is your “Lead Me Plan”? To lead you well, you need to focus on three simple aspects: 1. Know where you currently are. 2. Have a vision for where you want to go. 3. Develop the discipline and accountability to do what it takes to stay on track.

There are a few questions that have helped me zero in on how to respond to what God has put in front of me. • If money were no issue, what would I choose to do with my time? • What really bothers me? What breaks my heart? • What makes me pound the table in frustration or passion? • What gives me life or makes me come alive? Spend time answering these questions with other people that know you well. It’s one of the most crucial ingredients to leading yourself well.

In Seven Habits of Highly Successful People, Steven Covey says, “We see the world, not as it is, but as we are—or as we’re conditioned to see it.”

How you see your world shapes your world. And you have a say in how you see.

Positivity is a character trait. Personality refers to our inherent bent, much of which is predetermined. But character is developed over time.

Why do positive people make good leaders? Because positivity is attractive and produces other qualities in leaders that are naturally attractive to others. Leaders who exude positivity will begin to see their influence grow.

A deep trust in God and a persistent hope for the future will push you to keep growing and learning because you believe God is getting you ready for something he will lift you into. Until he does, you’re not quite ready. This kind of humility allows me to keep working on my craft, knowing that when I’m ready, my time will come.

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

Every good leader is also a critical thinker. Leaders intuitively know how to make something better.

But leaders who are critical thinkers don’t just criticize and whine; they learn. They start by questioning things.

Critical thinkers also notice things.

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.

Critical thinkers are also able to connect things. Similar to the ability to observe, critical thinkers are able to observe and then make connections between seemingly disconnected behaviors and feelings. They also have the ability to identify what they feel in certain environments. And even more important, critical thinkers can identify what’s causing that feeling. They are self-aware and have the innate skill of connecting the feelings people have to the contributing behaviors causing those feelings. The brilliance of this kind of leadership is that when you learn to anticipate those feelings before they happen, you can align the team to create an environment that will elicit the feelings you desire for them.

Remember, leadership is the ability to motivate people to work harder, longer, and smarter, because the vision of the end goal has been painted so clearly.

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. Here are a few practical ways to do this: • Assure the listener you are for him or her. When we know others are for us, we can better hear feedback that might otherwise feel critical. • Always present a solution to any problem you raise. Issue recognition doesn’t win friends. • 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. Great leaders know how to communicate critical thoughts in a way that benefits others.

Dos: • Value every opinion, especially those that contradict your own. • Tell people you value the work they are putting in. • Lead by action first and word second. • Express expectations and make sure those around you know what you want and need from them. • Provide as much encouragement and affirmation as possible. • Be efficient with tasks and effective with people.

Don’ts: • Underestimate the intern. • Ignore an idea/belief/criticism shared by more than one person. • Take the people who are doing the dirty work for granted. • Schedule meetings that have no clear goal or purpose. • Act as if you’re better than everyone, even if you are. • Undervalue the time others are putting in to make your job easier.

“As now, so then.” Or to put these four words into our context: as you’re leading now, so you will lead then. If you aren’t leading through influence now, you won’t lead through influence then. If you are waiting on authority to begin to have influence, you’ll be forced to depend on that authority when you’re in charge. You have to start now. As now, so then.