How to Drive Strong & Fast Results? Lead without Authority

Would you agree - it is so easy to lead and influence with authority. Your hierarchical position allows you to tell people what to do. And things are getting done. Easy, right?

In my experience, this leads to complacency and "dump followership". It hinders your productivity, agility and innovation. You want your teams to add their expertise, make fast decisions, and think out of the box. Let's look at leading without authority!

At the end of last year, I observed a session called 'influencing without authority' in the context of change management - and that made me think... When we facilitate change, we appeal to reason, purpose, goals, needs, etc. If we push change based authority, we would only evoke resistance. What are the triggers that make the topic of leading without authority so important and interesting?

• Flat hierarchies - many companies are introducing flatter hierarchies; this means we are more often in situations that we need to work together with people which we don't have a hierarchical authority.
• Purpose-driven goal setting - when we can address and align company goals with people's individual aspirations, the company objectives are becoming clearer and meaningful.
• Supportive leadership - I believe that leadership that leads to lasting success is based on providing direction and support; this requires a good understanding of your people and the ability to build strong relationships.
• Self-managed organisation - when we enable teams to give their best, then they will be able to produce fast results, are flexible and nimble and create an amazing, positive work environment.

In none of these scenarios we apply authority. And as a change facilitator, I came to realise that even if we might have authority, it is better to lead and influence without it. The results will be more solid and lasting. We will be able to gather leaders around us, we create people that feel confident and engaged, we establish teams that are self-driven.

When I shared this concept, the Japanese concept of "nemawashi" was mentioned. In short, it is the informal process of socialising in order to gather support. For sure, this activity is not limited to Japanese business culture; in Switzerland we have practiced a similar approach to bring down barriers for upcoming change. And in change methods, we are working with change ambassadors to engage the adaptors.

I encourage leaders to think about how they could manage their team members without authority. Engage with them and with their personalities and desires. Allow them to form their own opinion and solutions. Appreciate their efforts and facilitate their learning. And suddenly, the universe is the limit!

How will you get started with leading without authority?