How to get things done by people who don't report to you?

As businesses are increasingly becoming larger and more complex, gone are the days when “I am the leader and you’re the follower” was the mantra for getting things done. This approach doesn’t take you very far these days. Even if you’re a senior manager, chances are that you’ve faced challenges when it comes to getting things done by teams who don’t report to you.

How do you get the Finance Manager on board to approve a marketing plan you’ve just drafted for the next season which includes a more than expected increase in budgets? How do you get the HR head to recruit the right people for you when you don’t have enough time before the next pilot begins? Being the head of the project, you can’t always escape by saying that the other manager didn’t support you. It’s your job and you have to get it done – anyway.

Such circumstances require a more lateral style of management where you have to be affable and ensure that you get the support from the others. This helps you avoid “energy wasters” while dealing with complex issues. People are increasingly required to be more courteous and respectful of their colleagues across the business and the following traits will help.

Connect with people. Professional networking includes networking within the organization as well. Stay connected with people who you know you’d need support of. Only reaching out to people when you need them is not likely to get you their support when you need it most. This may mean wishing them on their birthdays or congratulating them on their accomplishments. General appreciation of their work will take very far when it comes to getting their support when you need it.

Be agile in your requirements. Most of the times, internal differences arise due to a gap in communication. Negotiate your requirements and understand their constraints. In my dealings with the IT team, I have always suggested that they mention their challenges in detail and I can always be flexible with my requirements of ERP development. This helps me send a message to the team that I understand their challenges and helps me negotiate my requirements with them well. I prioritise my tasks and break it into smaller phases to help them meet their multiple tasks.

Discuss and Brainstorm. Sure you’re the master of the project but they are the masters of their departments. They’d always prefer to believe that they know their job better than you do. Discuss your project with them and seek their opinions about the project in general and your expectations of them in particular. You may not always get a very constructive input but at least they’d know that you care about their opinions. Making someone feel valued is a great thing to get them on board. Let them know of the destination but do consult the path with them. Keep an open mind and you’re sure to get better results.

Get the right people’s nod first. Corporate politics is inevitable in most organisations. But politics is not a dirty thing if put to use wisely and for good. Just as every sales person focusses on who is the decision maker for making the final sale, find out whose approval you need first. Discuss your projects with influential people ahead of time and address their concerns before they can block the door for you. You will be able to get rid of your road blocks.

In short, being influential in a positive way is important to ensure that people don’t block your way to progression. Affability is an important trait of a good manager and as R Gopalakrishnan mentions in his book What the CEO really wants from you? “That is why Affability is a skill to be learnt, practised and perfected”.