How the Best Leaders Get Things Done When They Don’t Have Authority

Organizations used to view leadership primarily as a vertical responsibility where most activities fell within the leader’s scope of authority. Today’s reality is that leadership is increasingly a horizontal responsibility where many of the tasks and expectations require getting results outside of their formal authority. Leaders are constantly seeing increases in:

• Scope and diversity of responsibilities
• The number of stakeholders involved in executing projects
• Time spent working with colleagues in different locations
• The number of people that need to be consulted with to make decisions

For businesses to address the ongoing complexities and constant changes that are required to survive and thrive, they need leaders who can get things done outside of their direct lines of authority. Below are 4 ways the best leaders get things done when they don't have authority.

1. Establish Shared Meaning and Value

Leaders must never assume that everyone has the same perspective about the problem, opportunity or project. Others might not even agree that there is a problem or value in the project. Establishing a perception of shared meaning and value between the different stakeholders needs to happen before transitioning into discussing ideas, obstacles or solutions!

The goal is to quickly introduce the problem or opportunity and then transition to a dialogue that invites sharing of perspectives with the hope of clarifying the situation and aligning around a meaningful shared purpose. The leader needs to uncover other’s perspectives about the problem or opportunity by asking questions like the following:

• From where you sit, do you believe this is a problem?
• Do you think this is an important issue?
• What do you see as the main issue?
• Do you see the issue differently?

2. Clarify Individual Roles

Once there is a clear and meaningful goal, it is then time to focus on role clarity in relation to the work at hand. Having a common meaningful goal and synergistic roles enables a group to become a team that builds strong relationships and delivers high-performance. Role clarity can happen in a short conversation or may need to be more formal like developing a project charter. Each stakeholder should have a clear picture of who is doing what, who is responsible for what, and the extent of each of their authority towards resolving the issue or advancing the opportunity.

NOTE: Unfortunately, there are times when people or groups can’t find enough common ground to create roles and work together to create solutions and take action. This inability to create alignment usually occurs because of one of the following reasons.

1. The context of the situation does not allow for a win / win - For one individual or group to win, the other group must lose or take less.
2. Misaligned priorities – Stakeholders see value but not at a level of priority to invest their time and resources.

This is when you will either need to agree to escalate the situation, if there is a higher-level authority, or agree to disagree and walk away with additional insights for how to succeed in a different way.

3.     Demonstrate a “We” Perspective

It is important for all stakeholders to believe the leader understands and has their best interests at heart versus feeling like they are trying to leverage a situation for selfish gain. To build trust, the leader must approach the situation with behaviors that demonstrates that they are bringing a “We” perspective and not “Me” perspective. If the leader is perceived to be focused only on their interests, there will never be shared trust and commitment.

Research confirms that the single most effective way to increase trust with others is to demonstrate a desire to understand others’ perspectives and needs. To establish a “We” perspective, leaders must regularly ask two types of questions:

• Questions targeted at understanding other’s perspectives (How do you feel about the current situation? / What challenges are you encountering?) and intentions about the situation (What would success look like? / How would you describe an early win?).
• Questions that generate forward-focused solutions for those same situations (What do you think we should do next? / What solutions do you see?).

4.     Clear Agreements and Accountability

Shared accountability starts by taking time to establish clear expectations and agreements for action. There is nothing more frustrating than having a great conversation about making progress with a defined issue or opportunity and then no action takes place. More often than not, this lack of follow through is because the leader has not done a good job of taking the time to establish clear and explicit agreements for next steps. Below are some questions that help leaders generate clear shared accountability for action and updates.

• What are our next steps?
• When do we feel these will be completed?
• How are we defining success?
• How will you keep each other updated on progress?

Being deliberate about keeping a” To Do” list can help keep track of the commitments that were made in previous conversations. If something hasn’t been completed, it is an opportunity to assess potential barriers, resolve issues, and learn how to move forward more effectively. 

In a fast moving and complex world, leaders must continually evolve their abilities to effectively influence and get things done without having formal authority. How do you get things done when you don't have authority?

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About the Author: Tony Gambill is the CEO of ClearView Leadership, an innovative leadership and talent development consulting firm helping executives and managers bring their best leadership self to their most challenging situations.