“If I were in that position, things would change around here.”

We’ve all thought it.

“I would do that job better. I would make this organization a better place.

I mean, obviously, I don’t have the position or the authority to make that kind of change.  But, you know, I would if I could.”

Convenient.

Is this reality, though? Do we need authority before we can lead change?  Are we forced to sit on the sidelines until we get that promotion? Do we need to be at the top before we can affect the bigger picture?

Thankfully, the answer to these questions is “no”.

What we need is not authority but influence.

Merriam-Webster defines the two concepts like this:

Authority is “the power to give orders or make decisions: the power or right to direct or control someone or something.”

 

Influence is “the power to change or affect someone or something: the power to cause changes without directly forcing them to happen.”

Authority is appealing because you can implement change quickly and maintain a high degree of control over the whole process.  With authority, you can push through opposition and force your agenda.  But all of us who have tasted any degree of authority know that this is a quick way to burn out your team and ultimately won’t produce long-lasting change.

The minute you take your micro-managing self out of the equation, things return to the status quo.

Authority gives you the power to change short-term outcomes; influence gives you the power to change culture.

What you can do with authority is limited, what you can accomplish with influence is immeasurable. And the good news is that influence is something you can cultivate and grow in regardless of where you are in the organization.

So no more excuses.  No more criticising from the sidelines.  No more feeling powerless. Learn the keys to influence and you can lead from the middle of any organization.

You have a valuable voice that needs to be heard.  Let’s crank up the volume on that voice by learning to cultivate influence by leading in these three directions:

1. Down: Influence with those we lead
2. Across: Influence with those we lead alongside
3. Up: Influence with those who lead us

Welcome to Part I of our 3-part series.  We’ll unpack 11 keys to cultivating lasting influence, including a practical question for each that you can ask to begin moving in the right direction.

*Important disclaimer: We don’t cultivate influence with others in order to manipulate them for our own benefit; we use influence to serve others and to more effectively move the Church forward in its mission.

With that out of the way, let’s begin with your most obvious leadership relationship: Those you lead.

Leading Down

In these relationships, you have legitimate authority and it can be tempting to take the easier route and fall back on your positional power to get things done rather than instilling the values necessary for your team to be able to lead without you.  Because of this, some people find this to be the most difficult area to gain real influence in.

Here are 4 keys I’ve discovered to turn that around:

1. You don’t have to be the star.

Yes, you set the pace and model what you want to see in your team, but it’s too easy to begin to believe that you’re always the most valuable player on the team when you’re the leader, when the truth is that you’re not always the best idea generator, problem-solver, or innovator.

In fact, when I hire new staff I’m looking for people who have the potential to outshine me in as many areas as possible.  Listen to your team’s ideas, give them the last word sometimes, and publicly celebrate each member’s successes. Lift them up and honour them in front of others and you will gain the trust you need for lasting influence.

Key Question: “How can I publicly appreciate my team and celebrate their accomplishments?”

2. Give permission for feedback.

You have blind spots. We all do. And no one is going to see those quite as clearly as those you lead. When you struggle in areas like delegation, job design, or coaching and motivation, your team will pick up on it far quicker than your superiors.

If we are not consistently creating the opportunity to hear this feedback, we not only short-circuit our own development but we also fail to create the proper channels for our team to express their frustrations, leaving them only informal avenues like the coffee shop or around the water cooler.

Create a safe environment for your team to talk to you directly about your shortcomings and you’ll find they have less of a need to talk to others about them.

The reason for this is that your team will feel empowered by being given a voice they didn’t have before. This is connected to the somewhat counterintuitive principle of influence:

You gain influence by giving it away.  Give someone a voice and you’ll find they give you one in return.

Key Question:  “If you were doing my job, what would you do differently?” 

3. Give them your time.

I know, everyone wants a piece of your time and you could easily fill your calendar with meetings every week, but no one deserves a spot on your calendar quite as much as those who directly report to you. This includes weekly formal meetings and one-on-one coaching times, but also time for informal conversation and banter as well.

It is sociologist Peter Berger who is often quoted as saying,

“The subjective reality of the world hangs on the thin thread of conversation.”

In other words, the culture of your team and their perspective on the meaning of their work is not shaped by that nice collage of vision words on your office wall so much as it is by the words you exchange day in and day out.

This one isn’t complicated – if you want to influence your team, you need to talk to them and spend time with them.

Key Question:  “How can I change my calendar in order to prioritize time spent with those I lead?”

4. Serve them.

This is a valuable concept in all the relationships we’re talking about here, but it is particularly powerful with those we lead precisely because it is counterintuitive.  Those that report to you should be figuring out how to serve you, right?

When you flip the tables and help them win in their areas of leadership, you prove that you are for them and communicate that you believe the work they are doing is valuable.

Now don’t get me wrong, this definitely doesn’t mean you’re doing their work for them, but it does mean that you’re regularly doing things like clarifying expectations, providing access to resources, giving authority, and creating the structures and guidelines necessary for them to perform well.

As leaders, we exist to mobilize others and to use our influence to see them succeed.  I would argue that if we’re not serving those we lead, we’re not really leading.

Key Question:  “What do you need from me this week?”

What would you add to the list? Let us know in the comments below

These are just the first 4 questions, out of 11, that we’re asking to ensure we’re gaining the influence we need to lead regardless of where we are in the organization. We don’t need to wait till we’re at the top.  Let’s learn to lead from the middle today.

Check out next week’s post for Part II, where we look at how to cultivate influence in a relationship where you have absolutely no authority – those you lead alongside.