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An upcoming IMechE training course deals with the unique challenges associated with this way of working. Leading without Formal Authority, next running in Coventry on 10-11 December, provides engineers with practical advice on how to build leadership credibility and overcome the challenges presented by having no ‘line’ authority.
The course is led by leadership trainer and coach Andy Webber. Here, he gives five tips to help you lead without formal authority.
Communicate in stakeholders’ language
Who are the people you are leading? Are they sufficiently homogeneous to be treated as a group, or do you have to think about them on an individual basis? Both will be true at different points.
That should influence how you communicate, with different methods suited to different stakeholders. Make sure you listen, and ask the right questions.
Manage stakeholder expectations
There are two ways of meeting someone's expectations – finding out what they are and meeting them, or finding out what they are, adjusting them, then meeting the new level. That can sometimes be easier.
We think we know what people want, and we might even think we're meeting people's expectations on a daily basis, but actually they might be expecting something slightly different.
With a customer or supplier, you're likely to have a contract which specifies all of the aspects of the relationship. With a team member, a peer or your manager, there is often no contract saying ‘These are the deliverables, this is what we should do on this day.’ So we talk about how can we overcome that. Can we be a bit clearer?
Be assertive – not aggressive
A lot of people mix up assertiveness with aggressiveness. Leaders need to be assertive, but aggressive is not assertive – and it isn’t useful. We clearly delineate that so that people can be more assertive. It’s also important to avoid being submissive.
Harness the power that you have
We have a bit of a bad association with the word ‘power’ – misuse of power, abuse by powerful figures that we read about in the media. But actually, in the context of what we’re discussing here, power is a very neutral concept. It’s an energy that we can harness to influence others.
In a position where you don't have the other things that we usually associate the formal authority of a line management position, you need to harness other sources of power – like expert power, for example, that you derive from being an expert in your area. Or the quality of relationships – quite simply, it's easier for me to influence you if you like or trust me than if you don't like or trust me.
Be flexible in how you influence people
The final point is developing flexibility in our influence approaches. We have a bit of a tendency to use the same one – ‘This is what I'd like you to do, these are the reasons why.’ Engineers are particularly prone to that.
It's not that we should stop doing that, but we should also combine that with other sorts of approaches. At one extreme, that might be just giving people orders, at the other it might be involving them more in the process and asking them what they think, then trying to incorporate their ideas so that it becomes a joint solution. That might mean we have to give way a little bit on what we originally planned, but if we've got buy-in and and commitment, then that might be a price worth paying.
IMechE’s Leading without Formal Authority course runs in Coventry on 10-11 December. Find out more and book on the IMechE training page.
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Content published by Professional Engineering does not necessarily represent the views of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers.