INFLUENCE VS. AUTHORITY IN LEADERSHIP

Size: px

Start display at page:

Download "INFLUENCE VS. AUTHORITY IN LEADERSHIP"

Karen Cannon
5 years ago
Views:

1 RELEVANT TRENDS, TOPICS, AND ISSUES FOR YOUR BUSINESS. STAY SMART. STAY CURRENT. octanner.com/institute FROM THE O.C. TANNER INSTITUTE... WE ARE COMMITTED TO RESEARCHING AND SHARING INSIGHTS THAT HELP ORGANIZATIONS INSPIRE AND APPRECIATE GREAT WORK.... INFLUENCE VS. AUTHORITY IN LEADERSHIP Where does a leader s power come from? Traditionally, leaders rely on the chain of command to drive their power. The higher up you are, the more power you have. But there s another way to lead that s too often forgotten influence.

2 100 years of leadership Leadership has been a hot topic for over a century, but how much has it changed over the years? A quick look at the big picture reveals the trends behind the theories. 1930s Power and influence Franklin D. Roosevelt 1920s Power and dominance Al Capone 1950s & 1960s Group leadership Martin Luther King Jr. Turning point: Idea of singular leadership begins to fade 1940s Persuasion Walt Disney 1970s Organizational behavior Margaret Thatcher 1980s Inspiration Michael Jackson 2000s Vision Steve Jobs 1990s Respect Nelson Mandela 2010s & beyond Influence Bernie Sanders

3 The crazy idea Influential leaders are those who gain followers without using positional authority. Influential authority Positional authority vs. Collaborative Embraces change Gives responsibility Leads by example Authoritarian Manages change Takes responsibility Leads by decree To understand leadership, you must first understand motivation. Learning from Dan Pink s 3 Drivers of Motivation Autonomy: Give teams trust and time to complete tasks how they want to, not how you think they should. Mastery: Push people out of their comfort zones so they can scratch the intrinsic itch to improve and progress. Purpose: Show how and where employees fit into the mission and goals of their company so they understand the larger meaning of their work.

4 In absence of communication, everyone assumes the worst. Someone Smart Transparency Influential authority doesn t communicate, it overcommunicates. If you have good news, and especially if you have bad news, the earlier the better. Getting out in front of a tough situation is so important in creating trust. Like mushrooms, problems grow when left in the dark. Macro Leadership: keeping your eyes on the big picture Don t dictate, collaborate. Work with your team to design their work process. For illustration, let s say that process is a cube. Each wall of the cube represents the whats and whys your team faces time, budget, people, standards, outcomes, etc. Like so. Once you ve designed the cube, take a step back and let the team work. How they navigate the cube doesn t matter, only that they are generating outcomes that stay inside the cube s walls whats and whys you defined at the outset. MARKET WINDOW PEOPLE BUDGET Think like a sheep dog. Only get involved if you see them trending towards violating the walls of the cube, and gently guide them back. Otherwise, keep your distance. MARKET WINDOW PEOPLE BUDGET

5 Expect to fail And when you do, remember to reflect and change. After all, leadership isn t a gift, it s a skill earned through hard work, sacrifice, and a healthy dose of self-awareness. But beware: everything can be a variable. You ll need to be ready and willing to tailor your approach to each team, individual, and situation. Final thoughts Leadership is not for the faint of heart. Influential authority isn t as simple to wield as positional authority, but it s the future of leadership. Today s leaders cannot, must not, delude themselves into thinking that the old way of doing things will suffice. Chase influential authority, always, and you ll find you have more engaged, more productive people. Yourself included. DISCOVER MORE RECOGNITION BEST PRACTICES AT OCTANNER.COM/INSTITUTE.

Society Time for Change

Well-Being, W ell-being ell-b, Good od Work Work & Society Time for Change 0161 232 4910 www.robertsoncooper.com www.carycooperblog.com The Business ess Well-Being Well Well-Being Being Network Annual