Clay Scroggins, an expert in leveraging influence without authority, discusses the importance of taking responsibility for personal leadership and cultivating influence. Key topics include developing critical thinking skills, introducing change, challenging the process, effective communication, creating an environment for innovation, and the four key behaviors of leading when you're not in charge.
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Quick takeaways
Leading when you're not in charge starts with leading yourself well and taking responsibility for your own leadership.
Choosing positivity and having an attitude of progress and curiosity are crucial when leading from a position of limited authority.
Deep dives
Behavior 1: Leading Yourself Well
Leading when you're not in charge starts with leading yourself well. Taking responsibility for your own leadership is crucial. Waiting for a leadership opportunity wastes the current opportunities to cultivate influence and make a difference. Even without formal authority, everyone has been given a measure of leadership. Waiting out of honor or respect can lead to regrets. It is possible to have honor and respect while also driving ambition and cultivating influence in your current position.
Behavior 2: Choosing Positivity and Thinking Critically
Choosing positivity is important when leading from a position of limited authority. It is not about blindly saying yes to everything, but rather having an attitude of progress and curiosity. Critical thinking, noticing, questioning, and connecting things, is a valuable skill for any leader, regardless of their authority. Leaders should strive to think critically, make things better, and contribute in a meaningful way to their organization's progress.
Behavior 3: Rejecting Passivity and Influencing Change
Leading when you're not in charge means being proactive and rejecting passivity. It requires choosing action over waiting for permission or a higher position. By choosing something to work on, planning well, and responding to what your boss cares about, you can cultivate influence and mitigate passivity. Change is often risky, but by tying it to corporate values, identifying what is core and peripheral, and communicating effectively, you can introduce change and make a positive impact in your organization.
In 2017, Clay Scroggins and I discussed how anyone could leverage their influence, even when they lacked authority. In 2022, this conversation is just as important.