How to lead when you have no authority
How to exercise authority:
managers can get things done through Authority their staff work for them and it is their fourth job of the staff to do as the manager instructs and managers focus primarily on tasks and on getting things done but as a project manager, your life isn't that simple because very often the people working on your project doesn't work for you.
Challenges of a Project manager:
you have a bigger challenge, the challenge to lead and that's as a
project manager, you will rarely have formal authority over all of the people in
your team often many of them possibly all of them or work for some other person
or people and they sometimes won't even work within your own organization so,
therefore, the usual rules about management don't all apply. You can't simply
get things done by telling people what to do that just won't work so how do you
lead people, how do you lead without Authority when you don't have that kind of
authority.
Influence and persuasion personality:
you need to rely on other things like influence and
persuasion personality and depth of character motivation and
inspiration and of course respect and loyalty your job as a project leader is
to inspire all of that in your people and that's a big ask because it's a big
step-up from the highly technical process-oriented roles of a project manager
that we often see in core project management training and in many of the
project management qualifications available so nine habits that will help you
to lead without Authority.
Hierarchical Authority:
· Number one ironically is Authority
but don't mean the hierarchical Authority that
you almost certainly won't have over all of your team members, the authority
that comes with depth of credibility expertise experience knowledge skill and
the character that you have because people look to a leader who has that kind
of authority that they can trust that they know knows what they're doing a lot
of it is our search for certainty and confidence in the people who lead us and
we detect that kind of confidence and certainty in our leaders when they show
that they know what they're doing so although all of the process-oriented
technical aspects of project management aren't necessarily about leadership.
they are a fundamental foundation to your ability to lead because without them
the team members that you're asking to follow you won't have that confidence in
your credibility in your authority to lead however if you can constantly show
that you know what you're talking about and that you're prepared to stand
behind the decisions that you make that will inspire confidence, it will give a
sense of certainty and therefore it will lend you the kind of intellectual and
character-driven authority that you need to lead when you don't have
formal hierarchical Authority
Act with fairness and integrity:
· Number two is acting with Fairness
and integrity: it's building up a sense that people can trust you
that you will do the right thing and you act fairly in any situation this is
crucial in fact, fairness as a driving force for motivation in the workplace,
if we do not feel that we are being treated fairly then we will not be
motivated he called this equity theory so a big part of the integrity
and fairness that you have to have as a project manager is making
sure that you treat all of your people your team members and your stakeholders
fairly this goes well beyond not discriminating and not favoring certain
members of your team although it's about making sure that every decision that
you make every choice that you make is rooted in a fair assessment of the
situation.
Life with motivation or demotivation:
· Number three is giving your team members a
good reason why they should do what you're asking them to do because human
beings have a deep need for a sense of purpose and meaning and you've probably
experienced it at some point in your career someone asks you to do something
but doesn't tell you why they want you to do it and your mind you're thinking
why and yet knowing it's your job you do it you just don't feel motivated what
amplify that over the course of a whole project and people having to do things
that they don't understand that makes no sense to them for which they can see
no purpose and you'll end up at best with the demotivated team
are worst with the team who just won't do the things you ask them to do start
any project by being clear what the value of that project is the way to the
project and throughout the project emphasize its value its purpose it's meaning
so that people can feel proud of what they're doing because they know it has
that value and then when you ask people to do something make sure that they are
clearly the link between what you're asking them to do and the end value of the
project that chain of meaning is highly motivating and on the other side if there
is no good because so the question why then you won't be able to motivate your
team members.
Build relationships with people:
· Number four is getting to know people and building
a relationship with them because the more I get to know you the more
you get to know me and the more you get to know me almost certainly the more
you will like me particularly if I build a relationship based
on trust and based on an interest in you and of course, the reality is that we
will often do more for the people that we like and respect than we do for
ourselves which means that when your project is under pressure then your team
members will want to work for you they will want to get the project done first
because they value the meaning behind the project and second because they value
their relationship with you.
Become a mentor:
· Number five is supporting and guiding
people being a mentor being a support to them when they
have problems be there to help them when they need a little nudge in the right
direction be there to guide them the role of project manager as coach and mentor to
team members is one that I take very seriously because what people want to do
when they join a project when they do any work is to feel they're learning
stuff and growing professionally but in a way that they feel safe you can
stretch people and ask them to do difficult things but if you push them too far
then they don't feel confident and they don't feel safe in taking those risks
and that's where you need to support them as well as just guide them
Autonomy to make choices:
· Number six is engaging people to think for
themselves and to make their own choices and decisions
as much as you can delegate to people in an outcome-based way rather than a
task-based way tell people what they need to achieve and not how they need to
achieve it unless of course there are regulatory reasons why a particular
process must be followed let people learn for themselves as long as that
learning process doesn't subject them or the project or you or stakeholders to
danger an unnecessary risk then this is how people learn and of course, this
means that sometimes your team members will make mistakes but remember that
through your career, you've made many mistakes and learn from them your job as a
manager and leader is not to stop people from making mistakes it's to stop them
from making the wrong mistakes that can hurt them or hurt other people so as
much as possible let people make choices for themselves
because we are motivated by this kind of autonomy.
Remove obstacles from way:
· Number seven is advocating for your people doing
what you can to remove all of the obstacles from their way so that they can get
on and do a good job that they want to do for you and that you want them to do
for you and this means dealing with the administration it means finding the
resources people need it's taking white blockages it's making sure that they
see their work-life is fair and that can get on with their jobs.
Acting with compassion and generosity:
· Number eight is being kind doing things for your
people acting with compassion and generosity making
choices but not only fair but make people feel good as a project manager you do
have discretion about how you allocate people and the hours you set them to
work, when people find that they need a little bit of a favor from you, do that
favor for them you will know if they're taking advantage of you but most people
won't take advantage of you. They simply want to get on with their work but also
be able to deal with urgent situations that arise in their private lives and in
their professional lives and by acting generously but acting
with compassion you further build up loyalty.
How to create opportunities:
· Number nine is to actively create
opportunities for people to learn and develop and grow find
opportunities that will stretch and extend the knowledge and skill set of your
team members don't just give them dull work that they can do easily allow them
to take on new challenges and listen to them find out what their passions are
what their enthusiasm ZAR the direction they want to take their career and look
for opportunities that will help them and the two times when this is
particularly important is at the beginning of the project when you're setting
up assignments right from the start and at the end of the project when you need
to be sensitive to people's need to move on from your project if people feel
you are as much on the lookout for opportunities as
they are and that you will grant them the chance to leave your project and move
to the next project when the right opportunity arises then they will be a lot
less distracted by trying to find something for themselves and therefore they
will work harder and get on better with their job towards the end of their
project so getting things done and managing.
Conclusion:
without formal Authority is a real
challenge and it calls for real leadership management and leadership is easy if
I know that you will do what I ask you to do because you feel you have to but
in projects that's rarely the case so develop the kinds of habits that will
make people want to work with you want to work for you and want to perform at
their best.
