The Unofficial Leader

Leaders are everywhere - and they aren't just the ones with leader in their job description. They influence colleagues and results without being in charge so need leadership skills too!

You don’t have to be the boss to be a leader

Last week I caused chaos at my Zumba class when I made a rare mistake, which caused about a third of the class to do the same. The surprising thing is, I’m not the Zumba instructor!!

However, I always stand near the front, and what I hadn’t fully appreciated is how many people follow me because it’s sometimes hard to see the instructor, and I almost always get it right.

I am one of a few informal leaders in the class.

Now I understand my influence, I make more effort not to let my brain wander, as I know the impact it can have.

Who are people following in your organisation?

In organisations, there are lots of informal leaders too. People who don’t officially have the title of leader, who aren’t technically responsible for others, but nonetheless are looked up to for guidance about what to do and how to behave.

They might be an experienced colleague or someone in a position that gives them unexpected influence, such as the people who control access to rooms, resources or purchase orders. They are quietly but very definitely shaping the culture of the organisation and influencing how things work, which may or may not be the way it’s supposed to work on paper!

In the same way, in agile or project-based businesses, lots of people need to get things done through others even when they have no formal authority over them. They need to use leadership skills, yet have probably never been on a leadership course because they aren’t technically leaders.

However, without the ability to communicate effectively, influence and negotiate, projects get delayed, relationships get frayed and results suffer.

These people matter, and yet they often miss out on this type of skills development because their job title doesn’t warrant it, or their career plan doesn’t justify it.

Leadership development for people who aren’t officially leaders

Which is exactly why I put together the Informal Leadership Programme. It includes several bite-size workshops which can be delivered individually or as a complete programme, helping people develop the skills to get things done through others, even when they aren’t anyone’s boss.

Think about who that might include in your organisation. The experienced colleague everyone turns to when something goes wrong. The project lead who needs input from three departments, all with different priorities. The person whose reaction to a change seems to determine how everyone else feels about it.

They may never apply for a management role, but helping them to communicate, influence and negotiate more effectively could make a real difference to how work gets done.

Who needs these skills in YOUR organisation?

If you’re planning leadership development, look beyond the management structure. Who do people listen to? Whose advice do they seek? Who needs to bring others on board to get their own job done?

And are you giving those people the skills to use their influence well?

You don’t need to wait for a promotion to help someone become a more effective leader. And you don’t need to design a programme from scratch either. Buy the Informal Leadership Programme training materials and use the bite-size workshops individually or together to support the people who are already making a difference.

Because, as I discovered at Zumba, you don’t need to be in charge for people to follow your lead!

Categories: : Leadership, Training