News flash! You don’t have to be in charge (have authority), in order to lead. You don’t need a title to make a difference. All you need is the right intentions and the right insights and you can make a difference in your organization.

I am sure if you look at the organizations that you are associated with, you will find that most of the people inside are not in charge than those with authority (decision makers). More than likely you have been called to carry someone else’s vision, execute on decisions you haven’t made and expected to serve cheerfully.

Take a look closer at your organizations and I am sure you will find that there’s a subset of a few individuals. Some young, some older, who in spite of the fact that they don’t have the title of CEO, Owner, Pastor; they are influential regardless of not being “In Charge”.

Are these individuals special, are they just good at sucking up to the boss, or is it something else? I believe this group of individuals understand the concept of Leading Up.

Leading up is the ability to influence authority without having authority. Another way to look at leading up is the term “upward leadership“. I love what author Michael Useem, says about upward leadership, “Leadership has always required more than a downward touch: It needs to come from below as well as from the top, and leaders today must reach up as never before.”

Upward leadership is just as important to the success of an organization as downward leadership. Regardless if you are not the boss, new on staff, or if you’re young it’s important to understand that your perspective matters.

In your role on the frontlines, you see what your leader doesn’t see. You see problems before they make its way up to leadership. They can’t fix what they don’t see so now you have the ability to “reach up” and provide solutions to help the organization.

You don’t need authority to make a difference. Leading up is how you leverage your influence when you are not in charge. However, leading up could be a bit risky. If your intentions and motives are wrong it could hurt you.

I want to share with you three ways that you can lead up and make a difference in your organization the right way.

Leading up is the ability to influence authority without having authority.
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3 Ways To Lead Up

Know Your Role

If you want to be over people as a leader, you must first learn to be under leadership. Right now you maybe second in command or at the bottom of the organization chart. You may not be in charge of everything but you are in charge of something.

Owning what you are in charge of (your responsibilities) and making it better is how you earn influence and make your organization succeed.

You are a valuable part to the success of your leader and the organization. Carrying someone else’s vision requires that you buy into that vision. When you see how your role can help the organization succeed, it’s easier to show initiative and get things done in spite of having authority.

When others see you thriving in your current role, it makes it easier to see you moving into your next role. Regardless of your position, learn to lead yourself first. Have a positive attitude, a can do spirit that looks not to just highlight problems but to also submit solutions.

Be great where you are, help others succeed around you and before you know it, leadership will be looking to you for input. Leading up is a skill that you must continuously develop. Your ability to lead up today impacts your ability to move up tomorrow.

Your ability to lead up today impacts your ability to move up tomorrow.
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Find A Need

Making your leader better is a sure way to influence authority. You lead up by serving up. How can you make those above you better? Is there a strength you have that is a weakness for them? That’s a great place for you to serve them in. The best way to serve your organization is to find a need and fill it.

People remember those who help them the most. The more you add value, the more you fill needs, the more likely those in authority will listen to your ideas and insights. Get to know what’s important to the organization and leadership, find a need that you can fill and do it with excellence.

Sometimes you have to be willing to do what others won’t do to earn the opportunity to influence those above you. Influence equals access. The more influence you can earn by adding value to your leader, the more access you will have with your leader. If you want to gain influence with authority, lighten your leader’s load.

If you want to gain influence with authority, lighten your leader’s load.
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Honor Authority

Not only does influence give you access, honor gives you access to. When leadership knows that you honor them, it’s easier for them to trust you and give you access. Honoring gives you permission to speak up, say more and bring up issues that will be more receptive by leadership.

All authority has been given by God (Romans 13:1-2), including at the workplace. Submission to authority is an aspect of true honor. When we dishonor what God has established, we also cheat ourselves out of His blessing.

Now, this doesn’t mean that you allow leadership to cause you to break the law or sin. Hopefully, those above you have your best interest in mind, operate with integrity and is also adding value to you.

You can disagree with a decision by leadership and still honor leadership. You might find yourself not honoring your leader, you should consider going somewhere else if this is the case. If you don’t honor authority, don’t expect leadership to be influenced by you.

Showing honor where you are today will result in others honoring you when you are in authority someday. Honor gives you the access to be able to make the deposits and withdrawals with your leader; lead up. Let your words about your leaders be of good report. I love how Pastor Andy Stanley puts it, “Honor publicly results in influence privately.”

Honor publicly results in influence privately. -Andy Stanley
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Again, leading up is influencing authority without having authority. Upward leadership gives you the ability to impact your leader and organization positively. Leading up is a skill that you must continuously develop, practice and execute.

To influence those in power you must lead up by serving up, being great where you are and giving honor to those in authority. People will follow a leader with a heart faster than a leader with a title.

Share an example how you’ve lead up with your leader. 

The post LEVERAGING INFLUENCE WHEN YOU LACK AUTHORITY appeared first on Steve Messam.

As mentioned in a previous post, leadership isn’t based on position or fancy titles; leadership is influence. A title might buy you a little time but if you don’t earn their respect and trust, they won’t follow.

Influence is the capacity to have an effect on the character, development, or behavior of someone. The problem with only using a position or title to justify leadership is its leverage is primarily over the behavior, and not necessarily the character and development of others.

For example, in a boss – employee relationship, the subordinate will be cooperative when their income/livelihood is at stake. This is considered positional leadership. Positional leadership use position to prove leadership.

Relational Leadership vs Positional Leadership

Positional leadership runs into hard times working in a voluntary organization. I have seen this first hand serving or volunteering in churches or community organizations. Whenever there was a leader throwing their title around to affect behavior, they faced resistance almost everytime.

It’s hard to command something that you haven’t earned. I love how Maurilio Amorim puts it, “Positional leadership is given, while influential is earned.”

Positional leadership is given, while influential is earned. -Maurilio Amorim
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Followers in voluntary organizations are there because they “want” to not because the “have” to. If a leader doesn’t have leverage – or influence – their title is ineffective. The effective leaders in this type of environment master relational (influential) leadership.

Influential leadership isn’t pushing or pulling instead it’s one of relational connection and support that develops a motivated and inspired team driven by a trusted leader. People follow who they trust, not necessarily who they must.

As you grow as a leader, it’s important that you understand the difference between positional and relational leadership. Look at this way, with positional leadership income is the currency. Relational leadership, influence is the currency.

Let’s take a look at 3 ways you can earn your influential currency to effect the character, development, and behavior of those you lead.

With positional leadership, income is currency. Relational leadership, influence is currency.
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3 Ways To Earn Influence As A Leader

1. Add Value

If you don’t value people you shouldn’t be leading them. One true sign that you value those you lead is your willingness and ability to add value to them. However, we only value others to the degree we value ourselves.

Have you noticed that we don’t see people as they are but as we are? Your willingness to develop, and invest in yourself by reading posts like this so you can add value to others, is a step in the right direction.

Leadership expert, John Maxwell has said, “when you value people, you have a deeper desire to connect with them than correct them.” He also said that the first step of leadership is adding value to people.

As a leader, you add value by serving others. Are you more focus on others serving you are you serving them? The more you add value to them, the more they follow you.

Action: Ask yourself each day, “How can I add value to others today?”

The 1st step of leadership is adding value to people. -John Maxwell
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2. Be Consistent

If you say you’re going to do something, do it. If you say you’re going to be somewhere, be there. Consistency is a must as you build influence and grow as an influential leader.

It’s important to realize that consistency isn’t a one and done thing; it’s a pattern. Consistency establishes your reputation as a leader. It’s hard to demand accountability from others if they can’t expect the same from you.

People buy into the leader when they can count on that leader. Can those you lead count on you? Consistency is an underrated word that plays a supersized role in your ability to be an influential leader.

You have to be consistent as a leader. Be reliable. The more consistent you are with those you lead, the more willing they will be in following you.

Action: Identify an area where you can be more consistent as a leader and work on it for the next 3 months.

Consistency is an underrated word that plays a supersized role in your ability to be an influential leader.
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3. Connect

The key to connecting with those you lead is to listen to them. People truly don’t care about what you know until they know that you care. You have to connect with them emotionally before you can move them physically.

Have you ever noticed how some people have their guards up when you try to (in your mind) give advice and help them? It’s because you haven’t connected with them yet. They are still trying to figure out your motives, your intentions before they let you in.

People won’t go along with you until they can get along with you, said so brilliantly by John Maxwell. Therefore, seek common ground with those you lead before you seek higher ground.

Relationships are a foundation of successful leadership. It’s the bedrock to relational leadership. As the leader, it’s your responsibility to take the initiative in connecting with those you lead.

Every time you connect with those you lead is an opportunity to increase your influence with them. Get to know them intimately if you desire to move them outwardly.

Action: Write down three individuals you need to connect with more and be intentional to do so over the next few months.

Find common ground with those you lead before seeking higher ground.
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Remember, influence is the capacity to have an effect on the character, development, or behavior of someone. Your title might impact their behavior but it’s your relationship that will influence all three. True leadership can’t be given, it must be earned.

You earn it by adding value to those you lead, being consistent in how you lead, and connecting intentionally with those you lead. You can do it!

 What is one area you can be more consistent as a leader? Please comment below. 

The post WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW TO BE AN INFLUENTIAL LEADER appeared first on Steve Messam.

How important is “influence” to you as a leader? Do you find yourself more focus on attaining a fancy title or reaching a certain position? Leadership isn’t based on position or fancy titles. Leadership is Influence.

I had the privilege over 15 years ago to attend a conference where I heard one of the world’s leading experts on leadership, John Maxwell, talk about his bestselling book The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership.

The second law, which is the law of influence, had a profound impact on my life. In that law, he dispelled a common myth by saying that leadership isn’t based on position or impressive titles. He summed up the definition of leadership as, “Leadership is influence, nothing more and nothing less.”

Leadership is influence, nothing more and nothing less. -John Maxwell
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There’s a leadership proverb that states, “He who thinks he leads but has no followers is only taking a walk.” If you were to look behind you, who is following you? Your spouse, kids, coworkers, colleagues? Maybe it’s students, congregants, or even teammates? What causes people to follow each other?

Another world leading expert, Ken Blanchard, author of the bestselling book The One Minute Manager, stated this, “The key to successful leadership today is influence.” There’s no getting around it, if you want to be a leader, you have to have influence.

The challenge for you as a leader is to not focus on what it will take to attain a position but what will it take to attract followers. As a leader, influence is critical not only in leading and impacting others but also in leading yourself.

The key to successful leadership today is influence. -Ken Blanchard
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2 Ways to Influence Yourself and Influence Others

1. Check Your Habits.

The first key point is to check your habits. We are creatures of habit and habits influence us. Influence flows inside out and there is no influence like the influence of habits. What drives you? What are your interests, your passions?

Your passions and your interests actually cause you to develop habits and routines to get you closer to your goals. Your passions and your interests also are huge motivators, but motivation alone will not get you to the leadership mountaintop.

Motivation points and focuses you there, but habits get you there. Another way to look at it is motivation gets you started, but your habits keep you going. While you’re checking your habits make sure that you break the bad ones and create some new ones.

In order to understand a new idea, new concept, new solution, you have to break old habits. The Apostle Paul once said, “Don’t let evil overcome you, but overcome evil by doing good. (Romans 12:21)” Let’s actually substitute the word evil with whatever old or bad habit that’s standing in your way.

Don’t let doubt, don’t let fear, don’t let negativity get the best of you, but get the best of whatever it is that is standing in your way to success as a leader, by doing good, by doing what is right, by creating new habits.

We lead ourselves by using our heads, our habits, our experiences, but we impact others by using our hearts. Which leads us to our second and final key point, which is to check your actions.

Motivation gets you started but your habits keep you going.
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2. Check Your Actions.

When leading and impacting others it is important to remember that it’s a heart thing, not a smart thing. I’m sure you would agree that for the most part, people don’t care what you know, they just want to know that you care.

Ben Franklin had this to say, “If you would persuade or influence, you must appeal to interests or passions rather than intellect.” As a leader, care more about helping people than you do, trying to impress people.

Care more about Helping people than Impressing people.
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A leader should touch their heart before they ask for their hand. Just like you have your own interests and passions, so do others. It’s your job, it’s your duty to connect with others passions and interests.

Leading by example is a great way to check your actions. The most powerful moral influence is an example. You develop your credibility with people by actually connecting and showing genuine interest through your actions, by sharing freely, by giving generously.

Pastor Chris Hodges, the author of the book Fresh Air,  has a saying that is a great example of how to lead by example, “Find a need and fill it. Find a hurt and heal it.” That’s leading by example.

In conclusion, I want to challenge you instead of focusing on a position or an impressive title to focus on being an influencer, because influencers make things happen. But here’s a warning; influence is earned, not given.

You earn it by actually touching other’s hearts, not showing them that you’re smart. God will give influence to those who use it to bless others and to honor him. One more thing. Your habits influence you, your actions influence others. Now go and change your world!

Your Habits influence you. Your Actions influence them.
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Who has influenced you the most in your leadership journey? Please comment below.

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