My OperaCan I lead when I am not the leader?
Monday, November 5, 2012 9:36:40 PM
Can I lead others when I am not the leader?
Samuel Tengey, PhD
To millions of people, there is only a one-sided understanding or conceptualisation of leaders and leadership: those who have been chosen, elected or appointed and given the role to lead others. Once they do not fall within that category of persons, they feel they cannot lead. Common statements characteristic of such individuals include: ‘if only I can become the leader, I will do this and that; but I’m not the leader, what can I do; the leaders are not doing anything and once you’re not the leader, there’s nothing you’d do that they will recognise’. That’s the way we understand leadership; that’s the way we have been taught; that’s what we’ve heard over say the years, and that to us, is the truth about leading and leadership.
But I beg to differ. A leader, first and foremost, is one who influences (remember the previous issue on leadership?); not necessarily one with a position. Influence can happen at any level in the family, organisational, social, and national hierarchy: upwards, downwards, and horizontally. Every day, we are being led by one person or another; we need not ratify the person as a leader to be influenced by them. Have you ever found yourself driving on the hard shoulder of the road after you’ve noticed someone do so in a heavy traffic, while you struggle to make an appointment, although you may have, as a principle, decided never to do so? Several times, I suppose! That person was your leader – they were influencing you; they were leading you! Hence, anybody that influences others to act in a way is a leader. Therefore, you do not need a position, title or a role to be able to lead. Dr John Maxwell, the renowned leadership consultant, refers to this as 360 degrees leadership, where leadership occurs anywhere in the organisations’ hierarchy. In effect then, you have probably been leading everywhere, anytime, anyhow, anyway just that you might not have taken a good note of it! Interesting; isn’t it?
Indeed, one can lead in an organisation or workplace regardless of their position or level in the organisational hierarchy. Sounds easy, but just how is that possible in practice? Well, that’s precisely what we try to explore in this article. In a typical workplace/organisation, unless you’re the CEO or the lowest in the hierarchy with no direct reports, you would normally have subordinates, peers and a boss, or bosses. My argument is that you can do more than merely lead your subordinates, which, you are of course obliged to do, although many line managers (supervisors or immediate bosses) still struggle to do effectively. You can lead your peers in the same or other units/departments! You can lead your boss or other bosses, including bosses in units or departments other than where you are located. How do I do this, you may ask? Well, I’d place the cart before the horse by beginning first with how to lead your boss. For brevity sake, I’d explore only how to lead your boss in this issue; I treat the others in subsequent issues, which you don’t want to miss.
Leading my boss? Absolutely! Sounds rude? Not at all! The organisational relationship is a symbiotic one: interdependence is the essence of an organisation. Our roles dovetail into each other’s. Managers, executives or bosses rely on information systems to make decisions. Therefore one of the key or crucial resources relevant to the effective and successful operation of bosses is information. But not just any information: relevant, accurate and reliable information. Anybody that provides such information automatically adds value to the work of the executive or their boss. Once they have consistently and constantly demonstrated that they provide and possess information relevant for executive decisions and actions, such individuals providing such information are influencing their boss’ decisions and actions, albeit unintentionally and indirectly. Remember we defined leadership as influence? So, such an individual is influencing decisions and actions at the top without their physical presence at the top; hence leading. John Maxwell calls this ‘leading upwards’.
But the influence is much stronger than that. When an executive has come to a conclusion that through your informational input, their work has been rendered much easier, faster and less stressful, they come to value your input, and since you and your input are almost inseparable, your boss comes to value you. They respect you. They realise they need you to succeed. And you must be committed to seeing your boss succeed. In any organisation, the level, amount and quality of value you produce determines the value others, including your bosses place on you. It also determines how much others feel secure with you around them; the corollary of this is true in most instances: others, your boss inclusive, feel insecure and unsafe without you and your input. As a result, they will do everything in their power to maintain, motivate, so as to retain you in your position, and will be eager to promote you to positions of higher responsibility. Guess what, you are least likely to be considered a candidate in times of redundancies.
Does that in any way make you any more important than your boss? By no means! What it does do is make you relatively less dispensable than others. The problem for many subordinates gaining this level of importance in their organisations is that they all too soon begin to view themselves as more important, and their bosses as equals or even less important. Mind you, your boss is not a kid no matter how much they come down to your level. Indeed, many bosses have tried to be nice to good performing subordinates but have discovered to their dismay and disappointment, their subordinates trying to undermine their authority. The result? They resolve never to trust and rely on subordinates no matter how impressive they are in the performance of their duties. Are they justified? Your guess is as right: once beaten, twice shy, it is said.
Your aim in leading up the organisational hierarchy is to make the work of your boss easier, and be committed to their success; not to make yourself popular, although popularity follows automatically once you start adding value to your boss. But don’t start with the quest or obsession to be popular; be driven by the desire to see your boss succeed. Some employees complain their boss is possessive and doesn’t want them to be transferred to another unit. Of course that is to be expected from bosses who are committed to succeeding in their career, and who see you as the source of their success. Such bosses can, admittedly, be sometimes entirely oblivious and inconsiderate of the career aspirations of their subordinates who could have benefitted from being moved around different departments.
In conclusion, whatever the case, you can lead your boss without bossing them round. Begin now. Don’t seek to become popular; seek to provide and add value. You would notice to your amazement the value others, including your boss, give you begins to rise astronomically. Well, thanks for reading! Do stay hooked on for the next issue, in which I explore leading across the organisation – leading your peers.
About the author
Dr Tengey is a Human Resource Development practitioner and Leadership and Management Development consultant, and professional educator in Ghana. His management and leadership development seminars and workshops for corporate bodies and church organisations, and personal development sessions on entrepreneurship, career development and personal effectiveness have been found to be exceptionally insightful and helpful. He delights in providing workable solutions to organisational problems especially those relating to the management of people. He may be reached via mcsam3000@gmail.com
Samuel Tengey, PhD
To millions of people, there is only a one-sided understanding or conceptualisation of leaders and leadership: those who have been chosen, elected or appointed and given the role to lead others. Once they do not fall within that category of persons, they feel they cannot lead. Common statements characteristic of such individuals include: ‘if only I can become the leader, I will do this and that; but I’m not the leader, what can I do; the leaders are not doing anything and once you’re not the leader, there’s nothing you’d do that they will recognise’. That’s the way we understand leadership; that’s the way we have been taught; that’s what we’ve heard over say the years, and that to us, is the truth about leading and leadership.
But I beg to differ. A leader, first and foremost, is one who influences (remember the previous issue on leadership?); not necessarily one with a position. Influence can happen at any level in the family, organisational, social, and national hierarchy: upwards, downwards, and horizontally. Every day, we are being led by one person or another; we need not ratify the person as a leader to be influenced by them. Have you ever found yourself driving on the hard shoulder of the road after you’ve noticed someone do so in a heavy traffic, while you struggle to make an appointment, although you may have, as a principle, decided never to do so? Several times, I suppose! That person was your leader – they were influencing you; they were leading you! Hence, anybody that influences others to act in a way is a leader. Therefore, you do not need a position, title or a role to be able to lead. Dr John Maxwell, the renowned leadership consultant, refers to this as 360 degrees leadership, where leadership occurs anywhere in the organisations’ hierarchy. In effect then, you have probably been leading everywhere, anytime, anyhow, anyway just that you might not have taken a good note of it! Interesting; isn’t it?
Indeed, one can lead in an organisation or workplace regardless of their position or level in the organisational hierarchy. Sounds easy, but just how is that possible in practice? Well, that’s precisely what we try to explore in this article. In a typical workplace/organisation, unless you’re the CEO or the lowest in the hierarchy with no direct reports, you would normally have subordinates, peers and a boss, or bosses. My argument is that you can do more than merely lead your subordinates, which, you are of course obliged to do, although many line managers (supervisors or immediate bosses) still struggle to do effectively. You can lead your peers in the same or other units/departments! You can lead your boss or other bosses, including bosses in units or departments other than where you are located. How do I do this, you may ask? Well, I’d place the cart before the horse by beginning first with how to lead your boss. For brevity sake, I’d explore only how to lead your boss in this issue; I treat the others in subsequent issues, which you don’t want to miss.
Leading my boss? Absolutely! Sounds rude? Not at all! The organisational relationship is a symbiotic one: interdependence is the essence of an organisation. Our roles dovetail into each other’s. Managers, executives or bosses rely on information systems to make decisions. Therefore one of the key or crucial resources relevant to the effective and successful operation of bosses is information. But not just any information: relevant, accurate and reliable information. Anybody that provides such information automatically adds value to the work of the executive or their boss. Once they have consistently and constantly demonstrated that they provide and possess information relevant for executive decisions and actions, such individuals providing such information are influencing their boss’ decisions and actions, albeit unintentionally and indirectly. Remember we defined leadership as influence? So, such an individual is influencing decisions and actions at the top without their physical presence at the top; hence leading. John Maxwell calls this ‘leading upwards’.
But the influence is much stronger than that. When an executive has come to a conclusion that through your informational input, their work has been rendered much easier, faster and less stressful, they come to value your input, and since you and your input are almost inseparable, your boss comes to value you. They respect you. They realise they need you to succeed. And you must be committed to seeing your boss succeed. In any organisation, the level, amount and quality of value you produce determines the value others, including your bosses place on you. It also determines how much others feel secure with you around them; the corollary of this is true in most instances: others, your boss inclusive, feel insecure and unsafe without you and your input. As a result, they will do everything in their power to maintain, motivate, so as to retain you in your position, and will be eager to promote you to positions of higher responsibility. Guess what, you are least likely to be considered a candidate in times of redundancies.
Does that in any way make you any more important than your boss? By no means! What it does do is make you relatively less dispensable than others. The problem for many subordinates gaining this level of importance in their organisations is that they all too soon begin to view themselves as more important, and their bosses as equals or even less important. Mind you, your boss is not a kid no matter how much they come down to your level. Indeed, many bosses have tried to be nice to good performing subordinates but have discovered to their dismay and disappointment, their subordinates trying to undermine their authority. The result? They resolve never to trust and rely on subordinates no matter how impressive they are in the performance of their duties. Are they justified? Your guess is as right: once beaten, twice shy, it is said.
Your aim in leading up the organisational hierarchy is to make the work of your boss easier, and be committed to their success; not to make yourself popular, although popularity follows automatically once you start adding value to your boss. But don’t start with the quest or obsession to be popular; be driven by the desire to see your boss succeed. Some employees complain their boss is possessive and doesn’t want them to be transferred to another unit. Of course that is to be expected from bosses who are committed to succeeding in their career, and who see you as the source of their success. Such bosses can, admittedly, be sometimes entirely oblivious and inconsiderate of the career aspirations of their subordinates who could have benefitted from being moved around different departments.
In conclusion, whatever the case, you can lead your boss without bossing them round. Begin now. Don’t seek to become popular; seek to provide and add value. You would notice to your amazement the value others, including your boss, give you begins to rise astronomically. Well, thanks for reading! Do stay hooked on for the next issue, in which I explore leading across the organisation – leading your peers.
About the author
Dr Tengey is a Human Resource Development practitioner and Leadership and Management Development consultant, and professional educator in Ghana. His management and leadership development seminars and workshops for corporate bodies and church organisations, and personal development sessions on entrepreneurship, career development and personal effectiveness have been found to be exceptionally insightful and helpful. He delights in providing workable solutions to organisational problems especially those relating to the management of people. He may be reached via mcsam3000@gmail.com
