The Solution
No matter how high up the corporate ladder you are, you will find yourself interacting with groups of people that you need to influence without pulling rank.
Maybe they are:
- Peers or higher-ups from your own company
- People from other companies (vendor, supplier or client companies)
- People that do report to you, but that are super-talented hotshots and prima donnas that simply do not respond well to orders
Many projects are undertaken by temporary, cross-functional groups or "swat teams" that are put together solely for the purpose of the project, without affecting the company's organizational chart.
People forget that leadership is, first and foremost, a service. If you are not a person that fulfills a need for the people you lead, then you have no business being a leader, regardless of your rank in the company.
The service you provide might be providing information, representing people and projects to outside parties or higher-ups, engaging people to cooperate, imparting a sense of accomplishment and a sense of security. In short, your job is to help THEM be successful, even more than it is their job to help you succeed.
You must be known as a person who works hard on behalf of the group, knows his stuff, does his homework, plays fair, and honestly provides information and admits mistakes. Having these qualities won't instantly make you a leader, but NOT having these qualities will instantly take you out of the running.
If you have the above qualities, and can follow some of the following steps, you could be as (or even more) successful with a "volunteer fire department" than you could ever be with an organizationally dedicated staff.
Forget Positions
Whether the person you need to influence is the CEO or the janitor, don't look at that person as a function of a title or a number of digits before the decimal point on a paycheck. "Kissing up" to leadership or "talking down" to underlings will only get you suspected of dishonestly pushing your own agenda. Forget where that person sits on the organizational chart, and forget where you sit. Focus on your objective, your message, what you need that person to do, and why.
I was accountable for building and populating a proof of concept corporate intranet at a large financial institution years ago when I was a lowly consultant.
The people I needed information from were VPs, presidents of affiliated companies, and so forth. I had my doubts about whether or not they'd listen to me. They seemed to have their own culture and priorities that I was not a part of.
I knew my own project inside and out, of course. I studied about the departments they led, and talked to people who had experiences with them about their decision-making style and motivations. I made the appointments, bought some new clothes (probably not necessary but it was a good excuse and made me feel more confident) gritted my teeth and focused on the subject at hand; not the differences between us. I had remarkable cooperation and more assistance than I would have dreamed.
Many of these VPs told me later that my enthusiasm and knowledge of my objectives was the key to overriding their other priorities and getting me what I needed.
Don't Give Orders
Many management schools teach deadlines and accountabilities. Those things are very important, but trying to force a deadline or accountability usually does more harm than good.
It is very important to outline what you need. You must have a thorough understanding of the specific tasks that need to be done by specific dates to make the project work. However, you have much more success at getting deadlines and accountabilities that stick when people at least feel like they have some say in setting them for themselves. Outline what is needed, and ASK for that person's help and cooperation. Ask them how they could contribute. If they're in agreement with the objective, or at least see the value of it (in terms of company success, being seen as a "team player," or whatever incentives you can provide) they will generally accomplish things better than they could if assigned.
People have an innate need to be included and to be recognized as being good at what they do. If you show the connection between what you need, and having their own innate needs met, people will work very hard toward common goals.
This is probably best explained by example. You have a project to accomplish, and Frank is a person in the company who has a skill set you need. You have permission from Frank's boss to use some of his time only if it doesn't interfere with his regular duties.
Example 1-
Delivered by memo, e-mail, or by walking into Frank's cube: "Frank, I need you to do XYZ in two weeks."
Example 2-
Delivered over coffee: "Frank, I wanted to talk to you about this project because I understand that you have some experience with _____ and I'm told that you've done well with this sort of thing in the past. This project is very important because __________________ . Let me tell you what I'm trying to accomplish in thirty days and maybe you can let me know how you could contribute."
Although Example 1 takes five minutes, and example 2 might take thirty minutes, and probably the cost of Frank's coffee, the results are remarkably different.
In Example 1, Frank is likely to put you off, refer you back to his boss (who suddenly has other priorities for him) or throw something superficial together to get you off his back. Example 2 will set up a respectful relationship where Frank will not only do XYZ, but may have other skills or insights into your project that you didn't know he had. He's also likely to do the task you "assigned" in a shorter timeframe (since he set his own) and meet his own deadline with higher-quality work.
As added benefit, Frank will also speak well of your project to his co-workers and may even intercede on your behalf to his own boss if need be.
Ask Questions
Many times you can lead without seeming to by asking the right questions in the right context, and letting someone else take the stage.
For example, you're in a meeting and making no progress. There is no real leader, or the leader is absent, and the group is muddling along.
Overtly trying to take charge of the meeting might work, or it might simply raise defenses and complicate the issue more- becoming a power struggle about who should be leading the meeting rather than having effort directed toward accomplishing anything.
The person who asks the right question will probably become the group's leader by default, and without opposition.
Examples of good leading questions:
- "What is our objective for this meeting?"
- "What is the next logical step from where we are?"
- "What is our real goal here?"
- "What do we each need to walk out of here with to feel that this meeting has been successful?
If the question is well-received, walk up the whiteboard, pick up a marker, and start capturing ideas.
Involve Everyone in Planning Sessions
If a project is large and complicated, and involves a number of people, involve the group in the planning process, rather than planning the project yourself and doling out tasks.
Start with a list of tasks you know need to be done. Ask everyone's input in adding to and refining the list. Then ask everyone to volunteer for the tasks that are the most interesting to him or her. There will always be some tasks left over that nobody wants- brainstorm ways to make these more interesting, less cumbersome, or to divide them fairly among the group. (It helps if you set a good example by being willing to roll up your sleeves and do a couple of the less desirable tasks yourself.
Stroke Egos
There is nothing more flattering than being asked for an opinion or for help. If you need a person's help, assistance or support for a project, say so; and tell them why. Don't lie or exaggerate- insincerity is almost always obvious, as well as insulting. But if there's something positive to say, by all means, say it!
"I was told that you are very skilled with database conversions" or "I remember when you did something similar with ABC project and I'd heard it was very successful." Or "Jane told me that you were the best person to talk to about this subject." Or even "I'd really like your opinion on this project I'm working on."
Focus Forward, Not Behind
What do you do when someone who doesn't work for you does something wrong, or something that doesn't meet your expectations?
You can't call them on the carpet and chew them out, especially if they don't work for you. Threatening them with going to their "real boss" probably won't work, either, at least not more than once. Their "real" boss has other things to worry about besides your project, and won't like having their people criticized when they were good enough to lend them to you, to begin with.
Whether or not a person works for you, positive feedback works much better than negative. Again, be very personal, and as positive as possible.
Example 1:
Delivered via memo, e-mail, or in Fred's cube:
"Fred, XYZ was not done correctly, and now it's not working. It needs to be fixed today or the project will be behind."
Example 2:
Delivered in person, preferably on neutral territory (like another cup of coffee)
"Fred, I've asked George to work on ABC, and he's having a little trouble understanding how to get XYZ to work. We're coming up on our deadline and under some pressure to make sure this works by Friday. I was wondering if you might have some time today to help him?"
The Asian principle of "face," or honor, works very well here. Always give people the opportunity to fix mistakes without "losing face" and having to admit to them. Always be willing to admit that perhaps the nature or details of the task were not communicated correctly. Focus forward on making progress on the project; rather than backward, analyzing mistakes and assigning blame.
Share Kudos
When you're congratulated on your phenomenally successful project, be sure to mention the people who helped you. Many people treat praise like a limited commodity- they feel it's worth more if you hoard it for yourself. We've noticed the opposite- Credit, kudos and praise seem to multiply exponentially the more you spread them around.
- Congratulate people specifically (Fred did a wonderful job of XYZ, and did some wonderful 11th hour fine-tuning to be sure things worked well for us.)
- Congratulate people in writing (Memos, certificates of appreciation, letters, etc. that people can hang up in their cube or add to their portfolio of successes for their next evaluation.)
- Be public. Have a project wrap-up party or event, and invite everyone who had anything to do with the project, even tangentially.
- Include their bosses. "I appreciate you making Fred available to help me with this project. I understand it took some planning wizardry on your part to make this possible." Also, make sure their boss gets copies of the memos, letters, etc. praising their employees.
- Sharing kudos not only feels good for you and them, but also ensures you have an easier time recruiting help in the future.
The trend in business, not only for special projects, but even for "business as usual" is away from hierarchical reporting relationships with command-and-control styles of management. Being able to master leadership techniques that work regardless of rank behooves everyone, from the CEO to the entry-level newcomer. Even if you occupy the top of the organizational chart, your projects and initiatives will be much more successful and your people will be happier, more accountable, creative, and productive if you follow these concepts rather than "pulling rank" to get things done.
