In these days of matrixed structures, flat hierarchies and outsourcing, the ability to influence others over whom we do not have formal authority, is extremely important for career success. This is also referred to as Lateral Leadership or Informal Leadership or Influence without Authority.

With the spurt in remote working caused by the Covid-19 crisis and other organisational changes caused by it, the role of informal relationships & informal leaders / influencers has become even more important. The opportunities for informal leadership are abundant too. With many folks working from home, it is only natural that team members might drift away from our workplaces, both physically and in terms of communication and this is where informal leaders and informal communication networks are likely to play an essential role in the evolving culture of and collaboration & communication in the organization.

“Under stress, people react more favorably to trusted messengers or individuals they know and respect. People tend to judge the messenger before they judge the message itself. So choosing messengers who have demonstrated credibility, and have been effective in past situations, becomes imperative.”– Extracted from a recent article published by Bain & Co.

Formal leaders are able to exert both informal and formal power, but informal leaders cannot rely on formal organizational authority to lead. So how can they lead? Let me share a story from my early working career.

I finished my under-graduate studies, qualified as a Professional Chartered Accountant at the same time, and joined the corporate world at just 20 years of age. My keenness to learn and readiness to help my colleagues & bosses in different areas of work saw me take on informal charge of cross-functional projects, where I had no formal authority and had to work alongside peers and often seniors as well, to guide the team towards the desired end-result. I thus had to learn to identify & exercise my informal leadership muscles and since then, have had to call upon these several times at different phases of my career.

You would recognize that most folks would rather ‘follow’ than attempt to lead by exerting positive influence- main reason being they are afraid of failure. This can be a crippling feeling to conquer; however, I encourage you to motivate and challenge yourself. Learn from the mistakes you might make along the way.

Recently, a coaching client of mine working in a leading pharma firm, mentioned that she was holding back on taking the lead in suggesting solutions for different matters under discussion, because it was outside the “boundaries of her current role’ and she preferred to have permission to contribute and did not want her ‘attempts to help’ to be rebuffed. Given how busy your manager is, your capabilities in a particular area which is not strictly part of your day to day job is likely not top of mind for your manager and those capabilities may not be known to your peers. I encouraged her saying “it’s up to you to show up and demonstrate where you think you can contribute. Don’t wait for an invitation to start leading.” And that’s what she did. And her manager was very happy and acknowledged her initiative and contribution.

Opportunities for stepping up usually arise due to any of the following reasons, either in isolation or in some combination:

1. initiative & self-motivation on the part of the ‘informal leader’

2. ability to do something important well and help team members do it

3. demonstrated skill of connecting people across the organization and/or encouraging others and instilling self-confidence in others

4. being an early adopter of a new trend or field of knowledge

5. vacuum or void due to senior people not stepping up or some other contingency

6. Certain roles like that of a ‘Product manager’ are configured that way. Product managers own the product, yet do not manage any of the people who are directly responsible for executing on the product.

7. Many times, formal team leaders provide informal leadership opportunities to team members based on their unique knowledge, abilities and interests, e.g. assign specific project roles, or make them head of task forces. Support of formal team leaders can be a big enabler.

The difference between someone who is ready to take on informal leadership and others is that while the latter want a formal position before they start to lead, the former knows that if he/she starts to lead first and gains trust & influence, the formal position will come in due course and when it does, people will already be willing to follow him/her.

Some tips (that I learnt by trial and error) to enhance chances of success in informal leadership situations:

1. Light touch / Don’t be over-controlling or micro-managing: Rather than rushing to outline a series of next steps and impose your solution, ask people for ideas & also seek their opinion on your ideas. Then some persuasion and even negotiation (some ‘give and take’) in the event of resistance & to assuage any hurt egos. Asking good questions helps.

If you can help others see what you need from them, you’ll be more likely to get it. Many times, it is best to leave the “how-to-get-there” process to the person whose help you seek.

Where and when possible, figure out ways to help them help you – make it easier for the other person to work with you and help you. If you have to get a busy colleague to write to a vendor, present him or her a draft of the letter they can either approve or tweak. 

2. Understanding the informal set-up: Especially as a young executive, one is often focused on work-excellence and impressing those in the hierarchy. Yes, that is needed, but what is also critical is for you to take time to find out ‘how things happen?’ in your organization. Whom do people go to for advice and support? And who usually tends to be the wet blanket or the spoiler throwing up roadblocks to new ideas and changes? You’ll get a sense of these in the casual water-cooler conversations, not by poring over the organisation charts.

3. Relationship building & Be Trust-worthy: As you begin to understand the informal organization, reach out to and build rapport with the stakeholders and influencers. There is no substitute for investing deeply in the relationships of people you work most closely with. This is critical and needs time & patience. For the specific project at hand, try to establish a rapport with people whose support you will need in order to carry out the task and achieve the end-result. Specially, take care to understand/address the concerns of those who are going to be impacted by any change that your task force / team is going to recommend. Make their problem your own, in other words. Time and money spent on lunches & coffees are well worth the investment in overcoming resistance from the sceptics and naysayers (a beer might work better with some!).

If you have to be regarded as a trust-worthy person, you need to be consistent in your behavior and honor / keep-up your commitments. People trust, and want to work with those folks who don’t hide their mistakes, make up stories, invent cover-ups, or always blame others. Those who step up, own a problem, and work to fix it build relationship capital and this will give others confidence in you and in the relationship.

4. Coalition building (in an authentic way & without manipulation) is closely linked to the relationship building process. Follow Stephen Covey’s advice of “Seek first to understand, then to be understood” … seek out key members of the team and their influencers, and meet with them ahead of formal team meetings, seek their views and discuss your views with them. This way, if you have most of them in alignment, the nay-sayers will find it tough to reject or oppose when several team members are in support of an initiative or set of steps that you wish to implement.

5. Reciprocity / Give help and Get help: Your chances of succeeding in getting others’ co-operation for what you are trying to accomplish are greater if you have a track record of being responsive to their requests and helping them with their needs and agenda. Reach out to them to see if they need support, and lend your time and resources as required. This will come back to you multi-fold, as your efforts create an intention of mutual support and goodwill.. “You stand up for your teammates. Your loyalty is to them. You protect them through good and bad, because they’d do the same for you.”- —Yogi Berra American League Baseball Hall of Fame player and coach

The benefits of helping your colleagues go beyond seeking a robust “bank account” of favors that you can borrow against later. What you help create is also an environment of teamwork in which your individual needs are put aside for the common purpose of the group. In other words, You are building a trusted and collaborative relationship.

6. Lead by example; Ability to empathise, motivate & inspire

• Do more, talk less: Build your reputation for being a doer, for making things happen in a way that earns the respect and trust of others. Do your research, know the facts and be prepared to patiently address questions or challenges.
• Always sell every success as team success. Unhesitatingly, give credit, share credit with other team members. And never never steal credit.
• A high degree of empathy is extremely important for success in influencing others. Good informal leaders gain trust and influence among their teammates, not by showing off but by helping them out when things go wrong. You must maintain a careful balance between pushing people to stretch beyond their comfort zone while also listening carefully to their concerns and feedback.
• Subjugate self-interest: Be willing to take a risk for a greater cause. Avoid those behaviours that are perceived as coming out of self-interest. Else your credibility will get eroded. And sort ‘critical needs vs. preferences’.
• Be part of the solution, not the problem: If you find yourself complaining &/or gossiping via slack or WhatsApp etc. to your colleagues, ask yourself – why you don’t make yourself part of the solution and voice your concerns and your thoughts &/or suggested solutions ?
• Encourage your co-workers. Notice their strengths, praise their accomplishments, be aware of and highlight their contributions.

7. Organisational Savvy (also called Political savvy): Last but not the least, you must be organizationally savvy (both a skillset and a mindset) and not be naïve. Embrace & understand organizational/group dynamics to move teams and key initiatives forward. In addition, you should be able to (do not hesitate) authentically and credibly communicate your good work and safeguard yourself from saboteurs.

Leading those outside your direct hierarchy can be challenging. By suggesting ways in which you can learn to lead laterally/informally, I don’t mean to suggest it is easy. However, I can assert from experience that executives who learn these skills will be better prepared and their career will progress faster and be more fulfilling. So, make the decision to embrace the leader in you.

You are never too early in your career to influence. 

And for the formal leaders who are reading this: find your informal leaders & mentor them, because they are ‘organization and initiative focused zealots’ with the passion and confidence necessary for success, and they are most likely going to be formal leaders of the future.