What Leading with Influence Looks Like
One of the illusions of command and control style leadership is that it creates trust through consistent and predictable outcomes.
And it can do that, in very specific and predictable conditions. But those conditions are not the ones most of us are operating in.
Any consistency that is gained through control comes at the cost of autonomy, relationships and innovation. Eventually, the consistency won't be enough to keep people engaged and their performance will plateau or they'll go elsewhere.
It's a house built on sand.
That's because control doesn't just limit trust between the leader and the team. A more concerning result is that it can hurt the trust one has in themselves.
Previously we talked about the benefits of leading with influence over authority. Today we'll provide more concrete examples of how to do that…
Look to the (subject matter) experts
Think about those in non-managerial roles who have to rely on others to complete their work. They naturally develop the ability to lead through influence rather than authority. They do this by building strong relationships, holding high subject matter expertise and delivering results.
These are the strategies we should be looking to leverage. Where leaders get tripped-up is when they share the same domain of subject matter expertise with their team. A shared expertise with your team can certainly be a benefit, but that's not the expertise that I want you to be leveraging long-term.
The behaviors, methods and skills that it takes to effectively lead and manage people is the area of expertise you should be focusing on. As a leader, this is the unique value you bring to a team. Let the team demonstrate themselves as the subject matter experts for your team's work so that you can focus on arranging the pieces in a way that makes them most successful.
First and foremost, this means not controlling "how" the work gets done. Give them clear expectations on outcomes and then let them decide on the best way to deliver.
Provide the why's
Establishing a shared vision of the work is critical for leading with influence. Following the last point, if we are going to stop controlling the "how", we need to help our team understand "why" the work they are doing is important.
This is not just a question of motivation. It actually helps inform decision making when complicated scenarios arise.
We can't anticipate every tough decision or scenario that they are going to face. Giving them the "why" gives them a north star to follow as they navigate that uncertain terrain. Even if they haven't faced this particular challenge before, they'll better understand the context of the situation enough to make a decision that supports the larger mission and purpose of what the team is trying to achieve.
Return Questions
This doesn't all happen at once. If leaning more heavily on influence is new to you or if you've just inherited a team that is used to a top-down-control style, the team will take some time to adjust.
You can reinforce these behaviors by returning questions from your team. When your team comes to you for a decision you think they are capable of making, you want to avoid immediately solving the problem for them.
Instead, pause for a brief moment after they are done presenting the issue to allow them time to offer a suggestion. If they don't, ask them for their suggestion on how to handle it.
The most critical step of this is in the follow-through. When they give their suggestion, let them know they have your full support. Unless their recommendation is going to completely break things (it won't), show them your trust by endorsing their solution.
Delegation
You don't have to wait for your team to come to you with problems in order to practice leading with influence. Another strategy that aligns with all guidance we've discussed here is delegation.
Effective delegation puts ownership in the hands of the subject matter experts. Because I recommend delegating outcomes and not actions, it also encourages you to provide the "why" and not the "how". When, as the subject matter expert, they come-up with the "how", show your trust by fully supporting their approach. Don't correct their methods simply because they are different than yours. Let them approach the work leveraging their own strengths and insights and you'll be amazed at the results they produce.
This Week's Action Items:
Identify a couple of routine technical decisions that you can have your team begin to make so that you have more time to focus on the skillset of leading.
For those decisions, make sure they understand why it's important but don't instruct them on the how.
Practice our Returning Questions guidance for the full recommendation of shifting authority back to your team.
Leverage delegation techniques to reinforce the strategies discussed here.
