Five Ways To Show the Way When you’re Not the Boss

AS ORGANISATIONS grow in scale and complexity, it becomes essential to create a pool of people who might not be leaders on paper but have the potential to lead a team. Shreya Biswas lists the do’s and don’ts to keep in mind when leading a team while not formally being the boss.

Share a Goal An individual’s ability to share a ‘winwin’ situation with a colleague and getting to build commitment always help. If you are trying to lead in the absence of a shared purpose, it can only be effective in the short term. “This is done by creating a detailed stakeholder plan for each individual and understanding how to get them on board,” says Chaitali Mukherjee, country manager, Right Management. 

Communicate Clearly It is important to share goals and expectations clearly while managing projects, where you are expected to lead teams mostly through influence and not ‘hierarchy’ or power. Let people know the milestones, timelines and when reviews start. Also make sure the communication is aimed at the output and not individuals. This will help cut down on last-minute surprises and bring up concerns, if any. 

Share Ownership Share the responsibility of success and failure with the team. “In large consulting accounts, where multiple leaders from the organisation are involved, successful delivery for the client over the long term should not only depend on the sales leader or the consulting subject matter expert. Every large account or opportunity should have at least two people mapped and involved with clear accountabilities, but none above the other,” says Mukherjee. 

Lead by Example When influencing becomes difficult, it’s best to do it yourself and prove the point to others. The ability to show quick results helps in building commitment to the project or intervention. It is tough because it puts you up for a lot of scrutiny, but serves the purpose. “Be innovative, take initiatives and you can become one who people respect and listen to. Then they don’t hesitate to go the extra mile if you so demand,” says E Balaji, MD & CEO, Ma Foi Randstad.

Give Honest Feedback Keep the company’s culture in mind, and give positive, constructive feedback. “In many European firms, people don’t mind if it’s honest and direct while some Asian companies don’t appreciate direct feedback. Even if it’s honest, there has to be a more polite way to put the point across,” says Balaji.

(The Economic Times, Mumbai, 22-11-2011)