Pendulum of leadership authority and influence

The authority with which he spoke was commendable. His beaming presence lightened the room. Nobody dares question his authority. These are some statements that dominate the leadership discourse. Leadership is about achieving results. Leadership is about reaching some goals. Leadership is about leading from the front. Leadership is also about taking the team along. Leadership is also about letting the stakeholders know who commands the situation.

These differing roles and responsibilities then create the pull between where the leader could use authority and where he uses influence to achieve the goals. Leadership’s traditional image of the “man galloping ahead on the horse with many following him” is obsolete in modern Instagram images, but is very much practiced in many companies till date.

Awareness, discussion, and studies have multiplied on leadership effectiveness. Social media is full of the type of leadership that the modern worker aspires to have. Research has time and again proven that the pendulum from the past to the present has shifted to more of engagement style than the “line manager style”. The word “line” manager needs a rethink. The line on the organisational chart shows the position, and the rank who rules over you. That line will not be effective if it is just an organisational design line. There is a clear and direct connection between effective leadership and team performance. Gallup’s 2024 State of the Global Workplace report underscores this relationship, revealing that managers account for a staggering 70% of the variance in team employee engagement.

The engagement statistics show that 67% of the employees are disengaged. All 100% of these employees have line managers who have the authority to supervise and get work out of them. Clearly “line” authority does not guarantee productivity. Yes, authority can work in many situations. There is no saying that without structure organisations can grow. The clarity of who is reporting to whom makes professionalism prevail. In many situations, especially in crisis, the use of authority enables a lot of quick response measures. When we call people influential, we normally think of people who are in seats of power. If that happens, good for them. However, that influence is tied to the seat. The real question is: will they be influential if the seat is with somebody else? That is the sobering question. Leaders need to think this through. To have influence that goes beyond authority leaders should focus on the following:

Influence#1 – the person behind the position: Authority needs to come from the structure, no doubt. Lack of clarity on who leads whom creates conflict. However that is the skeleton part of performance. The real muscle that forms the body is influence that comes from the person’s character and behaviour. The influence comes from the supportability of the leader. There are some key questions to answer to find out if the influence goes beyond the rank and file. Who does the team think of when they want support in a difficult situation? Whose name will your team member take when asked who coached and developed him? Would the team feel courageous enough to open up to their mistakes to you? Does the team openly disagree with you? The answers to these questions will tell you a lot about how influential the leader is and whether his influence is long lasting or not.

Influence#2 – conversations that matter: Influence is one deposit over time. Influence is a chain of connections. The first step for influence is interest. Influential people are interested in others. They like observing and learning about people. They take the pain to do their homework on the people they want to influence. That makes them better prepared for having the wavelength that clicks. They make it a point to remember names. They make a note of the story around the person they meet. They ask, they seek, they explore. Compare the two. A leader joins a meeting. Greets, starts with the agenda and tells them about the challenges and targets they must achieve. Another leader joins a meeting. Greets, talks to people, how they are feeling. He remembers who missed the meeting last time due to ill health. Enquires about what happened, wishes them well. He then announces, “This is a consultative meeting. I would request the secretary to announce the agenda. The agenda contains identifying challenges.”

The leader talks about what a brilliant team they are, and how challenges are the engine of growth. He then says, “You are my consultants. What do you think are the screaming issues and then I would love to hear about your recommendations on them.” This is followed by the leader opening up his diary and taking notes when people are talking authenticates his desire to listen deeply and give attention. Almost guaranteed the meeting will have high engagement. The decisions thereafter will have huge buy in.

Influence#3 – lighting the unlit: Most leaders love team members who are outstanding. It is natural. A team member who is reliable and delivers is like a leadership magnet. Work and attention flows to them. Leaders with influence work with those who are not in the limelight. They observe back benchers, they see the quiet ones, they seek the invisible talent. They reach out to them. They connect and communicate.

They assign tasks that are in line with their expertise. Slowly they start to give them the confidence to start rising. This ability of the leader to light the unlit is what creates this story around the leader of being this amazing person whom everybody wants to connect to and work with. Such influence is all encompassing.

Influence brings its own authority. Caution – influence has to be based on principles. Influence that is based on manipulating the principles and values may be faster, giving immediate results, but is short lived. People coming to you due to pressure and force are not likely to sustain their efforts in the absence of that force. Influence based on behaviours of trust, coaching, developing people is more enduring and impactful. In an overinformed, exposed world, your story cannot be photoshopped with filters for too long. Somebody will spill the filters.

That will be a huge influence reducer. Remember, in influence, the internals are the externals. What people who work with you say about you is the story that will be told and will hold for a long time. Sustainable influence cannot be faked or manufactured or ordered. It has to be earned. It has to be demonstrated. As John C Maxwell said, “Leadership is not about titles, position or flowcharts. It is about one life influencing another.”