94: What to Do When Managing Without Authority

Coaching for Leaders

Dave Stachowiak

Management, Careers, Business

4.8 • 1.6K Ratings

🗓️ 24 June 2013

⏱️ 28 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

You simply can’t manage without the appropriate amount of authority. In this show, I walk you through six things you can do if you find yourself in this situation. In addition, this is a good check-point for ourselves as leaders to ensure we aren’t putting others into this situation.

The most important thing to know? You can’t manage without authority.

1. What’s likely the scenario?

Poor communication?
Organizational politics?
Discomfort area of the leader?
Is it you? Do you really need authority in this area?

2. Watch and record what happens (or anticipate what could happen).

3. Connect your objectives and evidence to the bottom-line or organizational mission

Almost always there is a cost factor
What does it keep you from being able to do?
Speaks to the logical minds of many leaders (task-oriented, people-oriented)

4. Make the request

Be clear on the problem you are trying to solve and what you need
Have a plan (timeline, steps, etc.)
Show evidence that you have a plan
Be prepared to get something different than you asked for – and ask yourself if it still solves the problem?

5. If necessary, ask to be removed from that project/responsibility

6. If all else fails, find a new position or employer

Here’s a quick check-in for all of us: Are we putting anyone into this situation right now?

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Transcript

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0:00.0	If you were asked to manage someone or maybe a group of people but have not been given the authority to do so,
0:07.0	what would you do?
0:09.0	By the end of this episode you'll know at least six things you can take action on. This is
0:13.4	coaching for leaders episode number 94. Produced by Innovate Learning
0:19.1	Maximizing Human Potential. human potential. Greetings to you from Orange County, California.
0:25.0	This is coaching for leaders, and I'm your host Dave Stahophiac. This is a weekly coaching show to help people be better leaders through improved communications, human relations, and personal productivity.
0:42.0	And this week's topic is one about relations and personal productivity.
0:42.8	And this week's topic is one about authority or not having the right authority.
0:48.9	And actually this is something that I think probably all of us have run into at one point or another
0:54.2	either on the receiving end or possibly on the giving or not giving end and truth be
1:00.3	told I was planning a different topic this week but one of the things that I am
1:04.8	doing pretty much on a weekly actually it's really at a daily basis now is fielding email from
1:11.0	our community and talking with people on the website
1:15.4	coaching for leaders.com and just you know answering questions about
1:19.2	leadership and communication and an email came in in the last week or so about having the right authority
1:26.6	to lead someone.
1:28.2	And I was about to start writing back the email and I was maybe going to record a little something to our community
1:34.2	member and I got to think and I said you know this is actually a really
1:36.7	important question for people who are facing this and so would be a good
1:41.0	topic for the show.
1:42.7	So just a reminder, if you are running into things that you think would be helpful for others
1:47.2	too, be sure to email that to me because I always am happy to respond in some way, but of course it could be a great show topic as well.
	...

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