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\n\t\tOpinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.\t<\/p>\n
Across two decades, I\u2019ve held twelve corporate roles of increasing responsibility and scope. Some came with positional power and authority. Some did not. At the end of the day, it didn\u2019t matter when it came to my ability to make an impact and advance my career.<\/p>\n
The reality is you\u2019re not always going to be the boss with decision rights, but you can always be a leader<\/a>. In fact, the higher I climbed, the more often I found myself leading cross-functional initiatives that required buy-in from other teams and approval from senior stakeholders.<\/p>\n What I learned along the way is that influence<\/a>, not authority, is what drives real progress. You don\u2019t need permission to become an excellent leader, just the right mindset and relationships.<\/p>\n No matter your title, cultivating influence in an organization starts by building strong relationships<\/a> in order to solve problems. This way, you will naturally gain allies who are willing to follow your lead. Not because they have to. But because they want to.<\/p>\n I\u2019ve found that the most powerful influence you can earn stems from self-awareness. For example, knowing when to give up short-term decision rights to build a better long-term relationship. Trust me, your willingness to be flexible will be remembered in future interactions.<\/p>\n On the topic of decision-making<\/a>, the biggest mistake I see people make when \u201cacting like a leader\u201d is to attempt to hold on to all decision rights simply because they are the most senior person on a project, not because they have the most knowledge. Don\u2019t fall into this trap.<\/p>\n A self-aware leader knows who in the room is the most knowledgeable on a topic, and then will allow them to own related decisions. This not only results in better project outcomes but builds trust<\/a>.<\/p>\n Here are a few more tips for becoming more self-aware as a leader to drive influence:<\/p>\n Instead of trying to prove yourself at the start of a large project, commit to learning. The first 30 days should be spent understanding the landscape. Meet with stakeholders. Ask questions to understand their priorities, concerns and how this project will impact their team.<\/p>\n Most importantly, determine who has final decision rights to avoid confusion and setbacks. By the end of these conversations, I try to have clarity in three areas:<\/p>\n Cross-functional projects<\/a> are rarely neat and organized at the beginning. Often, responsibilities overlap, and ownership over decisions rights isn\u2019t yet defined.<\/p>\n In these situations, leadership is about creating clarity. Here\u2019s how to gain momentum:<\/p>\n I was once responsible for launching an entirely new brand, tasked first with developing a product description and instructions on how to use it. All this information had to come together on the packaging, a process that required close collaboration<\/a> with highly specialized teams focused on medical, legal and regulatory requirements \u2014 none of which reported to me.<\/p>\n Even in the earliest stage of the project, I knew every packaging decision would ultimately shape how I could market, educate and talk to consumers about the brand later down the road. Yet, I had no formal authority over the teams making the calls, so here\u2019s what I did:<\/p>\n First, I tackled an often overlooked (yet simple to solve) hurdle that can stunt collaboration: proximity. These specialized teams physically worked on the other side of the building, so I made the decision that, for half of the week, I would physically go and sit with them. Even if I was working on something unrelated to our project, I was intentional about being present and available.<\/p>\n As the weeks progressed, this choice led to team members casually calling me into hallway conversations about our packaging simply based on proximity. It also allowed me to listen and learn from those teams on how they work and what was driving their decisions.<\/p>\n By inserting myself in their world, I also had the opportunity to chime in to explain our marketing strategies<\/a> and give broader context regarding consumers. Ultimately, this allowed us to jointly build a packaging recommendation that met all medical, legal and regulatory requirements while still giving the marketing team plenty of room to promote the brand effectively.<\/p>\n No, your title does not dictate how much influence you can have within an organization. But it should impact how you go about earning it. Cultivating influence always comes back to self-awareness<\/a>, whether that means deferring to someone with less authority but more expertise to build trust or leading with curiosity, not control, as a newcomer to a project.<\/p>\n When people see you taking time to understand their perspective and create alignment, trust begins to form naturally and they will be more willing to support your recommendations.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Across two decades, I\u2019ve held twelve corporate roles of increasing responsibility and scope. Some came with positional power and authority. Some did not. At the end of the day, it didn\u2019t matter when it came to my ability to make an impact and advance my career.<\/p>\n The reality is you\u2019re not always going to be the boss with decision rights, but you can always be a leader<\/a>. In fact, the higher I climbed, the more often I found myself leading cross-functional initiatives that required buy-in from other teams and approval from senior stakeholders.<\/p>\n What I learned along the way is that influence<\/a>, not authority, is what drives real progress. You don\u2019t need permission to become an excellent leader, just the right mindset and relationships.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\nLeadership is about relationships, not rank<\/h2>\n
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The best way to build credibility with peers and senior leaders<\/h2>\n
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What to do when roles are unclear on a cross-functional project<\/h2>\n
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Influencing outcomes through collaboration: a case study<\/h2>\n
The bottom line on influence vs. authority<\/h2>\n
Key Takeaways<\/h2>\n
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