How to establish authority and influence others

“How can I influence people if I don’t have authority?”

Realistically, you can’t. You can’t influence people if you don’t have any authority. But the authority to influence and lead doesn’t have to come from your position in an organization. This is often referred to as positional, formal or institutional authority.

In fact, to effectively influence and lead people, you need to have personal authority. You earn this by building trust and credibility with peers, subordinates, superiors and others. With personal authority, it’s the people around you who give you the authority to influence and lead.

Importantly, anyone – in any role and at any level within an organization – can and should build personal authority, and that includes folks who have a lot of positional authority, some positional authority, and none at all.

If you need to influence someone – whether that person is your superior, subordinate, colleague or client – this article is for you.

Busting the myth of positional authority

When it comes to talking about influence, positional authority is given more importance than it deserves.  When my clients ask, “How can I influence people if I don’t have authority?” they’re really asking, “How can I influence people if my position doesn’t give me the authority to set direction, make final decisions, and tell people what to do?” This is a valid question, but it also highlights the persistent belief that positional authority is the holy grail of influence.

That’s just not true.

Dr. Robert Cialdini, a leading social scientist in the field of influence, makes a helpful distinction between positional and personal authority. In a Harvard Business Review interview, Cialdini was asked:

“An executive needs to convince a group that a big change in direction is necessary. What would you advise?”

Cialdini explains that conditions of uncertainty drive people to seek out information and guidance that will reduce their uncertainty.

“The first thing they look to is authority: What do the experts think about this topic?

We’re not talking about being in authority but about being an authority. The manager needs to marshal evidence from acknowledged experts — they could be outsiders — that aligns with the rationale for the initiative.

The other place people look is to peers. If a couple of people are hanging back in a team meeting, the manager shouldn’t hammer those guys, trying to get them to fall in line. Instead, he or she should identify a respected member of the group who agrees with the plan and ask that person to weigh in. Peers are often more convincing than executives when we’re deciding what we should do.”

Did you catch that?

Cialdini is illustrating the reality that people aren’t necessarily more influential because they’re in a position of formal authority. The ability to influence comes from being an authority, not being in authority.

What are the limits of positional authority?

But let’s be honest: having positional authority can offer some advantages when you’re trying to influence and lead people. Some of those include:

• Having formal power to hold others accountable and deliver rewards and penalties;
• Being expected to take charge and direct people and projects; and
• Having access to information, resources and decision makers.

Having positional authority may make it easier for you to get people to hear what you have to say and it may incline people to comply with your decisions or directives. But having positional authority won’t make people commit to you or your ideas – and ultimately, commitment is what you’re trying to get.

When you’re trying to influence someone, your goal is to get them to see the value of your vision, decisions and direction, and believe in it (or you) enough to invest in making it happen. As we’ve all experienced, when someone is truly committed to an idea, project, or person, they’re more motivated and responsive, and the quality of their contributions is higher.

Here’s the type of story I hear from clients, which illustrates the limitations of positional authority:

A senior management team (SMT) decides to apply for funding that will expand the type of services an organization provides. The Grants Officer and Programs Officer, who are responsible for writing the funding proposal, strongly disagree with the SMT’s decision.

The Grants and Programs Officers believe that applying for this funding will put the organization in direct competition with one of its key partners, which will negatively impact the organization’s ability to serve clients. The Officers presented their concerns to the SMT, but don’t feel those concerns were taken seriously.

The SMT believes the benefits of expanding services outweigh the risks. The SMT announced its decision to apply for funding during a staff meeting, and met privately with the Grants and Programs Officers to tell them what next steps to take.

During the private meeting, the Grants and Programs Officers tried unsuccessfully to change the SMT’s decision. The SMT emphasized that it had the right and responsibility to make a final decision, and that the Officers had a duty to carry out that decision.

The Grants and Programs Officers remained unconvinced that the SMT’s decision was good for the organization. In the end, they wrote a proposal which satisfied the basic proposal requirements, but was lower in quality than their typical proposals. They also called their partner organization and offered strategies to help the partner strengthen its proposal for the same funding.

The SMT used its positional authority to mandate its decision. Staff compliance, not commitment, was the result. Technically, the Grants and Programs Officers complied with the SMT’s decision – they wrote a proposal that met the basic requirements; but their lack of commitment compromised the proposal quality, and likely undermined the SMT’s goals.

Earning personal authority

Having personal authority with peers, subordinates, superiors and others is the key to being able to influence and lead them – regardless of the position you hold.

So how do you earn personal authority?

• establish trust by showing genuine care and, respect for others and their needs
• establish your credibility by demonstrating knowledge and expertise

 

 

How to establish trust

People are more likely to be influenced by someone they feel genuinely cares about and respects them and their ideas. You can show care and respect in multiple ways – there’s no one-size-fits all approach to this. Taking time to get to know a person will give you insights into how to show care and respect in ways that matter to them.

Importantly, showing care and respect toward someone doesn’t require that you like the person or agree with their ideas.  It does require that you demonstrate a willingness to understand their perspectives and positions, explore the underlying needs that shape their ideas, and show appreciation for constructive feedback they offer.

Tools to use when establishing trust include:

• empathic listening
• reflective and summarizing statements
• open-ended questions
• silence
• collaborative problem-solving
• creating multiple and varied opportunities for others to share their ideas
• time management
• information-sharing
• honesty and transparency around decision-making

The key to establish credibility

People are also more likely to be influenced by someone who they believe has credible knowledge, skills and experience. The best way to build credibility is to deliver consistent, high-quality support and results to the people you want to influence.

Here are a few more strategies:

• Seek out ways to get in front of your target audience and show your knowledge and skills;
• Learn how your target audience assesses credibility (credentials, experience, titles, etc.);
• Highlight the aspects of your knowledge and experience that matter to your audience;
• Ask folks who already have credibility with your target audience to introduce you and talk about what you know and what you can do;
• Add value by offering new ways of thinking about issues and solving problems.

Final thoughts

When it comes to being able to influence people, having positional authority may offer some advantages, but its usefulness is overrated. People won’t commit to your ideas or decisions just because you’re the boss. If you need to influence others, don’t rely on positional authority; instead, invest in establishing personal authority. Personal authority is your strongest and most effective tool for influencing others – and remember, it’s available to everyone.