It’s the age-old dichotomy — leadership from a position of authority or leadership from a position of influence? In my 40 years on Young Life staff, it always feels better, clearer, and cleaner to lead when I have the position of authority, but I’ve learned the hard way that leading with authority is far more complicated and conflictual than I ever imagined.
When I began leading globally, I learned very quickly which cultures embraced me in my new leadership position and which were always ready for a fight. Positional authority has a few advantages and a whole host of complexities, especially when the leadership position comes from a culture widely perceived as a more dominant, U.S., money, “my way or the highway”-type culture.
When you don’t have positional authority, it can be tricky to know how to lead with influence. Influencers almost always want to lead with authority!
A conundrum to say the least.
Jesus had all the authority anyone on earth could ever have, but chose to lead with all the innate limitations incumbent upon leading with influence. That’s correct — Jesus chose to lead with influence.
At any time, he could have called down a whole legion of angels to smite the Romans and climbed down off the cross. He had the power and the authority, but chose not to employ this option. In the incarnation of God in the flesh, Jesus chose the limitations of humanity. It’s no wonder humility is one of the most profound characteristics of a disciple of Jesus. If we understand the divinity of Christ, we don’t need a whole list of scriptures to back up this point, even a cursory look at the life of Jesus shouts of his humble leadership of influence.
Why influence over authority? Simply put, it’s a better way.
Here are just a few suggestions to ponder when it comes to leading with influence:
- Relationships matter most. Take the time to build a true friendship among those you work with. Spend time in their homes, get to know their family, share a meal together.
- Don’t use influence leadership as an excuse for lack of leadership engagement. I hear all the time: “I don’t have the authority….” If we’re not careful, that’s getting close to an excuse for why your leadership is not being taken seriously.
- Walk your talk with joy and courage. We don’t see Jesus sitting around waiting for people to invite him in. He’s out beating the streets, meeting people … sounds a little like good contact work, right?
- Be super proactive — you take the initiative. This could not be more important. Engage, pick up the phone, get on a plane. There’s a fine line between being a pain in the neck, and someone who’s passionate about what they’re engaged in, and wanting others to join in too. If you’re worried about going too far, it probably means you haven’t gone far enough. Be OK with being a little “pesty.”
- Money (resources) talks. If you’re passionate about your area of leadership responsibility, raise the fiscal resources to help alleviate the burden for others to join your movement. It’s almost impossible to try and influence someone else to join you if it’s going to cost them extra money. Raise matching money, seed money, start-up capital.
- Make friends with “no.” Since we’re all people under authority, we need to be OK with our leaders, our authorities, telling us “no.” It doesn’t mean we have to like it, but it’s part of the journey together.
Of course, for those who have positions of authority this produces a unique challenge. How do you lead with influence when you have the position of authority? This is one of the great artistic challenges of leadership, and can only be done with great self-awareness, courage, a robust willingness to fail, and of course … humility.
When you have the authority, do your humble best to lead with influence regardless. Truth is, it takes more work to lead with influence. Better leaders put in the relational work.
OK, we’re clearly just scratching the surface of this conversation. The bottom line is: live out your calling and the opportunity that is in front of you. Jesus did!
