Getting things done requires more than a position. You need respect, and sometimes you need friendship. Sometimes you need to be able to get things done without having the authority to make it happen.
Responsibility without Authority
In almost any environment, workers will find themselves in situations in which they are expected to produce results, even when not all of the factors are under their control. There are several different types of influence you might be able to exercise to get the job done:
- Authority. This is when you have direct hierarchical authority over the other person.
- Assignment. This is the extent to which you can affect the other person’s future work assignments.
- Budget. The extent to which you can authorize (or get authorization for) discretionary expenditures.
- Promotion. The control or input you might have into the other person’s potential promotions in the workplace.
- Compensation. Your influence into the other person’s pay or benefits.
- Penalty. Your ability to cause the other person to be punished.
- Challenging work. Your ability to involve the other person in work perceived to be challenging or interesting.
- Expertise. Special expertise that you have that makes you attractive to work with.
- Friendship. Personal relations between you and the other person.
When H. J. Thamhain and D. L. Wilemon1 investigated how effective these different methods were, they found that coercive methods (such as authority, assignment, compensation, or penalty) were much less effective than methods such as providing opportunities to learn through challenging, interesting work with people with a special expertise.
One thing to take away from this is that you don’t need hierarchical authority to get things done. Engage people on a level other than the strictly hierarchical, and you may even get better results.
Reciprocity is the understanding that when you do something for someone else, they “owe” you something of similar value. Usually, this is not stated quite so baldly in day-to-day interactions. (Sometimes it is, as when someone “calls in a favor.”) Most of the time, people like to work in an environment where when they provide a useful service, the other person will eventually feel obligated to provide a service of similar value.
Note 80/20 rule: 80% of the work is done by 20% of the people.
Corollary to the 80/20 rule: If you don’t know who the 20% are, you are one of the 80%.
No influencing tactic will work unless the other person feels that they are getting some value from providing the service. It could be something concrete, in the form of an immediate tradeoff. It could be a feeling of worth and accomplishment from contributing to a larger success. Or it could be an obligation that can be called in later. (“I’ll owe you one.”)
When you develop a good working relationship with someone, it is full of little day-to-day reciprocities of different types. Eventually, you develop a trust relationship where you help each other out without even thinking about it or “keeping score,” because you know that the other person is “good for it.”
Everyone Is a Potential Ally
When you run up against someone who is in your way, it is natural to think of that person as an adversary. If you turn it around and think of them as a potential ally, things change.
If you think of someone as an adversary, you lock down and become defensive. Rather than looking for ways to convince the other person to help you, you are more likely to try to use coercive means to get what you want.
Over the long haul, coercion does not work.
What Is It That You Want, Anyway?
An important part of getting what you need is to identify what your own needs and wants are. Which of those are actually necessary? And which of them are merely nice-to-haves? What is your bottom line?
Now, think about what the other person needs or wants. If you can provide them something of value, you are part of the way to setting up a relationship of reciprocity with them.
In IT, a lot of the things that we need are things that we will need again tomorrow, and the day after that. It is in your best interest to find a way to build a reciprocal relationship of trust with the other person.
What Do I Have to Trade?
There are a lot of different types of currencies that you may have access to when trying to build a reciprocal relationship:
- Inspiration. Don’t underestimate the power of motivating someone to help you because it is the right thing to do. Explain why it is good for the organization, why it is the right thing to do, or why this task gives them a chance to demonstrate excellence.
- Resources. Perhaps your project has budget resources that can be assigned. Or maybe you have access to equipment, expertise, or space that the other person would find useful.
- Learning opportunities. Technology people value the chance to learn a new skill above almost everything else.
- Faster response. Can you arrange for something to be expedited for the other person?
- Information. Can you provide the other person with needed information?
- Recognition. It costs nothing to send an email to the person’s boss explaining what an awesome job he or she did.
- Visibility. Is this something that management is watching?
- Contacts. Can the task lead to valued contacts with other people?
- Team membership. Perhaps the task is a way to become part of a successful team.
- Relationship. Don’t underestimate the power of personal connections.
- Ownership. Can the other person be provided ownership of an important facility?
There also are negative currencies, many of which are withholding something from the above list. Wherever possible, lean to the positive.
The value of each of these currencies may be different from person to person. Try to select a currency that works for the person you are dealing with. Just because one particular currency is more valuable to you, that doesn’t mean that the other person feels the same way.
Sometimes the key to getting things done is just not to give up.
Sometimes you will have to retrench or take a different tack to get where you need to go. Stay pleasant. Stay professional. Organize the facts, and make sure that the facts are on your side.
People will rethink their assumptions if you can approach things the right way. Sometimes you are turned down because it is easier to say no. Make it easier to say yes.
You may need to lobby decision makers one-on-one to get forward motion. When you do, present your case in a way that makes it easier for them to agree with you.
- Find the places where you agree. This may require some research on your part, but there are interests that the other person has that will be best served by moving forward.
- Work past personality conflicts. You may have a personality conflict with the other person, but don’t let it become a contest. Everyone is best served by solving the problem. Make that your focus.
- Think about areas where you can be flexible. Demonstrating flexibility on noncore issues can make it easier for the other person to be flexible where it matters most for you.
- Make sure you are talking to the decision maker. If the other person is just reflecting a decision made by someone else, you need to find a way to speak with the decision maker.
- Use an appropriate communication style. Different people react differently to different communication styles. This can include things such as the mode of communication (email? phone? personal contact?) as well as the tone and the types and presentation of evidence that will be most convincing.
- Which people are effective at implementing changes within the environment? Can you emulate their approach? Or can you lobby some of them to help you?
- Work out issues person-to-person. When an issue is getting in the way, it is frequently more effective to negotiate a resolution one-on-one.
- Hunt the other person down. If you aren’t getting a response, you may need to stake out someone’s office or look for them in the break room. If it is important, find a way to have the conversation.
- Lobby the people around the decision maker. If you can win some of the decision-maker’s allies to your point of view, it will make a difference.
If success was easy, everyone would be successful. If you want to be known as the manager who gets things done, be tenacious.
Managing Upward
When you are younger, it seems self-evident that people higher on the organizational chart have more freedom to make decisions. As you become more experienced, you start to see that everyone is constrained, just in different ways.
Part of being an effective manager is your ability to influence changes in a way that will benefit the overall organization. Sometimes you have a clearer view of the situation than someone higher in the organization, and you need to find a way to make a positive change take place.
Frequently you can make requests at the time that you and your manager set your goals. You can use that opportunity to adjust your boss’s expectations if you can present a better alternative. You can also use that opportunity to explain to your boss what you need to achieve the goals being set for you.
Identify What You Need
Before making a request (especially a controversial request) of management, make sure you understand what you actually need.
- Resources. This can be something such as money, staff time, access to an expert, etc.
- Authority. Usually the authorization from upper management to make a key decision.
- Influence. This may be a request to weigh in on your behalf on a decision being made by someone else.
- Advice or information. Sometimes you need more information to make sure what you are doing is aligned with the organization’s goals.
Try to understand what your core requirements are before you make your request. That way you will have room to negotiate and maybe bring up a new approach to achieve your end goal. Keep in mind that your ultimate goal is to move the organization forward, and that what you are requesting is just a means to that end.
Find an Approach
The first step is to identify who has the power to make the decision you need made. Then decide what type of approaches might be successful.
What is the decision-maker’s perspective? Try to think through the priorities and viewpoints that might be relevant to the decision you need made.
Are there people that the decision maker trusts and respects? You may be able to ask them for help. This is not deceptive or manipulative. Keep in mind that your motivation is what is best for the organization. The decision-maker’s allies may be able to provide some insight about how best to pitch your proposal, and what priorities should be emphasized. They also may help you tweak your proposal to make it more likely to succeed.
If the decision maker is a group, tackle the people in that group. Figure out what motivates them and what concerns they are likely to raise. Most concerns and objections to your proposal are entirely predictable; make sure that you have answers that will resonate with the people in the group.
Sometimes you may need to divide your proposal into pieces to make each part more palatable, or to make the parts fit into the organizational structure better. If you do that, make sure the parts will be able to stand on their own as well as part of a larger proposal.
Some common approaches are
- Direct approach. Ask the decision maker directly for what you need.
- Conversation. If you and someone else are competing for a resource or have incompatible ideas about how to proceed that you can’t resolve, ask the decision maker to meet with the two of you to negotiate a resolution.
- Use influence. You can use your influence to have other people express support for your proposal or even propose it directly themselves.
- Group meeting. Group meetings can be unpredictable. Try to get a line on the views of the other people in the meeting, including objections they might raise. The better you prepare, the more likely you will be successful.
You might have to mix and match these approaches. And you might be turned down and need to recast your proposal in a way that is more likely to be successful. Frequently a rejection will include information that you were not aware of. Sometimes this information will make you rethink your proposal or come up with a way to deal with the new information.
However things work out, make sure to ask yourself honestly what your motivations are. As long as you are working for the best interest of the organization, keep looking for a way to help the organization improve.
Treat other people right. When people come to you for help with a proposal that has merit, see if you can help them.
Shield your subordinates from unreasonable requests, but make sure that your team is doing everything it can to improve the organization’s position in the competitive landscape.
Encourage your subordinates and peers. Celebrate their accomplishments. Just like you want to be recognized for your good work, make sure to recognize the people around you.
Stay positive. When there are problems, be the person who looks for a solution. Technical people love to solve puzzles. The world is full of puzzles; enjoy them.
Communicate. Make sure that people around you know what you are doing, and why you are doing it. Make them aware of what you will need from them in advance, and ask them what they will need from you going forward.
Summary
You will frequently face situations where you are responsible, but where you do not directly control the resources needed to succeed. Part of being an effective leader is being able to work with other people in the environment to accomplish your goals.
Discussion Questions
- Is there someone who is effective in your environment? Which tactics does this person use to engage other people?
- Which resources do you need that you do not control? Who controls those resources? What will be the most effective way to approach that person?
Further Reading
Berkun, Scott. Making Things Happen. Sebastopol, CA: O’Reilly, 2008.
Cohen, Allan R., and David L. Bradford. Influence without Authority, 2nd ed. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley, 2005.
Harvard Business Essentials. Manager’s Toolkit. Boston, MA: Harvard Business School Press, 2004.
Schwalbe, Kathy. Information Technology Project Management. Boston, MA: Thompson, 2006.
Watkins, Michael. The First 90 Days. Boston, MA: Harvard Business School Press, 2003.
1Kathy Schwalbe, Information Technology Project Management. Boston, MA: Thompson, 2006.