How to Manage Work Without Authority
Didn’t you always hate your bully brother or teacher or anyone who abused power and made you do things without giving you any reasons,
because they “said so”, because you weren’t allowed to question? You hate their guts. You hate them for not respecting you enough, for treating you like their slave. You will always resent them. Intimidation works, but at what cost? It’s always better to get work done without authority. Here’s how to go about it:
Respect
Now consider the teacher who told you why you should not tease others, and how hurtful it is for them. The one who didn’t tell you to hold your ears and stand on the bench. She gave you an opportunity to better yourself and trusted you to not repeat your mistake. She said it so nicely that the next time your monkey mind started acting up, you thought of the respect and trust she entrusted in you and kept away from your antics. That’s what a great manager should do.
Involve
Not everyone in a team thinks or reacts in the same way. Some people need motivation, some need coaxing, some need a little pushing and some need a guiding hand. The key is to understand everyone and not try and force your ideas on them. As much as possible, try and take everyone on board with you. Try and involve every team member into the decision making process, and make them feel wanted. They should feel they are contributing to the bigger goal. Once they feel that way, their commitment and interest towards the project will inevitably rise.
Care
Genuinely care for your employees and their issues. If someone has a grouse, listen to them patiently and offer solutions. Don’t brush it off as “trivial”. If some employee has bungled in some way, take the blame on your shoulders. Also, do not take credit when you haven’t really done squat. Give it where it is due. If it’s a team mate’s idea to use digital medium to get more customers, acknowledge that and appreciate the person who came up with it. This will give you credibility, and people will do what you say without any questions.
Appreciate
If an employee has done a stellar job, make sure you throw a party in his or her honour and draw attention to their contribution. Not only will this make the employee happier and strive even harder, it will also inspire others to raise the bar. It’s like getting merit certificates in school if you scored above 75% in a particular subject. It made you keep up the good work and it made the others competitive, in a good way.
Getting work done without authority is fairly simple. Of course you will come across stubborn people who will never listen to you no matter what. You can always fire them. But there are others who will look up to you and respect you if you use your authority sparingly. Work towards building a solid team that will have your back. It’s really a give and take relationship. You will get what you give.