This week’s entry is inspired by a conversation I had with a colleague about leadership.  Her hypothesis is that the true test of leadership is how well you can influence without authority, which is something that all of us are doing on a daily basis. It’s one thing to lead a group of people when you are the clear authority figure, but it is an entirely different animal to lead a group where you don’t have that authority.  This hypothesis got me thinking about the movie The Avengers.  If you haven’t seen The Avengers, don’t tell me because I will lose respect for you.  In all seriousness, it’s a great case study in influencing without authority.

Think about it.  Nick Fury (super spy extraordinaire) assembles a team of some of the most powerful beings in the universe including the Hulk (strongest there is) and Thor (a thunder god) to stop a bad guy.  This should be easy, right?  It’s not easy though.  Each superhero is a powerful individual with a different background, approaching everything from their unique perspective.  They don’t know or trust each other.  There are no clear expectations, sources of authority, or defined goals.   All of these issues cause them to spend the first 2/3 of the film getting duped and getting their butt kicked, because they waste time jockeying for power amongst each other.  It takes a tragic turn of events to get the team focused on a singular goal- saving the world!  Only then are they able to come together as a team, defeat evil, and save the world from yet another egotistical madman.

Now think about the teams we are on at work.  We can make the argument that we are a lot like the Avengers.  We are a collection of individual superheroes used to doing things our own way, all pulled together to accomplish some important task.  This is the true test of leading without authority.  In my experience, if we spend the time in the beginning with the team getting crystal clear on expectations, roles, and what success looks like, then we go on to accomplish great things.  If we don’t spend the time doing this, the wheels fall off.  (Side note, I’d also argue that the same skills that enable a person to lead without authority makes them an even better leader when they have authority.)

How will you lead your fellow Avengers?

Have a jolly good day,

Andrew Embry