Influence Without Authority: A Core Leadership Capability
- Tamar Balkin
- 11 minutes ago
- 5 min read
“I'm gonna make it a brighter place, (With my own)
I'm gonna make it a safer place, (With my own)
I'm gonna help the human race, (With my own)...
But you got to use, use your own two hands
Use your own, use your own two hands"
With My Own Two Hands by Ben Harper (Click here for the song)
“There’s a whole segment of unhappy customers, we have stopped meeting their needs, and the leadership aren’t interested. How do I convince them to really listen and learn?”
Coaching client
In today’s matrixed and networked organisations, influence is not limited to those in formal leadership roles. Leaders at all levels are expected to drive results, foster collaboration, and initiate change—often without direct authority. The ability to influence others, especially peers and superiors, is therefore a critical skill for modern leadership.
"Managing up" refers to the process of developing a productive working relationship with more senior leaders. It involves understanding their priorities, pressures, and preferred communication styles, and responding in a way that supports both the manager’s goals and organisational outcomes. Researchers have found that this capability requires self-awareness, situational judgment, and a proactive orientation.
Managing up is not about manipulation; rather, it is about aligning with leadership expectations while remaining effective in one’s role.
Why Do Leaders Need to Influence?
Researchers have found that people seek influence for reasons such as career advancement, improving team performance, and driving change.
These goals typically fall into two categories:
Personal - gaining recognition, better assignments, career progression
Organisational - improving systems, coordinating teams, initiating change.
In addition, researchers have identified five key reasons employees influence peers outside their reporting lines:
Securing assistance - Getting help with tasks beyond formal roles
Encouraging accountability - Motivating peers to meet their responsibilities
Gaining personal benefit - Seeking advancement or new opportunities
Driving change - Introducing new ideas, processes, or systems
Improving performance - Helping others increase effectiveness.
Regular readers would know that influence is not just tactical -it's a strategic tool for achieving broader goals.
How Do Leaders Influence Without Authority?
Influence without authority involves more than persuasion. Effective influencers use a combination of logical reasoning, emotional intelligence, and relationship capital to gain support.
Common tactics include:
Rational persuasion: Using evidence, logic, or expertise to support a recommendation
Inspirational appeal: Connecting ideas to broader organisational values or mission
Consultation: Involving stakeholders in shaping the approach to increase buy-in
Coalition-building: Forming alliances to strengthen support for an idea.
Researchers have found that trust, credibility, and relationship quality are the core enablers of influence.
Adapting Tactics to Situational Cues
Leadership style plays a significant role in how people choose to influence. Research shows that authoritarian managers are more likely to elicit non-rational tactics such as upward appeal or ingratiation, while participative managers tend to be influenced through rational persuasion. In addition, researchers have found that employees interpret signals from their environment—especially from managers—to determine which behaviours are acceptable or effective. Over time, they adapt their behaviour to align with these perceived norms.
“Proactive employees, “[self]-initiate situations and create favourable conditions. This is in contrast to a more passive, reactive pattern of behaviour.”
(p.436-437: Crant, 2000).
Recent research has introduced the concept of Managing Your Boss, (MYB), which is comprised of two components:
Future-focused—it involves planning and acting in advance based on what might happen. In this context, managing your boss (MYB) includes employees taking the initiative to understand their manager’s goals, needs, and work style. By doing so, employees can anticipate their manager’s plans, challenges, and preferences, and adjust their actions accordingly to better align with expectations.
Change-oriented—it aims to improve or adjust oneself, others, or the situation. The adapting aspect of MYB builds on understanding and involves employees shifting their priorities or communication style to better fit their manager’s preferences.
These two aspects—understanding and adapting—are central to proactive efforts in managing up effectively. The researchers concluded that MYB also serves to empower employees to take the initiative for managing their relationship with their managers.
What skills do leaders need?
Modern leadership requires a balance of credibility, connection, and clarity.
Researchers have identified four practices that enhance influence:
Organisational Intelligence: An understanding of both formal and informal power structures enables leaders to act ethically, with strategic intent and heightened awareness of the interpersonal dynamics within the organisation.
Authentic Team and Self-Promotion: Communicate the contributions of both the leader and their teams in a way that builds pride, trust, and alignment, without appearing self-serving.
Building Trust: Influential leaders earn both personal and professional trust by balancing empathy with accountability, and urgency with patience.
Leveraging Networks: Influence is amplified through strong, diverse networks. Leaders who build and maintain connections with all key stakeholders are better positioned to gain support and accelerate outcomes.
“Our ability to persuade is based on two factors: how people make decisions, and what we do to influence those decisions.”
Russell Granger
Emotional Triggers and Ethical Influence
Effective influence also draws on an understanding of human motivation. Organisational psychologists have found that three types of influence appeals are particularly effective:
Logical appeals (Head) – Focusing on data, rationale, and outcomes
Emotional appeals (Heart) – Connecting to personal values or shared purpose
Cooperative appeals (Hands) – Engaging others through collaboration and consultation
When these approaches are used ethically and authentically, they create momentum, trust, and alignment—even in the absence of authority.
Practical Steps:
Researchers have identified the following approach to influencing without authority:
Engage and Ask – Begin with curiosity. Ask questions to understand what motivates others.
Connect and Align – Identify shared goals and interests to build a connection.
Legitimise Your Leadership – Establish credibility without relying on formal authority.
Activate Hope – Highlight outcomes that matter to others and give them a compelling reason to support your initiative.
“An organisation is composed of superiors and subordinates, each of whom can influence the other; for the proper and effective functioning of the organisation, a kind of harmony and sound relationship between the two is needed.”
Ansari & Kapoor (1987)
Final Thoughts
The most effective leaders don’t rely solely on their position; they always remember that the goal is to inspire, not to manipulate.
Leaders influence through relationships, credibility, and alignment with shared purpose, skills that are increasingly vital in today’s collaborative, cross-functional environments.
As always, please email me if you or anyone in your network would benefit from coaching.
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References:
Ansari, M. A., & Kapoor, A. (1987). Organizational context and upward influence tactics. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 40(1), 39–49. https://doi.org/10.1016/0749-5978(87)90004-5
Barbuto, J. E., & Moss, J. A. (2006). Dispositional effects in intra-organizational influence tactics: A meta-analytic review. Journal of Leadership & Organizational Studies, 12(3), 30–48. https://doi.org/10.1177/107179190601200303
Barbuto, J. E., & Scholl, R. W. (1999). Leaders’ motivation and influence tactics. Journal of Leadership Studies, 5(3), 3–11. https://doi.org/10.1177/107179199900500301
Cheng, J. L. C. (1983). Organizational context and upward influence tactics: An empirical study of managers in ten Chinese organizations. Organizational Behavior and Human Performance, 32(2), 250–271. https://doi.org/10.1016/0030-5073(83)90150-8
Gajendran, R. S., Mistry, S., & Tangirala, S. (2022). Managing your boss (MYB) as a proactive followership behavior: Construct validation and theory development. Personnel Psychology, 77(2). https://doi.org/10.1111/peps.12545
Granger, R. P. (2021). Influencing without authority: A four-part formula. Wharton Executive Education. https://executiveeducation.wharton.upenn.edu/thought-leadership/wharton-at-work/2021/05/influencing-without-authority/
Hallenbeck, G. (2023). 4 keys to strengthen your ability to influence others. Center for Creative Leadership. https://www.ccl.org/articles/leading-effectively-articles/4-keys-strengthen-ability-influence-others/
Kipnis, D., Schmidt, S. M., & Wilkinson, I. (1980). Intraorganizational influence tactics: Explorations in getting one's way. Journal of Applied Psychology, 65(4), 440–452. https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.65.4.440
Schmidt, S. M., & Kipnis, D. (1984). Managerial strategies for dealing with upward influence attempts. Organizational Behavior and Human Performance, 33(1), 133–150. https://doi.org/10.1016/0030-5073(84)90019-4
Yukl, G., & Falbe, C. M. (1990). Influence tactics and objectives in upward, downward, and lateral influence attempts. Journal of Applied Psychology, 75(2), 132–140. https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.75.2.132
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