May Busch* discusses the plight of the middle manager feeling squeezed from both above and below, and says they often have more power than they realise.
It’s easy to feel trapped and powerless at work when things are changing all around you and there’s uncertainty about what’s going to happen next.
This is especially so when you’re senior enough to lead a team, but not so senior that you run things.
There’s the pressure from top management to produce more results while your overworked team is asking for more time off.
It’s tough when you’re feeling squeezed by pressure from all sides, but while you don’t yet have the power to dictate policy, you’re not as powerless as you may feel.
I learned this from Kevin Corley, Professor of Management at Arizona State University.
He spoke to the Leadership Academy I co-lead about power, influence and how to ‘manage up’ at work.
Here are my three biggest takeaways from his talk: Reach out to others; reclaim your power, and use your influence
Feeling powerless is often accompanied by feeling isolated — like a cog in a machine without a say in what happens.
However, as the saying goes, there’s strength in numbers.
So in those dark moments when it feels like you can’t effect change no matter what you do, Professor Corley suggests you ask yourself two questions.
First, what is my goal, the thing I’m trying to achieve?
Perhaps it’s getting more resources to support your under-staffed team.
Or maybe it’s permission to go about your work in a different way, whether that’s working remotely a few days a week or streamlining an outdated process.
Once you’ve identified your goal, the second question is: Who can help?
Here, it’s important to think broadly. Who are the decision-makers? Who are the people who influence them?
You might even start with peers who may be facing the same struggles as you, to brainstorm possible solutions.
This leads to recognising your power.
According to Professor Corley, power is the “capacity or potential to influence others”.
It’s not an ability, or something that you have to acquire, or a trait that only some people have.
In fact, we all have the potential to influence others. When you feel powerless, it’s most likely because you haven’t recognised the power you have.
The source of your power comes from dependencies. If someone depends on you, you have the potential to influence them.
For example, if your manager relies on you and your team to produce certain analyses or develop relationships with external clients, that dependency gives you the capacity to influence him or her.
As long as you’re operating in a system with other people, those (inter)dependencies will give you power.
So when you feel powerless, remind yourself to take a moment to recognise where your power comes from so you can tap into it and reclaim it.
This fits neatly into using your influence.
Professor Corley says the most effective way to influence others is for them to see your position as a means for satisfying their needs.
In other words, get your boss, colleagues and senior managers to see that your interests are aligned, that you can help them do what they want to do.
This starts with thinking at a strategic level. Reframe and expand the way you think about what you do into a broader context.
How does the work you do fit into the system? How can you influence the system?
Let’s say you’re leading a sales initiative that’s making a push into a new client base, but you’re losing business because the Legal Department insists on more stringent documentation than your competitors.
Thinking of yourself as a single team leader up against the highly respected Legal Department will leave you feeling powerless to make any change.
However, when you think about your role from a strategic perspective, it’s easier to see the possibilities for influencing.
Reframing your work as part of the organisation’s strategic push to broaden its client base opens up possibilities for influencing outcomes.
It could be to get your boss to advocate for a fresh look at what the documentation could be for this new market.
Or partnering with your colleagues in the Legal Department to find a way to help the organisation be successful in the new market while also protecting its legal position.
What surprised me most was when Professor. Corley observed that it’s easier to influence upwards than downwards.
Influencing down generally involves you trying to get a junior person to do something they don’t really want to do. That’s challenging.
When you’re influencing up in the context of your work, you’re far more likely to be in alignment with what senior managers want to do.
That makes it easier to succeed in influencing your bosses.
Don’t make the mistake of thinking that power comes from position alone.
Simply because someone is at the top of an organisation doesn’t mean they can have their way all the time.
There are always stakeholders and constituencies to consider.
So, even people who can order others to do things are better off not using that ‘command and control’ mechanism too often.
It wears thin and people don’t like being ordered around.
The very best leaders don’t swan around telling people what to do.
They hire talented people, establish the vision and values, and foster an environment where team members can perform at their best.
In other words, knowing how to influence people is useful no matter how senior or junior you are.
It’s up to you to tap into your power and influence.
*May Busch works with smart entrepreneurs and top managements to build their businesses. She can be contacted at [email protected].
This article first appeared at maybusch.com.
