
Leading Without Authority
Reflecting on Keith Ferrazzi's book that challenges traditional notions of leadership. Join me as I explore how true leadership isn't defined by title but by actions that foster collaboration and growth.
Leading Without Authority: How the New Power of Co-Elevation Can Break Down Silos, Transform Teams, and Reinvent Collaboration. In the realm of leadership, authority has long been considered the cornerstone of influence. However, Keith Ferrazzi's "Leadership Without Authority" challenges this notion, advocating for a paradigm shift towards collaborative and inclusive leadership styles. As we delve into this thought-provoking concept, we'll explore how effective leadership transcends formal titles, focusing instead on fostering trust, empathy, and shared vision. Join me on a journey to uncover the principles and practices that redefine leadership in today's dynamic business landscape.
It's been a month since I finished Keith Ferrazzi's book, Leadership Without Authority. While wondering whether to write about it or not, here we are...
To my surprise, people who saw the book "Leadership Without Authority" in my hand thought that this book criticized people in leadership positions. While I was wondering whether it was my critical stance in business life or people's pessimism in business life, I came to a conclusion and decided to write about it.
What is leadership without authority?
Keith Ferrazzi's book, which he gifted to the new generation of young and old leaders who are creating a new definition and meaning of leadership together, tells us to focus on the power of rising together as a leader without depending on the authority and bureaucracies of the future.
As someone who has done leadership with and without authority, I will tell you a little about my own experiences..
First of all, manager and leader are very different concepts. A manager, like all other employees in the company, is someone who does what he/she is told and what needs to be done. However, a leader is someone who does what is said and needs to be done, in harmony with their team, creates space for people, causes them to come to work with excitement, and when the person rises, the person rises with their team, not alone. As we already know, the manager has no limits, they are the one who rises on their own as long as they do what they are told correctly.
I am not criticizing managers here, in fact, I am referring to definitions that we are all familiar with. People need to work with managers with leadership spirit especially at the beginning of their careers. "Do the work and don't get involved in the rest" in business life has been the challenge of individuals raised with the "you can do everything" motivation for generations.
"I want to do more than I am told and more than my job."
This approach is received quite critically in business life, I know from myself. If a person's craft, that is, the job they are good at, are clear and their entire craft is not included in the job descriptions of the company they work for, they want to do more as a craftsman. If they can do more, the flowers will bloom in the company they work for; if they cannot, the flowers in their own life will fade. Because as long as a leader pioneers and shares, they feed their soul and become happy.
Why did I witness that the book I mentioned at the beginning of my article, Leadership Without Authority, was thought to be about criticizing leaders?
Because we criticize, we are individuals who criticize. We are individuals who know, read, learn and develop. We are individuals who question as we develop.
The country we live in; political situation, economic difficulties...
The company we work for; the founders, the way of doing business, and the people we think do not work hard enough in the team, even though they earn higher salaries than us...
Our family; psychological difficulties of our parents and the way they raised us...
We question and criticize all of these. We criticize political or corporate administrators and parents who touch our lives, thinking that they are leaders.
As I just mentioned, the position a person holds does not make them a leader, and therefore it does no good to criticize these people as people who lead without authority and do not know their job. Before criticizing, we should question if we see the other person as a leader, that is, a pioneer and a team player.
A leader's position or title does not determine it, their spirit determines it; they are determined by the things they do, not individually, but by believing in the power of rising together. Individuals who are happy when they share have the seed of a leader within them. What needs to be done to take part in areas that will plant this seed and make it flourish is very simple:
Do your best, benefit from experiences!
What you do doesn't have to make an impact, but it does have to be seen. Don't stay in an area where you can't be seen even for a minute longer.
Because the leaders of the future; deserves to be seen and receive the right feedback to improve.
Remember, your flowers should not fade, your flowers should spread in your environment...
“I truly believe that the half-truths that people use every day to protect their fragile egos and positions of power have no place in the radically interdependent and transparent world that is taking shape.” says Keith Ferrazzi.
May we always follow our belief that a transparent world is possible together...