Teams often operate hierarchically, meaning it can be challenging to influence a decision if you don’t hold any formal authority. This is a challenge many staff+ engineers have toiled with. However, recent layoffs, economic instability, and wider socio-political factors have driven many companies to remove multiple layers of management in a bid to improve efficiency. 

This conversion of managers to individual contributors (ICs) puts many engineers in a position where they don’t have the authority to execute like they used to. Moreover, remaining managers are inheriting more reports, decreasing the quality of support available.

Common challenges of managing without authority

Generating buy-in 

In order to generate buy-in for an initiative, you need people to be willing to dedicate their time, resources, and effort to it because they see its value, importance, or potential benefits. This becomes difficult if you’re not a person in a position of power. 

Whether they work for you or not, people might hesitate to back your idea, fearing it could reflect poorly on their competence if it goes wrong. Demonstrating the importance and positive impact of your initiative is crucial to winning their buy-in.

Maintaining accountability

It is a big challenge to hold a person/people responsible for their part in a project without the leverage of being in an official leadership role. Without actual power within this context, enforcing deadlines or quality standards isn’t sustainable for long periods. Additionally, the absence of hierarchical power might make it difficult to address non-compliance or underperformance effectively, as there may be confusion around who has the authority to address these issues and how they should be dealt with.

Navigating organizational politics

Organizational politics can be tricky for those without authority. It's important to understand and handle these situations carefully, but it can be tough without the power that comes with a formal leadership role. Making mistakes in this area can cause conflicts or stop projects from moving forward. Often people can run into issues with managers having biases against them or not prioritizing visibility for their work. 

When transitioning from a manager to an IC, it's important to understand that the evaluation criteria will be different. The focus will turn to individual contributions and impact rather than supporting team members. This transition may require some ramp-up time to adjust to the new expectations and responsibilities. Additionally, the transition might be perceived as underperformance by others, so it's essential to navigate through this perception to ensure your opinions and suggestions are still valued.

Limited access to resources 

Perhaps the biggest challenge in leading without formal authority is scarce resources. The issue here comes from the fact that you do not have direct control of budgets, people, and critical assets required to make projects successful. The inability to coordinate these facets will impede any initiative, which can delay projects and reduce the effectiveness of a team overall. 

Without the necessary input and support, achieving project goals becomes even more difficult, significantly limiting their effectiveness. In the current climate of financial uncertainty, the competition for resources has intensified. This has created a challenging environment where even individuals with titles may struggle to secure what they need to propel their teams. For someone without a title, vying for resources in this scenario can be particularly daunting.

Strategies for overcoming these leadership hurdles

By employing a combination of strategies engineering leaders without authority can steadily overcome these challenges. 

Communicate effectively 

Open, transparent, and consistent communication is key. Be clear and advocate your ideas/concept by explaining the goals of your initiative to gain acceptance from all parties.

Adapting your communication style to different audiences ensures people receive this message in the best way. For example, I was once part of a team that completed a lot of redundant work. When I mentioned it in meetings, they didn't grasp the seriousness so I created a detailed proposal with data, outlining the impacts and benefits of addressing the issue. This approach caught the attention of the team immediately and was included in a few roadmaps as well. The use of concise problem statements, objectives, and impacts ensures a well-understood message is understood.

Demonstrate expertise and competence

Establish credibility by showcasing your knowledge and skills. Stay informed about your business domain and priorities, and share any valuable insight that could benefit your team. Being a subject matter expert encourages others to listen to your opinions and support your decisions. 

One example I like to use is a colleague I once had who regularly contributed to important meetings by providing valuable suggestions in terms of technical solutions and business problem-solving. Through showing their expertise they became an indispensable resource despite lacking a formal title. Their expertise made them the go-to person for strategic business consultations, securing their place in leadership discussions.

Influencing techniques 

There are several tactics you can use to start to influence the decision-making process. 

• Decision by traffic light: This method involves categorizing options, tools, or action items as green (good to go), yellow (proceed with caution), or red (stop and reconsider). For example, if an engineer is in the process of choosing a project management tool, they could categorize potential options as green if it’s a tool that integrates seamlessly with existing systems, yellow if the option requires some adjustments, and red if it’s a tool that lacks essential features. 
• Tactic rebuttal: Ask people to explain how they arrived at their decisions or actions. It helps you understand their thinking and creates opportunities for civil discourse and greater self-actualization through empathetic engagement and community involvement.
• Network persuasion: Use the authority of experts, groups, and leaders in this network. For example, citing a recommendation from a leading expert or having a design review with a respected voice can help persuade stakeholders to support a new initiative.
• Incentive alignment: Find and endorse solutions that are in the best interest of all parties. Show how the ideas you’re putting forward affect stakeholder lives directly and they’ll most likely agree or understand.
• Empathetic persuasion: Acknowledge and overcome objections by listening to and empathizing with where others are coming from. This builds trust and promotes open discussions. For example, if a team member is resistant to adopting a new technology, discussing their concerns in detail and offering training and support might alleviate their apprehension.
• Escalation: As the last resort and if you have tried all other techniques, an incident should then be escalated to higher levels of leadership so that they receive proper support and visibility.

Playing the politics game  

Knowing the unofficial connections and power relationships within my organization was very important. As a member of the frequently sidelined team in decision-making processes, I struggled with my projects and professional growth. 

To improve, I began by identifying major stakeholders and influencers across departments, asking them about their objectives and issues, and looking for ways to bring value. In my case, I volunteered to help on a cross-department project where one of the teams had been struggling with an issue that I had fixed a while ago. Not only did this help to address an important problem, but it also allowed me to prove myself at scale, building relationships with senior members that could enact impact. It reminded me of the need for good politics – managing relationships in a healthy manner to build partnerships and advance shared interests.

Final thoughts

Leadership without authority is not about power, it's about influence. Engineers should listen, empathize, and guide. All of these examples taught me that if you come from a place of contribution instead of control, it's possible to lead well no matter the circumstances. As a leader or not, we can all inspire others to see beyond the surface.