HOW TO LEAD WHEN YOU AREN'T IN CHARGE
/How to Lead When You Aren’t In Charge
By Lt. James Rotundo
In a profession such as ours, most of us will find that our entire careers will be led entirely by others controlling the puppet strings of what we do. In organizations where egos are the name of the game, the idea of this could drive some of us nuts. Luckily, it doesn’t have to. Even though you don’t have the title of being “in charge,” there are things you can do to lead. Leaders, critical thinkers and doers are more crucial today than ever before.
We tend to think the only ones who can lead are the ones with the rank, or shiny bronze badges, or their own private office in headquarters. While that is partially correct, the truth is every single officer is accountable to someone, even if it’s just to themselves. Let’s not confuse ourselves with the idea that because the ones with rank are required to lead, they do it well.
Let’s start with what bad leaders do. Some may be handicapped with outdated leadership techniques, also known as “that’s how we’ve always done it.” Some might have been very good at their jobs, but once promoted, they lack leadership skills, forcing them to leverage their title and position as a way to get subordinates to do their bidding. Both of these issues breed bad morale and could have you saying to yourself, “If I were in charge, things would be different.” Although the ones in charge would shudder at hearing you make that statement, it’s not exactly a wrong way of looking at things because, in a way, you are in charge.
Great leaders don’t have to be in rank or have that shiny bronze badge or their own private office in headquarters. We all know that officer we were able to look to when we had a question or needed guidance. I would even bet money that officer you are thinking about right now wasn’t the top boss in your department. Great leaders leverage influence, relationships and knowledge to get others to accomplish the task with them. Good leaders motivate others, support others and build others up. As you can see, nowhere in the idea of leadership does it require you to be the head of an organization to accomplish those things.
If you want to lead when you aren’t in charge, you must start by being in charge of yourself. Hold yourself accountable to high standards and goals regardless of outside influences. You can’t lead from the rear if you aren’t leading yourself. These standards and goals should be constant and ever-evolving. You need to have a base in knowledge and experience. Without knowing what you are doing in any given situation, you will do no one any good in leading them through it. You also must be willing to change and adapt.
As much as some “stuck in the past” ranking officers might try and make you believe otherwise, this job is constantly changing. Everything in this job from case laws to procedures to technology is continuously evolving, and that’s how you should be, too. While experience will only come with time and initiative, knowledge can come from several ways. Yes, knowledge has a base in experience as well, but continuing your education is your next best source. Knowledge is also knowing your strengths and weaknesses. I have never seen in any departmental manual where it says you can’t ask your supervisors what you can improve on. We have an inherent issue as humans to not see our weaknesses. In other words, take the time to ask your supervisors and co-workers to constructively criticize you with things you could improve on as well as point out the things they think you do well. No one likes to be told what areas of themselves they are weak in, but this is where you can grow the most as a leader and an officer. By fixing your weaknesses and supporting your strengths, your supervisors will see you as someone willing to take charge, and co-workers will see you as someone whose lead they should follow. This takes courage, but so does leading when you are not in charge; they go hand-in-hand. When you are able to think critically of yourself, you will be able to think critically of others in situations where a leader is needed the most. Compare yourself to who you were yesterday, not who someone else is today, and you will see how far you can go in your career.
Once you think critically of yourself, then you will be able to ask yourself what kind of leader you want to be. Do you want to be the kind of leader who sits in the ivory tower of your department, sending directive after directive on what to do? Or, do you want to be the kind of leader that takes charge by doing the things with your group as an “I would never tell you to do something I wouldn’t do or haven’t done myself.” Your answer to this question is essential. If your answer is the ivory tower-type leadership, then leading from the rear isn’t for you. If your answer is to be an all-inclusive person, then leading without being in charge is the thing that will mold you into the future supervisor you inspire to be. Leading WITH your peers will put you in the prime spot to be seen as a leader throughout your department. I call this leading by example. You don’t have to be the most vocal person in the room, but you do want to be the most driven. It’s not the authority that makes you a leader; it’s the unwavering focus on the tasks at hand that will make others follow.
While these things appear simple, the application may be hard. You may even receive some pushback from your supervisors that you are “overstepping.” The trick is to make sure your organization’s mission is clear to you, and then figure out where you fit in the bigger picture. When you become the person who gets things done, the person who assists and motivates their peers, the person who lifts their coworkers, the person who is experienced and knowledgeable in their job and shores up their weaknesses, I will assure you the pushback will be less and less. Leading when you aren’t in charge isn’t about rocking the boat, it’s about knowing how to lead in places and situations you can, so that when superiors are looking for someone to head a task you are the one they seek to drive it.
Therefore, great leaders leverage influence, relationships, and knowledge to get things done. The influence, relationships, and knowledge you cultivate today will be the leverage you will use when you become the one in the driver’s seat of your department. Supervisors are a dime a dozen, but true leaders are few and far between. Being a leader from the rear is a skill that will pay dividends in your career, so start now.
