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What Type Of Leader Are You?
Recently, I was working with an organization to help them put together a strategic planning process. While the formal leader called the meeting and set the agenda, it was the informal leader that had the greatest influence on the direction of the planning process. Everyone on the team paid lip service to the formal leader and agreed with and took action on the thoughts and ideas of the informal leader.
So, what is the difference between a formal and informal leader? Read below for my distinction.
Formal Leader:
- Has a leadership title, i.e., supervisor, manager, director, executive, president, CEO, etc.
- Has power, authority or responsibility over an area of an organization
- May or may not be able to influence without use of power
Informal Leader:
- Has influence over others without formal title and power
- Co-workers and formal leaders may seek out advice of this person before making decisions
- Others agree often and take action based on this person's ideas and thoughts
Why is it important to be aware of these two different leaders? If you are a leader of anything, i.e., a project, department or area, you are continually needing to direct others in change and knowing how to create and communicate change is vital to your success. If you are the formal leader, it is helpful for you to recognize and work effectively with those that have great influence on others like the informal leader so that the change initiatives are more successful.
So, which one are you? By reviewing the characteristics above, you may begin to see which type of leader you are, or you may have a leader title in one area, and be an informal leader in another area. There is not always a clear-cut distinction between these two types of leadership. So what can you do if you discover you are the formal leader who does not have as much impact on your team as the informal leader? Read below for a few tips and strategies to use in regaining your influence with your team.
- Check your ego. Sometimes we can let our ego get in the way of working with someone that has more influence on others than ourselves. The minute you feel the need to stop or control the informal leader is the moment you have lost control. By exerting too much control, you will find yourself in a power struggle with the informal leader which will then quickly reduce your influence on the team. Instead...
- Find a way to work with the informal leader by giving them the power to share their expertise, communicate their thoughts openly and let them lead when possible. Right about now you may be thinking that you will appear weak if you let the informal leader continue to influence others. Contrarily, the more power you exert, the weaker you are perceived as a leader. If you can find a way to help that informal leader grow into a formal leader, you notice the loyal followers of the informal leader quickly become loyal to you.
- Observe the informal leader. Become curious about the thoughts and behaviors of the informal leader so that you may begin duplicating those behaviors that are most effective. Remember that a lot of the informal leader's influence may come from the technical experience or competency they bring to the team and you may be new as a formal leader. It is okay that you do not have the same technical experience. Do not compete in this area. Your job as the formal leader is to bring out the gifts in your staff and to find a way to use those gifts to better the team.
- Focus on the attributes of all successful leaders. When you concentrate your efforts on creating a vision of where you want to go as a company or department, sharing and communicating that vision consistently and developing your team's strengths towards the vision, you will find your level of influence increasing exponentially regardless of the informal leaders' influence.
Question for You:
Are you a formal leader that would like to learn how to influence others as effectively as the informal leader?
Action for You:
Begin by checking your ego at the door and embracing the informal leader's ability to influence others. Resist exerting control over them and focus on what makes all leader's effective. Setting a common direction, communicating that direction consistently and developing the talent of your team towards that vision.
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