Who is the leader?
Is it someone with a specific title, a handful of direct reports, or just a lot of experience? As organizational hierarchies fade and teams become more wide than they are deep, the need to lead without formal authority is on the rise.
One mistake I see a lot high-potentials making is waiting to lead. Waiting until they have a title, the ability to hire and fire, or a corner office before they start leading.
When Elizabeth Lotardo and I first wrote the LinkedIn Learning course “Leading without Formal Authority” in 2016, the notion was newer, and more abstract. A skillset typically relegated to scrappy startups in the valley. Now, leading without formal authority has become an imperative, even for the largest corporate giants.
Organizational reporting structures are trending wider instead of deeper. In a virtual environment, when everyone is on Zoom, getting engagement and enthusiasm from others in your organization is more challenging, and also more important. In the race to adapt, innovation and courage are required in every single role.