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Blink 3 of 8 - The 5 AM Club
by Robin Sharma
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Leading Without Authority summary
Keith Ferrazzi with Noel Weyrich
How the New Power of Co-Elevation Can Break Down Silos, Transform Teams, and Reinvent Collaboration
19 mins
Brief summary
'Leading Without Authority' by Keith Ferrazzi with Noel Weyrich is a guide for building collaborative relationships, creating trust and influence, and leading people even if you have no formal authority.
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Leading Without Authority
Summary of 7 key ideas
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Key idea 1 of 7
Exercising your authority isn’t going to help you achieve all your goals.
How can you achieve your goals in the workplace? You might assume that the more authority you have, the easier it will be. If you’re a manager, say, then you have a team of people at your disposal to do exactly what you tell them to do. But in reality, it’s not as simple as all that. In today’s workplace, you should look beyond your official team if you want to make an impact in your organization.
The key message here is: Exercising your authority isn’t going to help you achieve all your goals.
Picture a scenario in which a Human Resources Director is tasked with introducing a new bonus pay system across her organization. The Director instructs her HR team to implement the new system, but before long, she encounters a problem: the Sales Director doesn’t like the idea, and has decided to set up his own independent bonus pay program for his department. So even though the HR director has effective control over her own team, she still cannot achieve her goal of a company-wide rollout.
If you were in the HR Director’s difficult position, your instinctive response might be to go to your own boss and complain that you don’t have enough control over the situation to achieve your objective. After all, you have no authority over the sales team. You cannot tell the Sales Director what to do, and without his cooperation, you cannot implement the new bonus system.
Often, the people who can help you get what you want are beyond your direct control. So how should you respond when you find yourself in a situation like the one facing our beleaguered HR Director? Well, instead of seeking to control more people or resources, you’ll need to focus on building authentic and mutually beneficial relationships with the coworkers whose cooperation you need. In the case of our HR Director, she’ll need to start treating the Sales Director as a friend, rather than as an adversary who can be bested. The two Directors need to sit down with one another to explore why their conflict has arisen, and how the bonus program can be implemented in a way that works for the sales team as well as the HR team.
In the following blinks, you’ll see how you can develop these mutually beneficial relationships so that you can begin to lead change, even when you don’t have authority.
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What is Leading Without Authority about?
Leading without Authority (2020) explores how non-managerial employees can drive change and influence their coworkers. These blinks outline simple techniques for making a big impact in the workplace, regardless of your official title.
Leading Without Authority Review
Leading Without Authority (2020) by Keith Ferrazzi with Noel Weyrich is an insightful guide on how to effectively lead and influence others, regardless of one's formal position. Here's why this book is worth reading:
- Packed with actionable strategies, it equips readers with practical tools to navigate complex relationships and collaborate effectively.
- By combining personal experiences with real-world examples, the book offers valuable insights into building trust, fostering collaboration, and achieving success.
- Through its engaging storytelling and practical advice, the book manages to make leadership concepts accessible and interesting, taking the reader on a journey of self-discovery.
Best quote from Leading Without Authority
If your interactions are ruled by generosity, your rewards will follow suit.
—Keith Ferrazzi with Noel Weyrich
Who should read Leading Without Authority?
- Employees looking for their next promotion
- Managers seeking fresh insights
- Executive coaches wanting a new perspective
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Leading Without Authority FAQs
What is the main message of Leading Without Authority?
The main message of Leading Without Authority is that anyone can be a leader, regardless of their formal role or position.
How long does it take to read Leading Without Authority?
The reading time for Leading Without Authority varies, but it typically takes several hours. The Blinkist summary can be read in just 15 minutes.
Is Leading Without Authority a good book? Is it worth reading?
Leading Without Authority is worth reading as it provides valuable insights on how to lead effectively in today's collaborative work environments.
Who is the author of Leading Without Authority?
Keith Ferrazzi with Noel Weyrich are the authors of Leading Without Authority.
What to read after Leading Without Authority?
If you're wondering what to read next after Leading Without Authority, here are some recommendations we suggest:
- Radical Collaboration by James W. Tamm and Ronald J. Luyet
- Impact Players by Liz Wiseman
- Trust and Inspire by Stephen M.R. Covey
- The Leader's Guide to Unconscious Bias by Pamela Fuller & Mark Murphy with Anne Chow
- Equity by Minal Bopaiah
- Team of Teams by General Stanley McChrystal with Tantum Collins
- New to Big by David Kidder
- The Power of a Positive Team by Jon Gordon
- Mastering Communication at Work by Ethan F. Becker and Jon Wortmann
- Atomic Habits by James Clear