Informal leadership means managing without the classic leadership tools that disciplinary superiors can fall back on. By means of the following seven steps, you can lead without a superior function in every situation confidently and efficiently:
1. Winning trust
The starting point of your role as a leader in a temporary context is to convince your colleagues. Invest time in interpersonal relations and inspire them with your professional qualifications.
2 : Arouse personal responsibility
Use questioning techniques to encourage team members to think for themselves. By asking open-ended questions, you entice your colleagues to engage with a relevant challenge and ultimately to take action on their own responsibility.
3. create motivation
Help each team member understand what the goal of a project or activity is. Accordingly, a task should always include meaning and purpose. In this way you create the basic prerequisite for motivated work.
4 Use delegation
To delegate individual tasks properly, responsibility must be assigned, quality must be defined and time must be limited. Lateral leaders weigh up who to assign which task to in order to best tap the potential of individual team members.
5. offer support
Delegating tasks also means that leaders offer assistance when necessary. Reach out to each individual to make sure that the work is done on time and to the quality you expect.
6. manage conflict
Inevitably, you will face resistance and difficult situations as part of your leadership. These can arise within the team or come from external stakeholders. Address problems as soon as you recognise them and offer solutions at the same time.
7. give feedback
Ensure that development takes place in your environment through a strong corporate culture. Give feedback to your colleagues and ask for feedback in relation to your informal leadership role.
