When Is A Leader Not A Leader?

Tuesday 3 August, 2010

by Karen Schmidt

Have you ever found yourself in the position of being a leader, without having the title or being officially designated as in charge? It can happen to any of us, regardless of our occupation or industry.

In my experience some of the main reasons people end up what I call "pseudo leaders" are:

• Filling in when your manager is away (known as acting up in the government)
  
• Filling the void because your manager is unwilling or unable to lead
  
• Filling the void because senior management don't want to pay for a real leader
  
• Senior admin person PA or HR officer (someone who is privy to confidential information, spends a lot of time with senior managers and is viewed by most staff as being part of the leadership team)

Now if you look up the origin of the word pseudo you will find it can mean "false", but in this context it really means "having a close resemblance to". A pseudo leader can be someone who is thrust into the role against their will or someone who is using it as a stepping stone to a real leadership role.
So what do you do when people see you as being a leader but you aren't officially a leader? What does that role involve and how can you do it successfully? Here are some of the tips and tricks I've picked up along the way, having personally experienced just about all the scenarios described above.

• Playing the politics.
  
  When the group elects you as unofficial leader and bypasses the real leader you need to be very aware of the politics involved here. You may have the best intentions in the world but that is not enough to keep you out of trouble. Be careful too that you don't end up getting blamed for things just because you are an easy scapegoat.
  
• Containing your enthusiasm.
  
  If you are in a caretaker type role make sure you don't overstep the mark and start making lots of changes, even if you think they are a really good idea. You need to realise your limitations and also remember that you may well have to work with the real leader when they return. By all means makes some suggestions and maybe even do a little pilot project on an idea but keep it small.
  
• Different ways to get rewarded.
  
  If you are playing the part of a pseudo leader as a way of later getting yourself promoted then you might not be expecting to receive higher pay. What you might be looking for is the opportunity to get noticed by people who matter, to expand your skills and to improve your resume. It is up to you to put in place the mechanisms to make sure that happens otherwise your time as a pseudo leader could be just lots of work in the short term with no rewards in the long term.
  
• Putting a time limit on your situation.
  
  If you are merely filling in and don't see this as a stepping stone it is important to negotiate a time frame for your role otherwise you can find that months or years can pass and you are still in limbo. Doing this all depends on the reasons involved. If the person you are replacing is going to be away for a specified period of time, great. However, if they are on indefinite leave you might want to negotiate to share the role with someone else so that you each do it for a while to spread the load.

Finding yourself in the position of being a pseudo leader can be a great opportunity for personal and professional growth or it can be something that starts to make you wither and die. It's up to you which one it becomes so step up to the role and show your leadership skills from the start by following these tips.

Source:ceoonline.com