how to hurdle a brick wall

How does one lead when he or she is not in a position of (recognized) authority?

This is a question that was voiced out in one of the dinners during the GRiSP Leadership course I attended last year. And it is one challenge that we have to face after graduating from that class. While "small rocks vs big rocks" and "sharpening the saw" are some of the lowest-lying fruits from the leadership training tree, this question is one of the harder challenges from the class.

If leading without the positional advantage (also known as the job description) is akin to butting one's head onto a brick wall, it certainly is one very painful experience. While I am not afraid to butt my head onto brick walls if I need to, I have to stop when I draw blood. As I see it, for people with seriously sore skulls, there are two alternative approaches:

(1) Back off. Stay within the confines of one's comfort zone while consciously seeing what needs to be done and not making a comment about it.

(2) Find a hole in the wall. Use one's influence to encourage change without drawing too much attention to one's self. This, I think, is similar to the concept of inception forwarded by the 2010 Christopher Nolan movie. A lot more of behind-the-scenes action, definitely.

I have since decided that the first choice is NOT for me. Instead, I am working on the second alternative, which sounds a lot better despite the difficulty. After all, I want to see improvement opportunities maximized.

Is this second option the better path to take? I guess I'll soon find out.

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