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How to Lead When You're Not in Charge: Leveraging Influence When You Lack Authority
Are you letting your lack of authority paralyze you?
One of the greatest myths of leadership is that you must be in charge in order to lead. Great leaders don't buy it. Great leaders lead with or without the authority and learn to unleash their influence wherever they are.
With practical wisdom and humor, Clay Scroggins will help you nurture your vision and cultivate influence, even when you lack authority in your organization. And he will free you to become the great leader you want to be so you can make a difference right where you are. Even when you're not in charge.
One of the greatest myths of leadership is that you must be in charge in order to lead. Great leaders don't buy it. Great leaders lead with or without the authority and learn to unleash their influence wherever they are.
With practical wisdom and humor, Clay Scroggins will help you nurture your vision and cultivate influence, even when you lack authority in your organization. And he will free you to become the great leader you want to be so you can make a difference right where you are. Even when you're not in charge.
6 pages, Audiobook
First published January 1, 2017
2528 people are currently reading
11885 people want to read
About the author
Clay Scroggins
19 books90 followersClay Scroggins is lead pastor of North Point Community Church (NPCC), where he provides visionary and directional leadership for the local church staff and congregation in Alpharetta, Georgia. As the original and largest campus of North Point Ministries, ranked by Outreach Magazine in 2014 as the largest church in America, NPCC averages over 12,000 people in attendance.
Clay works for Andy Stanley (“one of the greatest leaders on the planet” according to Clay) and understands firsthand how to manage the tension of leading when you’re not in charge. Starting out as a facilities intern (a.k.a. “vice president of nothing”), Clay worked his way through many organizational levels at North Point Ministries and knows all too well the challenge of authority deprivation.
Clay holds a degree in industrial engineering from Georgia Tech. During his years at Georgia Tech, he volunteered with the high school ministry at NPCC and discovered a passion to help students find a faith of their own. Also during that season, Clay attended a Bible study led by Louie Giglio, and a relationship developed that allowed Clay to be involved with Passion Conferences. At Dallas Theological Seminary, Clay earned a master’s degree as well as a doctorate with an emphasis in online church.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 745 reviews
October 17, 2017
You’ll enjoy this book if you’re looking for the intersection of repetitive explanations, management cliches and God’s plan.
I wasn’t looking for that.
I wasn’t looking for that.
August 16, 2017
I am not Christian. By any means. I grew up protestant, but that ended quickly--like age 7. I don't believe in organized religion by any stretch of the imagination, but I do believe in spirituality.
I also have read an ungodly amount of self-dev books. It's part of my job to listen to them. The vast majority of them are useless regurgitations of stale patriarchal concepts.
Those two things being said, this is a great book. It is very Christian, and Mr. Scroggins--who is some kind of pastor at a huge church in Georgia, IIRC--quotes the bible persistently and at length.
Normally when I hear this kind of stuff (I listened to this on Audible) in an audiobook, you've lost me. I'm done. But Scroggins imbues his message with more than enough practical and secular advice that it's easy enough to ignore the Christian message here.
For me, what worked, was simply acknowledging his Christian beliefs as a way of making sense of certain management principles, and it worked for me to listen to the Christian parables without feeling the need to convert back to the religion.
The actual meat of this book is in Scroggins impressive understanding of the attitudes and practices one needs to effect change from any position within an organizational hierarchy. He knows his stuff, and believe it or not, a megachurch is a great example of an organizational hierarchy. It is one that is built, perhaps even more so than a corporation or business, on the strength of community and social connection--so it serves its purpose as an accurate backdrop for professional development.
If you are Christian and looking to make more of a difference from within the organizations that you are a part of, this is a must buy.
If you are secular or of another spiritual persuasion, and looking to learn how to best leverage your influence even when you lack the specific title to seemingly do so directly, this is still a wise purchase. Just don't let the Christian themes overburden you.
I also have read an ungodly amount of self-dev books. It's part of my job to listen to them. The vast majority of them are useless regurgitations of stale patriarchal concepts.
Those two things being said, this is a great book. It is very Christian, and Mr. Scroggins--who is some kind of pastor at a huge church in Georgia, IIRC--quotes the bible persistently and at length.
Normally when I hear this kind of stuff (I listened to this on Audible) in an audiobook, you've lost me. I'm done. But Scroggins imbues his message with more than enough practical and secular advice that it's easy enough to ignore the Christian message here.
For me, what worked, was simply acknowledging his Christian beliefs as a way of making sense of certain management principles, and it worked for me to listen to the Christian parables without feeling the need to convert back to the religion.
The actual meat of this book is in Scroggins impressive understanding of the attitudes and practices one needs to effect change from any position within an organizational hierarchy. He knows his stuff, and believe it or not, a megachurch is a great example of an organizational hierarchy. It is one that is built, perhaps even more so than a corporation or business, on the strength of community and social connection--so it serves its purpose as an accurate backdrop for professional development.
If you are Christian and looking to make more of a difference from within the organizations that you are a part of, this is a must buy.
If you are secular or of another spiritual persuasion, and looking to learn how to best leverage your influence even when you lack the specific title to seemingly do so directly, this is still a wise purchase. Just don't let the Christian themes overburden you.
February 17, 2018
There are some good insights in this book about having influence in your workplace even when you aren't the one calling all the shots. My most significant takeaway from this read was that when we see problems that need solutions, we should drive for those solutions, even if we aren't sure we have all the authority we need to make it happen. Collaborate with others, build the case, and be humble about it because we might just learn something valuable in the process.
With that said, there are a few things that kept this from being more thoroughly enjoyable book for me. First, I wish the book would have been 50% shorter. This isn't because I have a short attention span, but because the content didn't warrant 240 pages. Too many times, I found myself thinking either, "Ok, ok, get on with your point" or "Why are you repeating yourself?"
Second, you should know that he is a Christian pastor, which quickly becomes obvious. The problem for me is the poor and unnecessary application of his theological beliefs. It felt like something he forced into the book simply because of his role in the church. One example is where he tells us that if you have a bad leader then you have to trust that God has put them in their position of authority, so treat them well. OK, I'm all for treating people with kindness, but I think you can get there without believing that God is in heaven putting leaders in charge all over the place. The implications are a bit disturbing when you think of leaders like Hitler, Attila the Hun, and Idi Amin. Why he felt the need to overlay his teaching with this kind of thing is beyond me.
If you read this, I'd recommend skimming the first couple of chapters, and then reading the chapter on thinking critically and the one on challenging up. There are some good nuggets there.
With that said, there are a few things that kept this from being more thoroughly enjoyable book for me. First, I wish the book would have been 50% shorter. This isn't because I have a short attention span, but because the content didn't warrant 240 pages. Too many times, I found myself thinking either, "Ok, ok, get on with your point" or "Why are you repeating yourself?"
Second, you should know that he is a Christian pastor, which quickly becomes obvious. The problem for me is the poor and unnecessary application of his theological beliefs. It felt like something he forced into the book simply because of his role in the church. One example is where he tells us that if you have a bad leader then you have to trust that God has put them in their position of authority, so treat them well. OK, I'm all for treating people with kindness, but I think you can get there without believing that God is in heaven putting leaders in charge all over the place. The implications are a bit disturbing when you think of leaders like Hitler, Attila the Hun, and Idi Amin. Why he felt the need to overlay his teaching with this kind of thing is beyond me.
If you read this, I'd recommend skimming the first couple of chapters, and then reading the chapter on thinking critically and the one on challenging up. There are some good nuggets there.
April 29, 2025
2025 Review
Honestly I probably need to read this twice a year. Every time I do I find the answer for whatever I'm angsting about most recently at work. (Spoiler alert: it usually begins and ends with my attitude.)
2024 Review
I challenged myself in 2024 to re-read the books that impacted me most in my 20s.
This is the book that basically inspired my 2024 reading goal. Well, that and a general desire to re-read books that I called impactful and then never returned to.
But this book I regularly return to. This is my 5th read and every time I read it, something jumps out. I don't know why this one continues to convict me, but it does.
Definitely one I regularly recommend.
2023 Review
This is one of those books that manages to convict me no matter what stage of life I am in or when I re-read it. Each time I see another layer of my excuses and resentments exposed as mere flimflam. It is a bit like pouring disinfectant on a cut. Stings like crazy but if I lean into it, I know it will make me a better person.
2022 Review
I have good news and bad news after this re-read.
The bad news: this book is starting to REALLY date itself. Like, references to the iPhone 4 and the novelty of panoramic views date itself. It reads like someone let the youth pastor preach this Sunday and unfortunately he is stuck in 2017.
The good news: this is still a relevant, engaging, convicting book. Even if the stories illustrating the broader points feel outdated, the points themselves are incredibly relevant. I found I could apply much of it to my daily life. And I still just love the broader points of this book.
2021 Review - 5 stars
When my brother first gave me this book 2 years ago, I read and enjoyed it but did not glean much. I was in a stage of life where, bizarrely enough for a 25-year-old, I was too much in charge. I held leadership positions in clubs, worked a job where my boss gave me loads of autonomy, and was rapidly burning myself out saying yes to everything. I probably needed Boundaries: When to Say Yes, How to Say No to Take Control of Your Life more than I needed this one.
So, when my Mom suggested I give this one a re-read, I didn't go in with super high expectations.
Well, folks, the joke is on me. I swear it felt like Scroggins spoke exactly what I needed to hear for my current stage in life. It was incredibly convicting. Vey practical. And absolutely pertinent to what I needed to hear.
Perhaps it also helped that I listened to it on audio this time around. It really is fun to hear the author crack himself up.
I do recommend. Especially if you feel helpless at work sometimes. (But if you're in law school, maybe read Boundaries instead and come back to this one.)
2019 Review - 4 stars
Sibling's Day gift from my brother, Sam.
Overall, two things stick out:
1. You have the power to raise or lower the voices in your head. You need to be aware of the people who speak into your life and moderate those voices accordingly. The things you think about yourself heavily influence what you do and who you become.
2. A cheerful heart and happy attitude towards work goes a long way.
I appreciated this work overall but did not find it too mind blowing. It has good lessons, though, and useful advice. I think I did not find it as personally useful as I might otherwise have since I am in a job with a lot of autonomy and hold leadership positions in all my clubs at the moment. But if I were to go into more of a micromanaging environment, it would be worth returning to.
Honestly I probably need to read this twice a year. Every time I do I find the answer for whatever I'm angsting about most recently at work. (Spoiler alert: it usually begins and ends with my attitude.)
2024 Review
I challenged myself in 2024 to re-read the books that impacted me most in my 20s.
This is the book that basically inspired my 2024 reading goal. Well, that and a general desire to re-read books that I called impactful and then never returned to.
But this book I regularly return to. This is my 5th read and every time I read it, something jumps out. I don't know why this one continues to convict me, but it does.
Definitely one I regularly recommend.
2023 Review
This is one of those books that manages to convict me no matter what stage of life I am in or when I re-read it. Each time I see another layer of my excuses and resentments exposed as mere flimflam. It is a bit like pouring disinfectant on a cut. Stings like crazy but if I lean into it, I know it will make me a better person.
2022 Review
I have good news and bad news after this re-read.
The bad news: this book is starting to REALLY date itself. Like, references to the iPhone 4 and the novelty of panoramic views date itself. It reads like someone let the youth pastor preach this Sunday and unfortunately he is stuck in 2017.
The good news: this is still a relevant, engaging, convicting book. Even if the stories illustrating the broader points feel outdated, the points themselves are incredibly relevant. I found I could apply much of it to my daily life. And I still just love the broader points of this book.
2021 Review - 5 stars
When my brother first gave me this book 2 years ago, I read and enjoyed it but did not glean much. I was in a stage of life where, bizarrely enough for a 25-year-old, I was too much in charge. I held leadership positions in clubs, worked a job where my boss gave me loads of autonomy, and was rapidly burning myself out saying yes to everything. I probably needed Boundaries: When to Say Yes, How to Say No to Take Control of Your Life more than I needed this one.
So, when my Mom suggested I give this one a re-read, I didn't go in with super high expectations.
Well, folks, the joke is on me. I swear it felt like Scroggins spoke exactly what I needed to hear for my current stage in life. It was incredibly convicting. Vey practical. And absolutely pertinent to what I needed to hear.
Perhaps it also helped that I listened to it on audio this time around. It really is fun to hear the author crack himself up.
I do recommend. Especially if you feel helpless at work sometimes. (But if you're in law school, maybe read Boundaries instead and come back to this one.)
2019 Review - 4 stars
Sibling's Day gift from my brother, Sam.
Overall, two things stick out:
1. You have the power to raise or lower the voices in your head. You need to be aware of the people who speak into your life and moderate those voices accordingly. The things you think about yourself heavily influence what you do and who you become.
2. A cheerful heart and happy attitude towards work goes a long way.
I appreciated this work overall but did not find it too mind blowing. It has good lessons, though, and useful advice. I think I did not find it as personally useful as I might otherwise have since I am in a job with a lot of autonomy and hold leadership positions in all my clubs at the moment. But if I were to go into more of a micromanaging environment, it would be worth returning to.
June 9, 2018
I choose to read this book with someone I mentor, who is in a technical role, but working to influence their organization. This was a huge mistake. I feel betrayed by this book.
First of all, this book was written by a Pastor. I don't have a problem with that, but it turns out that this book is really about church leadership. I tried hard to keep an open mind and look for general principles that apply, and I found a few -- but there are hard rules espoused in this book that essentially start with "first try to figure out what Jesus' plan for you is". Which I imagine is fine for lots of people, but having suggested that another person read this without a clear understanding of the nature of this book I was mortified.
More importantly, this book's title is super misleading. A more honest title would be "How to Have More Influence as a Middle Manager When You Really Feel Like You Should be the CEO" or maybe even more realistically "How to Have Lots of Influence Over Your Whole Religious Denomination When you are Only Officially in Charge of One Location".
This book's ratings suggest I am in the solid minority in my opinion -- not the first time or the last.
First of all, this book was written by a Pastor. I don't have a problem with that, but it turns out that this book is really about church leadership. I tried hard to keep an open mind and look for general principles that apply, and I found a few -- but there are hard rules espoused in this book that essentially start with "first try to figure out what Jesus' plan for you is". Which I imagine is fine for lots of people, but having suggested that another person read this without a clear understanding of the nature of this book I was mortified.
More importantly, this book's title is super misleading. A more honest title would be "How to Have More Influence as a Middle Manager When You Really Feel Like You Should be the CEO" or maybe even more realistically "How to Have Lots of Influence Over Your Whole Religious Denomination When you are Only Officially in Charge of One Location".
This book's ratings suggest I am in the solid minority in my opinion -- not the first time or the last.
April 18, 2018
Few things are more obnoxious to me than a writer who spends the entire book trying to be cute.
October 21, 2018
I got about a third of the way through this before I had enough. It's not the Christian POV - I love inspirational books and books with a Christian perspective. However, this one was annoying. I found it repetitive, too 'cutesy', and misleading. It's not a leadership book - if you want a leadership book, I recommend John Maxwell. The only folks that are likely to profit from reading might be those in charge of churches; otherwise, look elsewhere.
March 11, 2022
This is Nonfiction/Business and surprisingly, as well as unexpectedly, it had lots of biblical references. I wasn't expecting the latter at all. The author is a pastor and he wove leadership and spiritual progression together in a unique way.
I'm not entirely sure he tackled the title of this book within the pages, but I loved the overall message. I think I'll need to read this one again. There was so much info that certainly needs some pondering. So 4 stars.
I'm not entirely sure he tackled the title of this book within the pages, but I loved the overall message. I think I'll need to read this one again. There was so much info that certainly needs some pondering. So 4 stars.
February 24, 2023
I really enjoyed the practicality of this book. Just because you’re not in charge, doesn’t mean you can think of ways to help add to the ministry or job you are involved in. Doing so requires wisdom and humility, but your opinion is still important in a lot of places.
June 2, 2024
almost all self help is basically unreadable, but this was indeed particularly bad. he sounds like an asshole. cannot wait to lie in professional development bookclub and fake some insights!!!
September 7, 2017
My friend Carter McDaniels reviewed this book for InfluenceMagazine.com, but I thought I'd give my two-cents' worth too:
“Influence always outpaces authority,” writes Clay Scroggins. “And leaders who consistently leverage their authority are far less effective in the long term than leaders who leverage their influence.” Scroggins identifies four behaviors that will help readers leverage their influence: lead yourself, choose positivity, think critically and reject passivity. He also gives sage advice for challenging authority as a second-chair leader, when that becomes necessary. His bottom line advice? “Practice leading through influence when you’re not in charge. It’s the key to leading well when you are in charge.” This is an insightful book for second-chair church leaders and young ministers.
Book Reviewed
Clay Scroggins, How to Lead When You're Not in Charge: Leveraging Influence When You Lack Authority (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2017).
P.S. If you found my review helpful, please vote "Yes" on my Amazon.com review page.
“Influence always outpaces authority,” writes Clay Scroggins. “And leaders who consistently leverage their authority are far less effective in the long term than leaders who leverage their influence.” Scroggins identifies four behaviors that will help readers leverage their influence: lead yourself, choose positivity, think critically and reject passivity. He also gives sage advice for challenging authority as a second-chair leader, when that becomes necessary. His bottom line advice? “Practice leading through influence when you’re not in charge. It’s the key to leading well when you are in charge.” This is an insightful book for second-chair church leaders and young ministers.
Book Reviewed
Clay Scroggins, How to Lead When You're Not in Charge: Leveraging Influence When You Lack Authority (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2017).
P.S. If you found my review helpful, please vote "Yes" on my Amazon.com review page.
November 21, 2017
I might be guilty of rating this too low. I went into it knowing only the title, so I don't think I had unrealistic expectations. But this is an important topic, especially as motivated millenials explore how to interact with their superiors. I'm just not sure it delivered as it should.
While there were some "hidden-gem" observations here, the book felt like it was sewn together from patches of sermons and small group studies. It was far more "church-centric" than I expected it to be.
Again, perhaps my issue is one of context-that I'm a little beyond this stage in my professional life, but I can't say I'd recommend this to an emerging leader looking to manage their leadership development.
While there were some "hidden-gem" observations here, the book felt like it was sewn together from patches of sermons and small group studies. It was far more "church-centric" than I expected it to be.
Again, perhaps my issue is one of context-that I'm a little beyond this stage in my professional life, but I can't say I'd recommend this to an emerging leader looking to manage their leadership development.
March 3, 2020
I am not Christian, and this book is very Christian-based. That being said, if that does not bother you, there is valuable info to be gleaned here. I listened to the audio version, and the author has a charm that made the over the top Christian stuff not bother me quite as much. I wish he would do a secular version because I feel like his message is wider than just people who are working in churches or pastoral roles. Overall, it has a good message about taking charge of your own decisions and areas of influence and not waiting for a title of power to be a leader.
April 21, 2019
"Oh those poor animals on Mr. Jones's Manor Farm. They work all day and don't get any respect. In fact, it's like they exist solely to strive for him"
This book would've been perfect for Snowball.
___
Personal Note: The book in itself is not a four star book. The style is fairly colloquial and the content is not very novel. It received four stars because this book helped me sort through all the B.S. lies I tell myself to feel good about my own passivity.
This book would've been perfect for Snowball.
___
Personal Note: The book in itself is not a four star book. The style is fairly colloquial and the content is not very novel. It received four stars because this book helped me sort through all the B.S. lies I tell myself to feel good about my own passivity.
December 17, 2018
I admit I didn't do a lot of research about this one. The title and description sounded interesting enough to buy it. That's on me.
Basically the author uses biblical examples and his own experience as a minister at various American church networks to give advice. The tone is chirpy and trying hard to be cute but I couldn't finish it.
Basically the author uses biblical examples and his own experience as a minister at various American church networks to give advice. The tone is chirpy and trying hard to be cute but I couldn't finish it.
February 28, 2020
How to Lead When You're Not in Charge: Leveraging Influence When You Lack Authority by Clay Scroggins is The Chalk Man of self-help/development books. My God was this book horrible. "How to Lead..." was on several lists of great self development books. One of my goals this year was to read or listen to at least one development book a month. I opted for the audiobook and I can't even articulate how horrendous this was. Scroggins talks like he's a used-car salesman. Everything seemed like a gimmick and that he was scamming me. His use of rap lyrics and modern slang made me cringe so bad it hurt. Having said all of this, the worst part was the aggressive religious themes included throughout this book. Scroggins is a pastor, so obviously religion is important to him. However, this was supposedly a book on leadership not on "God's Plan." I just went back to re-read the GoodReads synopsis, just in case I missed the religious aspect. I didn't. There is no mention of that anywhere in the summary (which I think is a big miss). There were a few good, anecdotal stories that I thought really hit home but the vast majority of this book was a HARD PASS. 1.5 stars / 2.
February 7, 2024
idk it says i finished the book when i could barely get past the first 50 pages
i’m literally a christian and even i can acknowledge that this book has too many bible verses and stories and not enough actual info about leadership. he managed to more or less say nothing in 50 pages to the point where it's almost impressive. god was calling me to pick a different book for my leadership course.
i think what annoyed me most is that if the book had used bible passages about leadership and applied the lessons through that it would've made more sense but a lot of the "lessons" were just asking you to believe in god's plan for you which i do believe in but it is not relevant to the point of the book.
i’m literally a christian and even i can acknowledge that this book has too many bible verses and stories and not enough actual info about leadership. he managed to more or less say nothing in 50 pages to the point where it's almost impressive. god was calling me to pick a different book for my leadership course.
i think what annoyed me most is that if the book had used bible passages about leadership and applied the lessons through that it would've made more sense but a lot of the "lessons" were just asking you to believe in god's plan for you which i do believe in but it is not relevant to the point of the book.
August 9, 2017
After listening to the webcast of "How to Lead When You're Not in Charge," I could not wait to read the book. I was not disappointed. Important take aways include that you are in charge of you and that no one can lead you until your first learn how to lead yourself. You can't wait around for the authority to lead, because authority is largely irrelevant. Influence is the currency of leadership.
I found this book to be very inspiring, while at the same time instructing how to be effective at leadership without overstepping bounds and letting ambition run wild.
I think this book is an excellent read for anyone, not just those in ministry.
I found this book to be very inspiring, while at the same time instructing how to be effective at leadership without overstepping bounds and letting ambition run wild.
I think this book is an excellent read for anyone, not just those in ministry.
March 17, 2018
Fantastic book that covers many of the mistakes we make when we take a passive, "afflicted" view on life and work. Rather, we should take ownership and work like a boss. Never going against what the leadership says, but rather working to accomplish their end visions. There were a lot of *ouch* moments in this book for me, but hey that's what reading should do, eh?
You don't need to be a leader to act like a leader.
--
He asked, “So if you didn’t like the outline, why wouldn’t you just change it to make it great?” As he asked and I answered, I began to smell the stink of my polluted thoughts. Like a surgeon removing a cancer, Andy’s inquisition led me to a moment of insight. As we talked, I began to realize the problem was not with our organization at all. It was with me.
Clay Scroggins, How to Lead When You're Not in Charge: Leveraging Influence When You Lack Authority, pg. 16, loc. 223-226
Leaders don’t sit back and point fingers. Leaders lead with the authority of leadership . . . or without
Clay Scroggins, How to Lead When You're Not in Charge: Leveraging Influence When You Lack Authority, pg. 16, loc. 229-230
They cultivate influence with a title or without a title.
Clay Scroggins, How to Lead When You're Not in Charge: Leveraging Influence When You Lack Authority, pg. 18, loc. 260-260
In his TED Talk “Why Good Leaders Make You Feel Safe,” Simon Sinek explains, “Many people at the top of organizations are not leaders. They have authority, but they are not leaders. And many at the bottom with no authority are absolutely leaders.”1 Sinek is differentiating between authority and leadership and making the point that they are not a package deal. Leadership expert Jim Collins agrees. He writes, “For many people, the first question that occurs is, ‘But how do I persuade my CEO to get it?’ My answer: Don’t worry about that . . . each of us can create a pocket of greatness. Each of us can take our own area of work and influence and can concentrate on moving it from good to great. It doesn’t really matter whether all the CEOs get it. It only matters that you and I do. Now, it’s time to get to work.”
Clay Scroggins, How to Lead When You're Not in Charge: Leveraging Influence When You Lack Authority, pg. 19, loc. 266-273
Even if you have authority and a position of leadership, an inspiring leader does not need to leverage that authority. “Not so with you” kind of leaders learn that there are more effective ways to cultivate influence and build trust. Jesus tells us this is a more powerful way to lead, one we can exercise regardless of the presence or absence of authority.
Clay Scroggins, How to Lead When You're Not in Charge: Leveraging Influence When You Lack Authority, pg. 21, loc. 307-310
Let me say it again: your identity is healthiest when what God says about you is most true of you.
Clay Scroggins, How to Lead When You're Not in Charge: Leveraging Influence When You Lack Authority, pg. 42, loc. 637-638
want to be a fearless leader. Whether I’m in charge or not, I want to be ruthlessly committed to doing what is best to help others, whether it helps me move toward
Clay Scroggins, How to Lead When You're Not in Charge: Leveraging Influence When You Lack Authority, pg. 42, loc. 639-640
I want to be a fearless leader. Whether I’m in charge or not, I want to be ruthlessly committed to doing what is best to help others, whether it helps me move toward a promotion or not. When there is wobble in my identity, I step out of the house in the morning lacking the confidence to be the leader I want to be. Worse, I step out of the house lacking the confidence to be the leader God has called me to be. Here is a key truth about your identity as it relates to your leadership: If you fail to believe what God says about your identity, you will fail to reach the potential he’s put in you as a leader. Your ability to be a fearless leader is squarely rooted in your identity.
Clay Scroggins, How to Lead When You're Not in Charge: Leveraging Influence When You Lack Authority, pg. 42, loc. 639-644
“There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love” (1 John 4:18).
Clay Scroggins, How to Lead When You're Not in Charge: Leveraging Influence When You Lack Authority, pg. 44, loc. 676-677
“There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love” (1 John 4:18). This verse captures one of the most radical truths we can know as a child of God. When I realize how perfectly loved I am, what is there to be afraid of? If I’m perfectly loved, why not embrace risk? If I’m perfectly loved, why do I need the stamp of approval from others? If I’m perfectly loved, why would I fear failure or the uncertainty of potential outcomes? Fear thrives in the absence of love. Fear will
Clay Scroggins, How to Lead When You're Not in Charge: Leveraging Influence When You Lack Authority, pg. 44, loc. 676-681
“Just stop looking at social media. Delete the apps. Stop having those thoughts. Stop feeling those feelings. Just stop. It’s that simple. Stop.” (I’ve been told I have the gift of mercy, but I’ve actually never taken the spiritual gifts test so I’m holding out until I do before I make any judgments.) Like this student, many of us tend to be passive with our thoughts and feelings. We treat them like they rule us, like they are in charge of us, and not the other way around. We forget that our thoughts and feelings are our thoughts and feelings. We own them. They do not own us. At least they shouldn’t, and that’s where we may need to exercise a little ownership over them. You don’t have to allow thoughts of fear, inadequacy, and insecurity to take up residence in your mind. If you do, they will slowly erode your identity and render you ineffective as a leader. But it’s not just me telling you to do something about this. If you are a follower of Jesus, you have been instructed to exert your ownership and take those thoughts captive. “We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ” (2 Cor. 10:5).
Clay Scroggins, How to Lead When You're Not in Charge: Leveraging Influence When You Lack Authority, pg. 45, loc. 690-699
to kabash for their own glory, they end up putting
Clay Scroggins, How to Lead When You're Not in Charge: Leveraging Influence When You Lack Authority, pg. 68, loc. 1045-1045
Self-Leadership Principle #1: Model Followership. If you want to lead well when you are not the one in charge, it’s imperative that you learn how to model followership. What do I mean? Do you know how to follow well? Does the team around you know that you’re following well? Would they say, “Oh yeah, she’s fully behind the leader” or “Yes, definitely. He’s 100 percent behind his leader”? The water cooler talk and office gossip cannot be a part of your life if you’re going to do this right. In an attempt to connect with coworkers or even put yourself ahead, belittling your boss through needless chatter actually hurts you more than it hurts him or her. Your moral authority is vastly more important than your positional authority, and nothing erodes moral authority more than undermining the person you claim to be following. So the first step to master in becoming a leader who leads well when not in charge is how to model what it means to be a follower. As others see how you respond to a bad boss, a terrible decision, or how you handle the stress of being overloaded, they will begin to see you as a leader, even if you lack the formal authority to lead. Your self-leadership in these situations will develop influence and prepare you for future situations you may face. Self-Leadership Principle #2: Monitor Your Heart and Behavior. What is easier to monitor, your heart or your behavior? The truth is that they’re both difficult. The feelings and emotions in our hearts are invisible and difficult to see in the mirror. But our behaviors also have the potential to betray us. All of us have behaved in ways we didn’t want to behave or failed to act on something we wanted to act on. Monitoring your heart involves checking those deep-rooted motives and emotions that lie inside you and give direction to your behaviors. With just a bit of curiosity and initiative, our behaviors may initially be easier to identify. Monitoring your heart requires constantly checking your motives and feelings before God. There is good reason David is called “a man after God’s own heart.” Look at all the times in Psalms when he bared his soul before God, begging God to help him keep his heart pure. How can a young person stay on the path of purity? By living according to your word. PSALM 119:9 Test me, LORD, and try me, examine my heart and my mind. PSALM 26:2 Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. PSALM 139:23–24 No one can do this for you. You have to make a decision to constantly check the emotions of your heart. Has any jealousy rooted itself in your heart? Is someone getting attention you feel you deserve? Do you feel anger toward your boss for something that has happened in the past? Are you frustrated about getting passed over for a promotion or more responsibility? Leading ourselves requires monitoring those dark corners of our hearts where these dangerous emotions lie. Monitoring your behavior must be both horizontal (with others) and vertical (with God). This will mean asking some tough questions of those around you. A few years ago, I made a pretty significant job transition. During that transition, someone recommended I read The First 90 Days: Proven Strategies for Getting Up to Speed Faster and Smarter.3 I did, and it was fantastically helpful. One recommendation the author, Michael Watkins, makes is to solicit as much feedback as possible from your old job before jumping directly into your new job. I was reading this at just the right time. Without his advice to assess my vulnerabilities, I would have jumped right into my new role because I was so eager for the new responsibility. Instead, I submitted an informal, anonymous 360-degree survey to about fifty of the coworkers I had in my former role. I asked them three simple questions: 1. What did I do over the past few years that inspired you? 2. What did I do that frustrated you? 3. What do I not know about myself that has become a blind spot? I received a lot of positive feedback. Unfortunately, I don’t remember any of that. I just remember a few comments, which have caused significant changes in the way I operate at work. “At times, I felt like you weren’t really paying attention to me, but were only thinking about what you had next.” “Sometimes when I’m around you, I get the sense that you don’t really want to hear what I have to say because you’ve already made up your mind.” “When we would meet together, you never really seemed prepared for our meeting.” These comments were invaluable, but they were not news to me. None of them shocked me. I already knew some of this about myself. I was just hoping no one else knew it too. A healthy curiosity should drive your efforts to monitor your behavior. And not just curiosity for curiosity’s sake, but curiosity for the sake of growth. You need to cultivate interest in how others see the way you act and lead. There is feedback orbiting around your world that could change you, grow you, stretch you, and make you better, but the responsibility for soliciting that feedback is yours! You are in charge of you! Self-Leadership Principle #3: Make a Plan. To lead yourself well, you need a plan. You will not lead yourself well by accident. It must be intentional. I call it a “Lead Me Plan.” Everyone needs to be able to answer this question: what are you doing to lead yourself well? What is your “Lead Me Plan”? To lead you well, you need to focus on three simple aspects: 1. Know where you currently are. 2. Have a vision for where you want to go. 3. Develop the discipline and accountability to do what it takes to stay on track. KNOW WHERE YOU ARE As you are developing a “Lead Me Plan,” the greatest mistake you can make is to inflate your own leadership ability. You have gifts, talents, experience, and education that got you where you are. Don’t try to fool yourself. You haven’t arrived! What got you there will not get you where you want to be. Jim Collins noted this mistake made by some successful leaders and companies in How the Mighty Fall: And Why Some Companies Never Give In. He called it “the hubris of success.” The first misstep success brings is to credit the success to your own doing, but this only sets leaders up for future failure: “Truly great [leaders], no matter how successful they become, maintain a learning curve as steep as when they first began their careers.”4 For you to maintain a steep learning curve in this season of your life, you’ll need to be honest about where you are and how you got there. This kind of gut-level assessment of where you are will only happen by asking for it. People around you love you. They really do. They want you to get better. They want you to grow. But rarely will someone love you enough to give you the full truth. I see people walking around with untied shoes, susceptible to tripping, and no one around them is courageous enough to tell them. If you want to know where you are and how you’re doing, you have to ask. One of our key leadership roles recently opened up, and we started talking about who we were going to hire for that position. During the conversation, someone brought up two names of people inside our organization who were interested in the job. The problem was that they had some pretty big gaps in their leadership skills that would keep them from being considered for the job. I asked the person who manages them if the employees were aware of these gaps that were keeping them from being considered. The answer I received was inconclusive, and that frustrated me for their sakes. We won’t improve unless someone is honest with us. Most of the big employment decisions in your career will happen when you’re not in the room. That’s sobering, but I know it’s been true for my career. I’ve gotten jobs and I’ve lost jobs based on what people have said about me in rooms where I was not present. At times, some have spoken positively about me, and at other times, some have spoken negatively about me. Either way, it’s their opinion of me that matters. The same is true about your career. The people you work for have thoughts about you. They may even have thoughts about your future. It doesn’t help you if there is something keeping you from an opportunity—but you are the only one who doesn’t know it. Before you put a plan together for your own growth, you should ask your boss a question: “If an opportunity for promotion came available, what would keep you from fully recommending me?” The answer to that question could be the genesis for your personal growth plan. A word of advice on this: I wouldn’t ambush your boss with that question. Send him an email to tee it up, and mention that you would like to ask him some questions to help you in your job performance. Then follow up in person. And be aware that most people will resist answering that question because it is difficult to answer. Still, the feedback you receive is a good place to start. Follow it up with input from others as well. WHERE YOU WANT TO GO Once you know where you are, the next step is to develop a clear vision for where you want to go. This is often overlooked when people work on a “Lead Me Plan.” One of my weaknesses as a leader is vision—both personally and professionally. I am much more comfortable responding to opportunities rather than looking down the road a few years and imagining my future. A few years ago, my boss approached me with a potential promotion. I called my good friend Bryson to tell him the news. His response bewildered me. In fact, his response was no response. I had to repeat myself because I thought maybe he hadn’t heard me. After telling him again, there was no response. So I had to ask him, “What do you think about that?” I fully expected him to say, “Wow. That’s so great! Congrats, dude.” It seemed appropriate. Instead, he said, “Man, I’ve gotta be honest. I don’t know whether to say ‘congrats’ or ‘sorry.’ I just don’t know what you want, so I don’t know what to say. It feels like they’re just yanking you around without giving you a say. Just seems like you need to figure out what you want to do with your life before I know how to respond.” We all need friends like that. We need friends who remind us that we aren’t just responding to opportunities and circumstances. We each need to have a personal vision for our own lives, a plan for our futures. Without a personal vision for your life, how do you know what to do with the opportunities that present themselves? Especially the good ones, like a promotion? Self-leadership means spending the necessary time and effort to determine your own personal vision for your future. I see many young leaders who have no clear sense of direction, and that can be paralyzing. And while people will probably tell you that your plan for your life rarely works out the way you think it will, aiming at nothing will take you nowhere. It’s
Clay Scroggins, How to Lead When You're Not in Charge: Leveraging Influence When You Lack Authority, pg. 75, loc. 1165-1266
Go ahead and try to say it out loud: “My boss owes me nothing.” I can’t promise that’ll feel good, but I do believe it’s worth a shot. Choosing to believe your boss owes you nothing, or at least very little, is a powerful step forward for the relationship.
Clay Scroggins, How to Lead When You're Not in Charge: Leveraging Influence When You Lack Authority, pg. 86, loc. 1341-1343
Instead, you can choose positivity—even when you didn’t have a say in the decision. More important than making the right decision is owning the decision handed to you and making it right. Positivity will help you with this.
Clay Scroggins, How to Lead When You're Not in Charge: Leveraging Influence When You Lack Authority, pg. 100, loc. 1562-1564
You don't need to be a leader to act like a leader.
--
He asked, “So if you didn’t like the outline, why wouldn’t you just change it to make it great?” As he asked and I answered, I began to smell the stink of my polluted thoughts. Like a surgeon removing a cancer, Andy’s inquisition led me to a moment of insight. As we talked, I began to realize the problem was not with our organization at all. It was with me.
Clay Scroggins, How to Lead When You're Not in Charge: Leveraging Influence When You Lack Authority, pg. 16, loc. 223-226
Leaders don’t sit back and point fingers. Leaders lead with the authority of leadership . . . or without
Clay Scroggins, How to Lead When You're Not in Charge: Leveraging Influence When You Lack Authority, pg. 16, loc. 229-230
They cultivate influence with a title or without a title.
Clay Scroggins, How to Lead When You're Not in Charge: Leveraging Influence When You Lack Authority, pg. 18, loc. 260-260
In his TED Talk “Why Good Leaders Make You Feel Safe,” Simon Sinek explains, “Many people at the top of organizations are not leaders. They have authority, but they are not leaders. And many at the bottom with no authority are absolutely leaders.”1 Sinek is differentiating between authority and leadership and making the point that they are not a package deal. Leadership expert Jim Collins agrees. He writes, “For many people, the first question that occurs is, ‘But how do I persuade my CEO to get it?’ My answer: Don’t worry about that . . . each of us can create a pocket of greatness. Each of us can take our own area of work and influence and can concentrate on moving it from good to great. It doesn’t really matter whether all the CEOs get it. It only matters that you and I do. Now, it’s time to get to work.”
Clay Scroggins, How to Lead When You're Not in Charge: Leveraging Influence When You Lack Authority, pg. 19, loc. 266-273
Even if you have authority and a position of leadership, an inspiring leader does not need to leverage that authority. “Not so with you” kind of leaders learn that there are more effective ways to cultivate influence and build trust. Jesus tells us this is a more powerful way to lead, one we can exercise regardless of the presence or absence of authority.
Clay Scroggins, How to Lead When You're Not in Charge: Leveraging Influence When You Lack Authority, pg. 21, loc. 307-310
Let me say it again: your identity is healthiest when what God says about you is most true of you.
Clay Scroggins, How to Lead When You're Not in Charge: Leveraging Influence When You Lack Authority, pg. 42, loc. 637-638
want to be a fearless leader. Whether I’m in charge or not, I want to be ruthlessly committed to doing what is best to help others, whether it helps me move toward
Clay Scroggins, How to Lead When You're Not in Charge: Leveraging Influence When You Lack Authority, pg. 42, loc. 639-640
I want to be a fearless leader. Whether I’m in charge or not, I want to be ruthlessly committed to doing what is best to help others, whether it helps me move toward a promotion or not. When there is wobble in my identity, I step out of the house in the morning lacking the confidence to be the leader I want to be. Worse, I step out of the house lacking the confidence to be the leader God has called me to be. Here is a key truth about your identity as it relates to your leadership: If you fail to believe what God says about your identity, you will fail to reach the potential he’s put in you as a leader. Your ability to be a fearless leader is squarely rooted in your identity.
Clay Scroggins, How to Lead When You're Not in Charge: Leveraging Influence When You Lack Authority, pg. 42, loc. 639-644
“There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love” (1 John 4:18).
Clay Scroggins, How to Lead When You're Not in Charge: Leveraging Influence When You Lack Authority, pg. 44, loc. 676-677
“There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love” (1 John 4:18). This verse captures one of the most radical truths we can know as a child of God. When I realize how perfectly loved I am, what is there to be afraid of? If I’m perfectly loved, why not embrace risk? If I’m perfectly loved, why do I need the stamp of approval from others? If I’m perfectly loved, why would I fear failure or the uncertainty of potential outcomes? Fear thrives in the absence of love. Fear will
Clay Scroggins, How to Lead When You're Not in Charge: Leveraging Influence When You Lack Authority, pg. 44, loc. 676-681
“Just stop looking at social media. Delete the apps. Stop having those thoughts. Stop feeling those feelings. Just stop. It’s that simple. Stop.” (I’ve been told I have the gift of mercy, but I’ve actually never taken the spiritual gifts test so I’m holding out until I do before I make any judgments.) Like this student, many of us tend to be passive with our thoughts and feelings. We treat them like they rule us, like they are in charge of us, and not the other way around. We forget that our thoughts and feelings are our thoughts and feelings. We own them. They do not own us. At least they shouldn’t, and that’s where we may need to exercise a little ownership over them. You don’t have to allow thoughts of fear, inadequacy, and insecurity to take up residence in your mind. If you do, they will slowly erode your identity and render you ineffective as a leader. But it’s not just me telling you to do something about this. If you are a follower of Jesus, you have been instructed to exert your ownership and take those thoughts captive. “We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ” (2 Cor. 10:5).
Clay Scroggins, How to Lead When You're Not in Charge: Leveraging Influence When You Lack Authority, pg. 45, loc. 690-699
to kabash for their own glory, they end up putting
Clay Scroggins, How to Lead When You're Not in Charge: Leveraging Influence When You Lack Authority, pg. 68, loc. 1045-1045
Self-Leadership Principle #1: Model Followership. If you want to lead well when you are not the one in charge, it’s imperative that you learn how to model followership. What do I mean? Do you know how to follow well? Does the team around you know that you’re following well? Would they say, “Oh yeah, she’s fully behind the leader” or “Yes, definitely. He’s 100 percent behind his leader”? The water cooler talk and office gossip cannot be a part of your life if you’re going to do this right. In an attempt to connect with coworkers or even put yourself ahead, belittling your boss through needless chatter actually hurts you more than it hurts him or her. Your moral authority is vastly more important than your positional authority, and nothing erodes moral authority more than undermining the person you claim to be following. So the first step to master in becoming a leader who leads well when not in charge is how to model what it means to be a follower. As others see how you respond to a bad boss, a terrible decision, or how you handle the stress of being overloaded, they will begin to see you as a leader, even if you lack the formal authority to lead. Your self-leadership in these situations will develop influence and prepare you for future situations you may face. Self-Leadership Principle #2: Monitor Your Heart and Behavior. What is easier to monitor, your heart or your behavior? The truth is that they’re both difficult. The feelings and emotions in our hearts are invisible and difficult to see in the mirror. But our behaviors also have the potential to betray us. All of us have behaved in ways we didn’t want to behave or failed to act on something we wanted to act on. Monitoring your heart involves checking those deep-rooted motives and emotions that lie inside you and give direction to your behaviors. With just a bit of curiosity and initiative, our behaviors may initially be easier to identify. Monitoring your heart requires constantly checking your motives and feelings before God. There is good reason David is called “a man after God’s own heart.” Look at all the times in Psalms when he bared his soul before God, begging God to help him keep his heart pure. How can a young person stay on the path of purity? By living according to your word. PSALM 119:9 Test me, LORD, and try me, examine my heart and my mind. PSALM 26:2 Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. PSALM 139:23–24 No one can do this for you. You have to make a decision to constantly check the emotions of your heart. Has any jealousy rooted itself in your heart? Is someone getting attention you feel you deserve? Do you feel anger toward your boss for something that has happened in the past? Are you frustrated about getting passed over for a promotion or more responsibility? Leading ourselves requires monitoring those dark corners of our hearts where these dangerous emotions lie. Monitoring your behavior must be both horizontal (with others) and vertical (with God). This will mean asking some tough questions of those around you. A few years ago, I made a pretty significant job transition. During that transition, someone recommended I read The First 90 Days: Proven Strategies for Getting Up to Speed Faster and Smarter.3 I did, and it was fantastically helpful. One recommendation the author, Michael Watkins, makes is to solicit as much feedback as possible from your old job before jumping directly into your new job. I was reading this at just the right time. Without his advice to assess my vulnerabilities, I would have jumped right into my new role because I was so eager for the new responsibility. Instead, I submitted an informal, anonymous 360-degree survey to about fifty of the coworkers I had in my former role. I asked them three simple questions: 1. What did I do over the past few years that inspired you? 2. What did I do that frustrated you? 3. What do I not know about myself that has become a blind spot? I received a lot of positive feedback. Unfortunately, I don’t remember any of that. I just remember a few comments, which have caused significant changes in the way I operate at work. “At times, I felt like you weren’t really paying attention to me, but were only thinking about what you had next.” “Sometimes when I’m around you, I get the sense that you don’t really want to hear what I have to say because you’ve already made up your mind.” “When we would meet together, you never really seemed prepared for our meeting.” These comments were invaluable, but they were not news to me. None of them shocked me. I already knew some of this about myself. I was just hoping no one else knew it too. A healthy curiosity should drive your efforts to monitor your behavior. And not just curiosity for curiosity’s sake, but curiosity for the sake of growth. You need to cultivate interest in how others see the way you act and lead. There is feedback orbiting around your world that could change you, grow you, stretch you, and make you better, but the responsibility for soliciting that feedback is yours! You are in charge of you! Self-Leadership Principle #3: Make a Plan. To lead yourself well, you need a plan. You will not lead yourself well by accident. It must be intentional. I call it a “Lead Me Plan.” Everyone needs to be able to answer this question: what are you doing to lead yourself well? What is your “Lead Me Plan”? To lead you well, you need to focus on three simple aspects: 1. Know where you currently are. 2. Have a vision for where you want to go. 3. Develop the discipline and accountability to do what it takes to stay on track. KNOW WHERE YOU ARE As you are developing a “Lead Me Plan,” the greatest mistake you can make is to inflate your own leadership ability. You have gifts, talents, experience, and education that got you where you are. Don’t try to fool yourself. You haven’t arrived! What got you there will not get you where you want to be. Jim Collins noted this mistake made by some successful leaders and companies in How the Mighty Fall: And Why Some Companies Never Give In. He called it “the hubris of success.” The first misstep success brings is to credit the success to your own doing, but this only sets leaders up for future failure: “Truly great [leaders], no matter how successful they become, maintain a learning curve as steep as when they first began their careers.”4 For you to maintain a steep learning curve in this season of your life, you’ll need to be honest about where you are and how you got there. This kind of gut-level assessment of where you are will only happen by asking for it. People around you love you. They really do. They want you to get better. They want you to grow. But rarely will someone love you enough to give you the full truth. I see people walking around with untied shoes, susceptible to tripping, and no one around them is courageous enough to tell them. If you want to know where you are and how you’re doing, you have to ask. One of our key leadership roles recently opened up, and we started talking about who we were going to hire for that position. During the conversation, someone brought up two names of people inside our organization who were interested in the job. The problem was that they had some pretty big gaps in their leadership skills that would keep them from being considered for the job. I asked the person who manages them if the employees were aware of these gaps that were keeping them from being considered. The answer I received was inconclusive, and that frustrated me for their sakes. We won’t improve unless someone is honest with us. Most of the big employment decisions in your career will happen when you’re not in the room. That’s sobering, but I know it’s been true for my career. I’ve gotten jobs and I’ve lost jobs based on what people have said about me in rooms where I was not present. At times, some have spoken positively about me, and at other times, some have spoken negatively about me. Either way, it’s their opinion of me that matters. The same is true about your career. The people you work for have thoughts about you. They may even have thoughts about your future. It doesn’t help you if there is something keeping you from an opportunity—but you are the only one who doesn’t know it. Before you put a plan together for your own growth, you should ask your boss a question: “If an opportunity for promotion came available, what would keep you from fully recommending me?” The answer to that question could be the genesis for your personal growth plan. A word of advice on this: I wouldn’t ambush your boss with that question. Send him an email to tee it up, and mention that you would like to ask him some questions to help you in your job performance. Then follow up in person. And be aware that most people will resist answering that question because it is difficult to answer. Still, the feedback you receive is a good place to start. Follow it up with input from others as well. WHERE YOU WANT TO GO Once you know where you are, the next step is to develop a clear vision for where you want to go. This is often overlooked when people work on a “Lead Me Plan.” One of my weaknesses as a leader is vision—both personally and professionally. I am much more comfortable responding to opportunities rather than looking down the road a few years and imagining my future. A few years ago, my boss approached me with a potential promotion. I called my good friend Bryson to tell him the news. His response bewildered me. In fact, his response was no response. I had to repeat myself because I thought maybe he hadn’t heard me. After telling him again, there was no response. So I had to ask him, “What do you think about that?” I fully expected him to say, “Wow. That’s so great! Congrats, dude.” It seemed appropriate. Instead, he said, “Man, I’ve gotta be honest. I don’t know whether to say ‘congrats’ or ‘sorry.’ I just don’t know what you want, so I don’t know what to say. It feels like they’re just yanking you around without giving you a say. Just seems like you need to figure out what you want to do with your life before I know how to respond.” We all need friends like that. We need friends who remind us that we aren’t just responding to opportunities and circumstances. We each need to have a personal vision for our own lives, a plan for our futures. Without a personal vision for your life, how do you know what to do with the opportunities that present themselves? Especially the good ones, like a promotion? Self-leadership means spending the necessary time and effort to determine your own personal vision for your future. I see many young leaders who have no clear sense of direction, and that can be paralyzing. And while people will probably tell you that your plan for your life rarely works out the way you think it will, aiming at nothing will take you nowhere. It’s
Clay Scroggins, How to Lead When You're Not in Charge: Leveraging Influence When You Lack Authority, pg. 75, loc. 1165-1266
Go ahead and try to say it out loud: “My boss owes me nothing.” I can’t promise that’ll feel good, but I do believe it’s worth a shot. Choosing to believe your boss owes you nothing, or at least very little, is a powerful step forward for the relationship.
Clay Scroggins, How to Lead When You're Not in Charge: Leveraging Influence When You Lack Authority, pg. 86, loc. 1341-1343
Instead, you can choose positivity—even when you didn’t have a say in the decision. More important than making the right decision is owning the decision handed to you and making it right. Positivity will help you with this.
Clay Scroggins, How to Lead When You're Not in Charge: Leveraging Influence When You Lack Authority, pg. 100, loc. 1562-1564
April 3, 2021
My real opinion: listen to a leadership podcast instead and thank me later.
While this book has solid advice for how to work with challenging bosses, “leading up” seems to be the only big idea of the book. I was really hoping for some solid content in regards to peer relationships/coworkers, etc. but found only one paragraph!
Also, I’m just tried, really tired of pastors trying so hard to be culturally relevant, dropping clichés right and left and loosely using theology to back leadership principles. No, thanks.
While this book has solid advice for how to work with challenging bosses, “leading up” seems to be the only big idea of the book. I was really hoping for some solid content in regards to peer relationships/coworkers, etc. but found only one paragraph!
Also, I’m just tried, really tired of pastors trying so hard to be culturally relevant, dropping clichés right and left and loosely using theology to back leadership principles. No, thanks.
September 9, 2021
I wouldn't call this a religious book per se--it really is about being a leader when you lack authority--but there is a distinct Christian flavor to it as the author is a minister and uses many examples from his career as well as the Bible. I loved it because I felt it spoke to some specific challenges I've faced and will doubtless face again in my professional life with clarity and with concrete suggestions.
September 7, 2019
Solid. Almost gave this 3 stars, though, because the the way the author reads the audiobook is very distracting. That said, there was a lot of content that I will put into practice and pass on to others.
April 1, 2025
Good thoughts. Wish I had read it 10 years ago.
April 10, 2018
This was an excellent book for me at a crucial time in my career. My favorite point from Scroggins was taking the initiative to lead yourself before you ask to lead others. Also liked his tips on trying to critique ideas without critiquing the people behind those ideas.
March 29, 2022
Great read. IMO very practical leadership principles and convicting to be a good steward of the position and influence we carry even when it’s not the position we think we deserve.
October 8, 2025
Did not finish
January 1, 2019
I really enjoyed the lessons and approach of this book. The author is accessible and while sometimes trying a little too hard to sound cool, does a good job of being a voice of authority without talking down. I also appreciate the emphasis on being better where you are, rather than being about moving up the chain of command.
The most pleasant surprise for me was the strong Christian slant to the book (I found it in the business books section). Because the author is a lead pastor, he uses the Gospels and the epistles to demonstrate the qualities he recommends in the workplace. Probably heavy-handed for a non-Christian, but I liked it very much.
The book is kept from 5 stars because a couple chapters just didn’t quite get there for me. Most were polished with solid applicable ideas. Others were eh.
The most pleasant surprise for me was the strong Christian slant to the book (I found it in the business books section). Because the author is a lead pastor, he uses the Gospels and the epistles to demonstrate the qualities he recommends in the workplace. Probably heavy-handed for a non-Christian, but I liked it very much.
The book is kept from 5 stars because a couple chapters just didn’t quite get there for me. Most were polished with solid applicable ideas. Others were eh.
November 27, 2019
Not bad, but composed in a very annoying way. I'll explain.
It might have been a good (even recommended) read for the newbie in a leadership position. Good advice, but mostly basic and redundant. But that's not the worst part - the composition of the book and essense of it is really slimmer than its length.
The 'practical' advice is what bothers me most here - the author is a pastor and have managed and lead churches (yes), which does not reserve anything from the reader as advice is mainly given from this perspective - either New Testament and Bible quotes and stories that most of us either cannot relate to or, on many cases, seems like a stretch to get to a point that is unnecessery and doesn't really help the conversation (not to say missionary, imho).
The other issue I had with the book is its cringe-level of pop-culture references. Now - I'm a geek at heart and can appreciate a meme or a reference to an obscure movie from time to time but honestly there is too much of it in the book which, at some point, seems like the author tries too hard to be relatable (maybe because of the previous issue) but comes out as clumsy and again - too much of it.
If those issues were even toned down there weren't left much in the book and would be a 12-pages binded pamphlet which can be given in a corner of the street from some generous, young, clergyman with a welcoming smile and sleek look.
It might have been a good (even recommended) read for the newbie in a leadership position. Good advice, but mostly basic and redundant. But that's not the worst part - the composition of the book and essense of it is really slimmer than its length.
The 'practical' advice is what bothers me most here - the author is a pastor and have managed and lead churches (yes), which does not reserve anything from the reader as advice is mainly given from this perspective - either New Testament and Bible quotes and stories that most of us either cannot relate to or, on many cases, seems like a stretch to get to a point that is unnecessery and doesn't really help the conversation (not to say missionary, imho).
The other issue I had with the book is its cringe-level of pop-culture references. Now - I'm a geek at heart and can appreciate a meme or a reference to an obscure movie from time to time but honestly there is too much of it in the book which, at some point, seems like the author tries too hard to be relatable (maybe because of the previous issue) but comes out as clumsy and again - too much of it.
If those issues were even toned down there weren't left much in the book and would be a 12-pages binded pamphlet which can be given in a corner of the street from some generous, young, clergyman with a welcoming smile and sleek look.
November 14, 2017
Casual read for people in their early twenties, plain and simple. Although while reading this I have found some motivation to persevere in my line of work, most of the time it was likely to predict what the next advise will be like. No offense, but 15 quid is a rather expensive price for such modest amount of "meat" in the book.
At some point author mentions mental issues that make it harder to control his temper, adding that there is a biological explanation for that. Few chapters earlier the same author claims that your inner appetite for creating change is driven by God. If I were him I'd probably look for biological reason for these thoughts too (ha-ha).
Yes, be prepared for more of that. I am not a Christian, but I found these Bible citations and analogies somewhat interesting. I agree with most of what Scroggins says about leadership, and some organizations indeed will only pick leaders that have been able to develop influence without formal authority. But finding ground in religion for doing so is a rather new concept for me. I am pleasantly surprised with the perspective of a pastor, he did some thinking in his domain and it's a point of view worth of attention.
I'd recommend this book to some of my younger friends that struggle with aching ambition now. I wish somebody gave me this five years ago or so.
At some point author mentions mental issues that make it harder to control his temper, adding that there is a biological explanation for that. Few chapters earlier the same author claims that your inner appetite for creating change is driven by God. If I were him I'd probably look for biological reason for these thoughts too (ha-ha).
Yes, be prepared for more of that. I am not a Christian, but I found these Bible citations and analogies somewhat interesting. I agree with most of what Scroggins says about leadership, and some organizations indeed will only pick leaders that have been able to develop influence without formal authority. But finding ground in religion for doing so is a rather new concept for me. I am pleasantly surprised with the perspective of a pastor, he did some thinking in his domain and it's a point of view worth of attention.
I'd recommend this book to some of my younger friends that struggle with aching ambition now. I wish somebody gave me this five years ago or so.
February 11, 2018
Some great practical knowledge.
Top takeaways are:
Our behaviours flow from our identity.
The most important conversation you have each day is the ongoing one you have with yourself!
Discover what has shaped your identity by writing out a timeline of earliest memory to present of the 5 highest highs and 5 lowest lows of your life (then realize how this has defined you up to now.)
What you believe about why you are on Earth will deeply affect the opportunities you see before you.
Great leaders maintain a steep learning curve as the more they learn the more they push themselves and take on.
Stop being critical and start thinking critically.
Never present your boss with just a problem, always have a plan.
When someone brings you a problem, always ask them what's the plan.
HOW TO ASK: Say This rarely happens but I'm sure at some point when I disagree with something I see what's the best way to bring that up with you?
The greatest enemy of anger is delay. - Payne.
Always declare your intentions before you challenge.
Top takeaways are:
Our behaviours flow from our identity.
The most important conversation you have each day is the ongoing one you have with yourself!
Discover what has shaped your identity by writing out a timeline of earliest memory to present of the 5 highest highs and 5 lowest lows of your life (then realize how this has defined you up to now.)
What you believe about why you are on Earth will deeply affect the opportunities you see before you.
Great leaders maintain a steep learning curve as the more they learn the more they push themselves and take on.
Stop being critical and start thinking critically.
Never present your boss with just a problem, always have a plan.
When someone brings you a problem, always ask them what's the plan.
HOW TO ASK: Say This rarely happens but I'm sure at some point when I disagree with something I see what's the best way to bring that up with you?
The greatest enemy of anger is delay. - Payne.
Always declare your intentions before you challenge.
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