Have you ever been on a team where everyone seems to gravitate to you for advice and guidance, supporting all the initiatives you bring forward? In times of ambiguity and need for clarity, team members come to you to help solve problems instead of the official leader. You might dismiss or credit it to being a team player, but there is more to it. You are demonstrating leadership qualities, and the gravitational pull is due to your attributes and skills.

This is a positive sign, yet often, people not in formal leadership positions may block or prevent this connection out of fear that they will undermine the leader’s role. Don’t shy away from this; you are leading up, you are leading beyond your authority, and people are choosing you as a leader. In this article, we will define the term “leading beyond your authority” and support you in maintaining or developing these behaviors to continue supporting your team, organization, and leader.

To understand how to lead without formal authority, it’s essential to recognize the importance of two main factors that give one this ability to influence others: leadership attributes and excellent technical skills.

Attributes: The Bedrock of Leadership

Courage, reliability, and empathy are the foundations of effective leadership. These qualities are cultivated through consistent behaviour in both personal and professional spheres.

To illustrate the importance of attributes, let’s expand on reliability. What exactly makes someone reliable? They are punctual, combat complacency, and never accept mediocrity. They take ownership of their actions, both professionally and personally. When they hit a roadblock, they find a way to work through it with a positive mindset and attitude.

Being reliable is an attribute grounded in specific skills and actions. For example, committing to never being late for work involves setting your alarm early enough, accounting for potential delays like traffic (time management), laying out your clothes and packing your lunch the night before (organization), and fueling up your vehicle on your way home (proactivity). As you can see, being punctual combines time management, organization, and proactivity. Similarly, never missing a deadline relies heavily on these same skills. The takeaway is that attributes are combinations of many skills practiced both professionally and personally, driven by core values.

Technical Competence: The Backbone of Expertise

Attributes are derived from soft skills practiced holistically. In contrast, technical skills are specific to workplace settings and tradecraft, where you demonstrate your expertise by making good decisions and solving problems per company culture, values, policies, and procedures. 

Mastery of these skills earns respect from peers and leaders alike, showing that you have the practical knowledge to back up your leadership. This builds credibility and trust. When team members see that you can solve complex problems and provide valuable insights, they are more likely to seek your guidance and support. Staying updated with the latest developments in your field and continuously improving your technical skills is why people choose you as their leader. 

Becoming a Leader Beyond Authority

How does one position oneself to lead beyond one’s authority courageously? Here are key strategies:

1. Prioritize Personal Growth: Strive to become 1% better every day. Challenge your perspectives by considering other viewpoints. Continuously seek new practices that add value and increase personal and professional effectiveness. Turn your beliefs into practiced values through consistent actions. It takes courage to help a friend in need, just as it takes discipline to stay organized, manage your time, and be proactive daily.

2. Pursue Professional Growth: Constantly seek opportunities for professional development to become an expert or master of your tradecraft. Learn from everyone, including those junior to you. Embrace every training opportunity and view each task as a chance to improve and learn.

Conclusion 

Having the discipline and consistency in practicing these skills and demonstrating these attributes authentically is the formula for trust. Trust is built through reliable, consistent actions that demonstrate integrity and competence. A reciprocal trust relationship creates an environment of psychological safety, enabling you to lead effectively. This environment is creating this gravitational pull for people to come to you; this is giving you the opportunity to lead beyond your authority. You are the people’s choice to lead; don’t let fear or hierarchy threaten this leadership energy you are permeating. 

Leading beyond authority requires personal growth and a relentless pursuit of professional excellence. It involves courage, humility, and tenacity. It is understanding that the mission comes first, but people always. We are all born leaders, embrace the opportunity and aspire to be a leader who influences without formal authority, driving positive outcomes and fostering a high-performing team environment that achieves superior results for your organization and community. 

CLOSING NOTES

At All Around Performance, we believe leadership isn’t granted—it’s earned. Whether you wear a title or not, how you show up matters. Leading beyond your authority begins with the choices you make every day—how you act, how you support others, and how you build trust through consistency.

This article was written by Michael Hanke, a leadership facilitator and former Canadian Armed Forces member with nine years of service in Artillery and Intelligence, including four overseas deployments. He blends tactical insight with business expertise, holding a Bachelor of Business Administration and a Blue Seal in Business Competencies. With experience that spans military operations and project leadership, Michael brings a sharp, grounded perspective to leadership development in high-performance environments.

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