Everyday People, Extraordinary Leadership

CHAPTER 6Encourage the Heart

IN THE ACCOUNT of his Personal-Best Leadership Experience, Alex Dinh voiced issues common to many leaders without titles. “As a product manager for a line of products within my work organization,” he told us, “I am often challenged with leading a cross-functional team that consists of members from engineering, marketing, operations, sales, and support, but I don't have any direct authority over them. This is inherently challenging as I am influencing team members to prioritize my requests along with those of their direct supervisors, account managers, other product managers, and even their own self-interests.”

This situation was particularly frustrating for Alex because he had previously managed a team with direct reports, and he felt that he had gone out of his way to make sure that the team was recognized for their work and felt appreciated. “I was motivated to do this,” he said, “since I felt responsible for their performance, career advancements, and happiness at work. Upon transitioning to an individual contributor, I no longer felt responsible for providing this type of encouragement or feedback to others.”

I felt that my praise was meaningless since I had no direct influence over my co-workers. They were my peers, and many were my friends. I offered an occasional, “thanks for getting this done” acknowledgment, but I no longer went out of ...