Leading When You're Not in Charge

The seminar is scheduled to begin on March 3rd with lunch at noon and end after lunch on March 5th.

Some leaders also have the luxury of also ‘being in charge’, with the power and resources to ‘get things done.’  Most real-life leadership, however, is about how to lead – and appropriately influence change – when you’re not the one in charge. 

Congregations themselves can turn out to be ambivalent about the use of power and authority in leadership relationships, and at times withhold the authority that leaders need to effect change.  As a result, leaders often discover that they need to artfully exceed the authority that the congregation is willing to give them if they are to succeed.  This is true whether the leader in question is a layperson, a junior clergy, or a senior clergy person, for example, in a new or changing leadership position.

This course is designed to teach a ten step model for the artful, effective and ethical use of power in leader/follower relationships.

Participants will:

• Learn about borrowed, granted and earned power bases
• Discover how to choose appropriate and ethical forms of influence
• Practice resisting inappropriate attempts to undermine leadership
• Recognize the presence of resistance, compliance and/or commitment
• Explore a variety of venues for appropriately exerting leadership authority
• Learn to share authority through delegation and participative decision making
• Understand the importance of accountability in volunteer organizations and learn methods for building an accountable system
• Explore the dynamics of trust in building leadership strength

About Susan Beaumont
Prior to joining the Alban Institute, Susan Beaumont spent ten years consulting with congregations, nonprofit organizations, and corporate clients. Her specialties include change management, leadership development, and conflict management. Susan has taught graduate and undergraduate classes in leadership, communication, and organizational behavior. She is an ordained minister in the American Baptist Churches, USA.