Leadership is often seen as an act that requires stepping forward to assume authority. However, with peers, share your authority and lead from the middle. In other words, step back! Peer leadership, once trained, can have a very potent effect on an organization. Let’s start with some helpful hints.
Listen more than you speak. Before you act, listen to your peer’s assessment of the situation. Do they want or need help? No one likes a meddler but most of us appreciate a helper. If people want help, do not pull a “command and control” or “takeover” act.
Identify the true problem before you act. The presenting issues may only be a symptom of a larger issue. Size up the situation and assess what you can and cannot do as well as what you will or won’t do.
Stand back. Work with your peer. Think like a film director. You are the one behind the camera. The actors are doing the work. You are simply putting things in focus and providing some direction. Be willing to lend a hand but don’t take over. Remember that you are a colleague, not a boss.
One step forward, two steps back. Sometimes the need to act is urgent. Crisis provokes a call for immediate action. Work side by side with peers in their arena. Be there, assist and when the crisis is over, step back and let your peer resume control.
Don’t overreach. Ask what authority they want you to have. Often there are rivalries among peers, so sharing authority can be tricky and one misstep can be treacherous.
Leading peers gets you noticed as someone who knows how to make things happen while respecting others and developing trust. Those who can lead from the middle are rare but essential elements of any enterprise.