Leading Without a Title

Hey guys,

Today I want to talk about leading teams when you’re not officially the manager. I’ve been in plenty of situations where I was asked to “manage a project” or “keep an eye on things” but didn’t have the title, status, or recognition to formally lead the team.

One of the toughest roles I had was as a product manager, where I had to rally a team of PhDs, professors, and experts—all at least twice my age. I actually heard someone say, “I didn’t sign up for some kid to tell us what to do.”

Yet, despite that, I managed to turn things around. The team was happy with me running point, even though I wasn’t the manager or leader in title. Over time, they saw me as an equal and didn’t feel like I was ordering them around.

I want to share some of the key lessons that helped me make that happen.

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Sharing the Upside

In competitive environments, it can feel counterintuitive to share the spotlight, especially when you’re gunning for promotions or trying to transition from an intern to a full-time role.

But here’s the thing: sharing the upside and truly recognising your peers’ contributions creates an environment where people want to support you. It’s also funny how, when you do this, you naturally start to feel like the leader—even without the title.

In my situation, I made sure to recognise the hard work of the team when reporting to my superior. It helped that I genuinely tried to understand why their work mattered and highlighted that in my updates.

Help Others Articulate Their Ideas

Helping others express their ideas is one of the best ways to support your team and build strong relationships. You also start to fill the role of facilitator, which positions you as a natural leader. These are exactly the qualities that management looks for when considering people for leadership roles.

Now, helping people articulate their ideas doesn’t mean saying, “I think what Ajay is trying to say is X.” That can backfire—you might be wrong, and it can make you seem like you’re overshadowing them or trying to correct them.

A better approach is to ask probing questions and guide them in expressing their idea more clearly. You can also use clarifying questions to help them structure their thoughts. This allows them to shine without feeling undermined.

Take Initiative

A lot of people hesitate to take initiative, whether it’s for new ideas, projects, or even small things like taking notes or turning meeting discussions into action items. These little things can make you invaluable to the team.

When I show up to meetings, I’ve usually prepared an agenda, jotted down quick notes on what I’m thinking, and listed out the questions I want answered. These small actions can make a huge difference.

Hope you enjoyed this edition! Also thanks to those who fill in the poll, I do take the feedback seriously.

How many opportunities do you get to practice your feedback skills? Use this opportunity to help me improve or tell me what you like so I keep doing it.

Cheers,

Ajay