Since you started your PhD have you ever felt this dilemma?
You are invested in your project and want to bring it to success. You have a clear idea of how it should look like and you have done your due diligence to know what you are planning is sound. And you know that if you don't make it happen, nobody will.

But, you aren't officially in charge.

Officially, you work for someone else who pays your salary and has the last word in any decision on your project. And to make it work you need to get them to follow your lead and give you the freedom (and support) you need to succeed.

You need to learn the skill of "lateral leadership".

Successful lateral leadership is based on three pillars: Trust, communication, and power with trust being the basic prerequisite for successful lateral leadership. It can be described by this formula:

Trust = (Credibility + Reliability + Empathy)/ Self interest

So, if you want to lead "bottom-up" , those higher up in the hierarchy need to trust you first. And as a first step to increase trust in you and your capabilities you can reflect on the following four questions:

• Which parts of the “trust formula” are easy for me?

• Which aspects should I consider more?

• Where am I in power?

• What are levels of escalation I am willing and capable of getting at?

Knowing the answers to these questions will help you understand your current level of influence and help you identify which aspects of the "trust formula" will help you improve it.

If you found these tips helpful you might also benefit from the course "Become the CEO of your PHD".
In six modules you will learn how to take ownership and control over your PhD project and shape it so it contributes to your desired career path. If you're interested, DM me and you'll be the first to know when registration opens.