“You can’t pull rank when there’s no rank to pull.”
That’s the reality in volunteer settings. Increasingly, it is the same in many modern workplaces too.
There’s a difference between being in charge and being followed.
Between holding authority and holding trust.
Between command and influence.
And the further you move into voluntary, community-based, or matrix leadership, the more that difference matters. Because when people do not have to follow, how you lead becomes everything.
The Limits of Formal Power
In many organisations, leadership still rests on a traditional model. Authority by title, reinforced by hierarchy. It assumes compliance flows from structure, and motivation comes from position.
This aligns with transactional leadership theory (Burns, 1978), where leaders exchange rewards for performance. It works in theory, but in volunteer settings, it simply does not apply. You cannot offer promotion. You cannot hold someone to task with a performance review. And you certainly cannot pay someone to care.
In St John, I’ve led volunteers who do not report to me. I’ve coached leaders who do not work for me. I’ve tried to build momentum in rooms where everyone could opt out, and no one was getting paid to stay.
That is when you realise. Command may be loud, but it is short-lived. Influence, on the other hand, scales.
“Real leadership begins where formal authority ends.”
When You Can’t Rely on “Because I Said So”
Volunteer leaders are often asked to lead without the levers most leaders take for granted. You cannot issue directives and expect alignment. You cannot rely on process alone to hold things together.
The leadership style required here is much closer to transformational leadership (Bass, 1985), where trust, inspiration, and shared vision carry the weight.
But even that model, if misunderstood, can fall short. Influence is not the same as charisma. Not everyone inspires through bold vision. Some lead through reliability. Through showing up. Through patience and quiet confidence.
You do not need to be inspirational to be influential.
But you do need to be credible.
“You’re not leading robots. You’re leading people who are choosing to be there.”
Four Components of Influence
So how do you lead when formal authority is not guaranteed?
1. Credibility
Be consistent. Be prepared. Know your subject and your responsibilities. Say what you mean, follow through, and stay informed. This reflects expert power (French and Raven, 1959), where influence comes from knowledge and trust.
2. Clarity
Influence needs purpose. If people do not understand the why, they will not commit to the what. Shared direction matters more than formal delegation.
3. Connection
Kouzes and Posner (2017) argue that leadership starts with modelling the way, but it also requires listening. Deep listening creates trust. It signals that people matter more than systems.
4. Contribution
You earn influence when people see you doing the work. Servant leadership (Greenleaf, 1977) is not just about humility. It is about visibility and presence. You lead by going first, and by going with.
“If you want people to move, let them see you moving first.”
Influence Is Slower, But Stronger
Command can produce quick results.
Influence builds lasting commitment.
It takes longer. It is less visible. It demands patience and presence. But when it works, people act not out of obligation, but from alignment. They stay, not because they have to, but because they want to.
This is just as true in a Scout hut as it is in a modern workplace. In any team where ownership is shared, leadership becomes distributed.
Even distributed leadership theory (Gronn, 2002) supports this. Leadership is often stretched across teams, not confined to one role. Influence becomes something collective, not singular.
“The future of leadership is not more control. It is more credibility.”
Final Thought
You cannot lead with command alone. Not in volunteer teams. Not in culture work. Not in the workplaces of today.
But you can lead with influence.
With clarity. With presence. With service. With consistency.
So if you are leading a team that does not have to follow you, good.
That is where the real leadership begins.
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