Clay Scroggins: How to Lead When You're Not in Charge
Clay Scroggins spent two decades working inside a multi-site church organization, a structure not unlike a franchise, where local leaders answer to a central office they don't control. He had a title. He had a team. What he often didn't have was the authority to make the changes he knew needed to happen. That gap became the foundation for his book How to Lead When You're Not in Charge, which has sold over half a million copies and is now used far beyond the church world, in companies, sports teams, and colleges.
The Steering Wheel That Doesn't Turn the Cart
Clay tells a story about pushing his kids in one of those car shaped grocery carts. The kids spin the little plastic wheel, convinced they're steering, while Clay actually controls where the cart goes. He realized he'd been living the same illusion at work, blaming his boss and the org chart for his lack of movement, the way his toddler blamed the wheel. His conclusion: if you're waiting for a title or a promotion to finally let you lead, you'll wait a long time, and even getting the promotion often doesn't solve it. What actually moves things is influence, not authority.
Four Habits That Build Influence
Clay landed on four behaviors that build influence regardless of where someone sits on an org chart, or in a brokerage.
1. Lead Yourself First
Clay's rule: nothing proves your ability to lead others like what you do daily to lead yourself. For real estate agents working solo, facing constant rejection with no one holding them accountable, this means tying emotional energy to controllable actions rather than outcomes. Did you make the calls today? Did you follow up? The sale is a lag measure. The activity that produces it is what you can actually control.
2. Choose Positivity
Positivity, in Clay's framework, is a decision, not a personality trait. He points out that people in genuinely difficult circumstances around the world often choose better attitudes than people who have it easier, which proves it's a choice available to everyone. For agents, this means resisting the story that a client will surely choose someone else, an assumption that's often both unhelpful and untrue.
3. Think Critically, Don't Just Be Critical
Clay draws a sharp line between the two. Critical thinking looks for solutions and builds something. Being critical just identifies problems and tears something down. The difference often comes down to whether the other person can feel that you care about the outcome, not just that you spotted the flaw. For agents, that shows up as creative problem solving in service of the client, not just pointing out what's wrong with a listing or a negotiation.
4. Reject Passivity
The most common trap for people without formal authority is passivity, waiting for permission instead of acting. Clay notes that most agents are rarely passive with their actual clients, but often go passive on new business generation and relationship building, which quietly limits their future influence. His fix: three questions. What's creating anxiety in your business? What problem keeps coming up unsolved? And if you could wave a magic wand and change one thing, what would it be? Each question points toward something you can actually act on.
Why This Matters for Agents Specifically
Clay's central point applies directly to real estate: agents never have authority over their clients. The client makes the final decision every time. The only lever an agent actually has is influence, built through trust, expertise, and consistent behavior over time. Learning to lead well without authority now, Clay argues, is exactly what prepares someone to lead well later, whenever more authority does come.
Listen to the Justin Landis Show
Every week, Justin brings in experts from across the real estate industry, including agents, brokers, investors, and leaders, to share what actually works. Expect real stories, real strategies, and no fluff.
Subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts so you don't miss an episode.
Ready to explore what's possible in Atlanta real estate?
🏡 Buy or sell with Justin Landis Group: justinlandisgroup.com
🌟 Join or learn about Bolst: bolst.homes
Justin Landis is the founder of Justin Landis Group and Bolst, two of Atlanta's leading real estate companies. He lives in Atlanta with his wife and three daughters and has been selling Atlanta real estate since 2008.
