Authority is something that is rarely talked about yet demonstrated all the time. In this article I want to address how healthy authority should function in the leader’s role. To do this, I will use two key elements of leadership to reveal healthy versus unhealthy authority. These key elements are overseeing the achievement of the vision, and serving others.
Overseeing the Vision
The higher up an individual is in the leadership of an organization, the greater the stewardship the leader has in leading, protecting and ensuring the achievement of the vision. This fact alone marks leaders in their distinctive functions within their organization. Leaders are responsible for the vision, Period! If the objectives of the organization fail, the leader is branded with its failure. If the organization succeeds at those objectives, then the leader will be noticed for its success. Therefore, a major function of the leader is to steward or oversee the vision. The higher up leaders are in their organizational position determines the extent of their role in establishing the vision that they oversee.
Because leaders carry significant responsibility concerning the success of the vision, one of the greatest challenges they face is “how they will function in their authority”. The pressure of the success or the failure of the organization’s vision will move leaders in one of two different directions.
Picture yourself walking along a roadway and suddenly you arrive at a Y in the road. You are forced to go either to the right or to the left. This analogy is like leaders walking their path of leadership. To arrive at their destination, they will be forced to proceed either to the right or to the left. Which direction the leader goes will depend entirely on the culture (mindset) that exists within the leader himself. Either a culture will be created where the leader is known to pressure, manipulate or use people and be the one who is right in every situation. Or, the leader will work hard at building a culture that recognizes the importance and value of every team member. This type of leader has a deep understanding that the success of the organization’s vision can’t be achieved without the whole team succeeding in their individual roles.
This is where authority will be demonstrated in the leader’s function. All leaders possess authority. The question is, “How does the authority express itself?” This is the Y in the road. For one type of leader, the pressure of responsibility will cause them to relate to the people under their charge in a very unhealthy way.
To illustrate, a leader and owner of a company paid his staff minimum wage but spent money very freely on himself, his household, business expenses, and went on extravagant trips. One day an employee in a very difficult financial family situation approached him and asked for a pay raise due to his ongoing faithfulness. This leader rejected the request, and worse, was heard complaining to others that such a request was made. This true story exhibits a leader who has responded to the responsibility and authority of his function and role by being uncaring and using his people rather than serving them. This leader has failed to see that the greatest commodity that he has is the people under his charge. He has missed the value that is in them that will enable the vision of his organization to come to pass. This leader has not created a culture that brings out the best in others but rather he has created a culture that suppresses and stifles the individual team member’s potential and individual significance.
Serving Others
Another leader, with the same responsibility and pressure of leadership, comes to the same Y in the road. This leader responds in a healthy manner by recognizing that he has the responsibility and authority to serve others and bring out the best that is in them. The pressure becomes a focused energy to extract the best from his people and through their individual success ensure that the vision and organizational objectives are achieved.
Think about yourself and your current role. Do others in your organization talk about you as a hero and champion, or are you the dreaded enemy they all want to avoid? When they talk about the workplace with their spouses or other family members, do they talk about you with respect as someone that is a great leader? Or, are you the subject of criticism and constant complaints?
Some leaders just don’t care about the answers to these questions. But, we all should. Putting our people first and bringing out their best is the greatest expression of our authority that we can demonstrate in our leadership territory.
What are some signs of authority that is expressed in unhealthy ways?
- Staff turnover is constant. Unhealthy leadership will not keep people for the long haul.
- Miserable work environment. Unhealthy work cultures do not breed laughter and fun in the midst of work.
- Deadlines are most often missed. When people are not working out of their point of excellence, the organization is often behind and struggling to catch up.
- The product or service fails to deliver. Time and expense is wasted on continuously fixing problems that could have been avoided before they happen.
Is authority in organizational leadership essential? Absolutely!
Without it, the vision will not be achieved and the organization will never proceed successfully forward towards meeting its objectives. The question is, “What kind of authority is being expressed in your leadership?” Do people honor, respect and gladly submit to your authority? Or, do your people do everything that they can to avoid having contact with you so they won’t have to encounter your authority?
Great leaders are leaders who:
Create a culture that BRINGS OUT THE BEST in their PEOPLE and INSPIRES them to achieve MAXIMUM results.
~Dr. Steve McEvoy
Dr. Steve McEvoy has his doctorate in Leadership and Organizational Development. Dr. Steve with his partner Randy Linzel are co-founders of byDesign Group. ByDesign Group is a team of specialists who are committed to “Leading organizational transformation for breakthrough results.”
The Necessity of Authority