Practical Authority

We've been looking at ideas around power and authority the past few weeks. So far, we've examined the differences between Positional & Relational Authority, and the healthy Sharing of Authority.  In this installment I want to think about some practical ways that healthy authority can be utilized. To help with this process, I want to touch on two areas of application.

Credit/Blame

In his classic book, Good to Great, Jim Collins has a powerful chapter describing what he calls Level 5 Leaders.  One of the characteristics of these truly great leaders is what they do with taking credit and assigning blame.  In almost every study he conducted, Collins found these leaders were quick to pass along credit to other people on their team or in their company when things went well. Very rarely did they take credit for any successes that were being achieved. In contrast, when things went wrong, they didn't point fingers at others but took the blame for what was happening on themselves, even if they didn't have anything directly to do with the problem. Very rarely did these leaders ever throw anyone else under the bus. In other words, even though these leaders were often the people at the top of the org chart with the most positional authority and maximum power, they gave away as much credit as possible and took as much blame as possible.

Praise/Correction

I wish I could remember where I first heard this approach to using your authority in correcting or giving praise to a teammate, but I've never forgotten it! This adage simply says, "Praise in public. Correct in private." This practical approach to using authority actively looks for opportunities to tell someone you believe in them, or you are grateful for the job they are doing. It can include naming a strength or characteristic of an individual or group for who they are and what they bring to the team or organization.  In contrast, this approach recognizes that whenever you need to give someone some constructive criticism or direction on correcting a behaving or job performance issue, that is best handled in a private settings where there isn't as much of an opportunity for shame or embarrassment to arise.

As you consider these two practical ways to use authority, which area of focus would make the most impact if you were to give it some attention? Is there a particular situation, person or context that comes to your mind where it would be helpful to either give away some credit or take on the blame? What about praise and correction? Who could use a boost right now by giving them some important and authentic praise in front of others? Do you need to give some constructive feedback or make a correction with someone? How could you do that in a strategic way that was more private so you don't bring about an opportunity for embarrassment?

Here's to using our Authority Practically this week!

Be Well,

Stephen

Center was created to support individuals and teams so they can live from their Purposeful Center.  We specialize in professional coaching and leadership development and we’d love to support you!  Click on our Services page to book a free consultation.

Shared Authority

I'm grateful for another opportunity (even if it's a day later than normal), to drop into your inbox and give you something to ponder.

Last week I introduced the idea of Authority to us, looking specifically at the differences between Positional & Relational Authority.  This week I'd like to think about another aspect of authority as it relates to group dynamics and the healthy sharing of authority.

I've had the honor of doing some learning and study into group dynamics and the ways in which relationships form within a group context. One of the consistent themes in that learning has been clear - authority is a key ingredient in every group situation. Sometimes that authority is held and used by a single individual. This is often accomplished through demand and power. But some of the healthiest and most effective groups allow for authority to be shared and even "passed around" throughout the course of their time together.

For example, you may be in a team meeting that is being led by a particular individual. This is actually helpful because someone needs to get things started and help the work to move along. However, if that individual does all the talking and is dismissive of other people's ideas or input, they are indirectly (or maybe directly!) trying to maintain the power and authority over everyone else in the meeting.  The message is clear, "I am the most important person here and my opinions matter more than anyone else's." 

In contrast, if the person who starts the meeting or is in charge of the agenda seeks input from others and asks questions and actually waits to hear answers, they are demonstrating a desire to share authority in a way that is healthy and seeks the collective wisdom in the room. Of course, you can see this requires humility and a desire to actually believe that others have value and their ideas matter - to be humble enough to pass along authority to others in a way to brings greater shared value through collaboration.

As you reflect on the various groups and teams you participate in, where do you see healthy authority being shared? If you are in charge of any of those settings, is your tendency to hold onto the authority or to share it? What would it take to encourage a greater sense of shared authority in order to unlock more potential from the collective wisdom of the group? 

Here's to leaning into Shared Authority this week!

Be Well,

Stephen

Center was created to support individuals and teams so they can live from their Purposeful Center.  We specialize in professional coaching and leadership development and we’d love to support you!  Click on our Services page to book a free consultation.

Authority!

I have had several powerful conversations in recent days regarding authority as a leader, so of course I thought of you and our weekly communication!  It's actually too much to fit into one message, so I'll do the first installment this week, and then will share some more thoughts next week.

To kick this off, let's start with some basic understandings.  There are two main types of authority a leader can utilize: positional authority and relational authority. If you study leadership you know this is an over-simplification, but I think these two components are a great foundation for understanding how we can use authority as leaders.

Positional Authority

This is the type of authority we have from the position we hold. Most of the time this is derived from org charts and the structure of an organization.  For example, if I am a manager, then I have positional authority over anyone who I am managing.  This authority is often based on job descriptions and titles and can include anything from approving a timecard to providing supervision, and even assigning tasks and roles for a project. At it's most basic, positional authority says, "I can lead you because of my position."

Relational Authority

This is the type of authority we have, not just from the position we hold, but from the relationship we have been able to develop with the people we are leading. This authority has been developed through the time we have spent together and the way in which I have demonstrated that you matter to me.  Hopefully, that relationship has grown in both directions so the people we are leading also care about us. In this dynamic, the authority in our roles is based primarily on our relationship, not our positions. At it's most basic, relational authority says, "I can lead you because we care about each other."

Ideally, I think it's best to primarily lead from the place of relational authority, but there are some situations where positional authority is critical. For example, relational authority takes time to develop so someone in a new leadership position may have to lean more on their positional authority at first while they continue to develop their relational authority with others. Additionally, there are times when leading significant change (especially quickly) may require a leader to rely more on positional authority, but again, that is typically only a temporary situation. For the most part, you know how much better it feels to lead and be led by someone using primarily relational authority.

What situation are you encountering right now where you need to rely on your authority to get something accomplished? Which one is better suited for the project at hand? If you need to use positional authority, how could you also work at developing the relationships along the way at the same time? Is there a hard decision you need to make, but you have a lot of relational "change in your pocket" to be able to use to help navigate that change well?

Here's to using our Authority well this week!

Be Well,

Stephen

Center was created to support individuals and teams so they can live from their Purposeful Center.  We specialize in professional coaching and leadership development and we’d love to support you!  Click on our Services page to book a free consultation.