Wednesday, November 1, 2017

Which authority type are you?

I was reminded this week of some leadership behavior that is destructive. It wasn’t even in my own life, but with a family member. I was extremely frustrated to hear the details around a conversation involving a high-level management person and a person on the front lines of getting work done. I had coached this person in how to approach a situation and much to my dismay, the high-level management person decided to minimize the intelligence and worth of someone I care deeply for.

It’s the age-old dilemma of positional versus moral authority. Those that lead well don’t allow their position to go to their head. People who lead based on their position on the organizational chart don’t understand one of the core components of leadership…influence. They lead with the mentality of being superior because of their position. They lead with intimidation. They ignore input, demand control and disparage people below them on that organizational chart. It pains me to even use the word lead when describing their behavior.

Moral authority is based more on your character and behavior than an organizational chart. It doesn’t matter what your title is. I’ve lead teams, groups and individuals on numerous occasions without a title. How? Developing my moral authority through influence. To earn the right to influence someone you must build trust. To build trust, you invest time with people and show you are dependable and competent. It also helps to show you care by showing genuine, authentic concern about them as people.


You can be both considerate and effective as a leader. Effectiveness doesn’t have to suffer just because you are a nice person. Sure, there are boundaries to set and difficult conversations to have. If you have developed moral authority along the way, those conversations are not only easier but often more constructive as well.

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