Last month, I discussed four qualities that are important for a leader to have within an organization: Authenticity, Commitment, Enthusiasm, and Service (ACES). However, there’s another quality that successful leaders need to have, and that quality is authority.
When we think of authority in a modern context, we might get the impression that authority relates to power, almost in a manipulative sort of way.
In this blog, I’d like to challenge that notion of authority and propose that we look at authority differently. Let’s redefine authority and discuss how we can build and maintain authentic authority in our businesses.
Defining Authority
To understand what I mean when I talk about authority, let’s define it.
The Merriem-Webster dictionary defines authority as, “power to influence or command thought, opinion, or behavior.” This definition is probably what most of us think of when we think of a person with authority: someone who commands other people.
However, I’d like to present a different definition for you to consider.
The English word “authority” comes from the Latin term auctoritas. The best viable translation of auctoritas would be “social authority, reputation, and status.” It was different from legal or military authority. Rather, auctoritas was an intangible prestige, partly earned and partly inherent.
Auctoritas could be earned by valor on the battlefield. It could also be reached by obtaining the most prestigious political magistracies, such as consul: the highest office of ancient Rome.
However, there was a second part of auctoritas that preceded the first. Part of having auctoritas was inherent because one had to have a noble bloodline, an ancient family name, and far-reaching social and political connections.
In our current culture, we don’t judge people’s authority based on their nobility or family name. However, we still take into account a very similar quality– a person’s reputation.
It’s one thing if you have the merits to necessitate your authority. Do you also have the character to back it up? After all, leadership is about more than just form– it’s about substance as well.
Therefore, you gain authority as a leader when your actions match your character.
With this perspective on authority, let’s discuss how you and I can both develop and exercise this authority– this auctoritas– as leaders.
Values-Centered Authority
There’s a quote from Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland that says:
“If you don’t know where you are going, any road will take you there…”
As a leader, the best way to achieve your goals while still effectively leading others is to e-VALUE-ate your values.
What exactly do I mean by that?
Once, I asked my children and wife to describe me in a nonphysical way. What was the first thing out of all of their mouths?
“You love your job.”
While I certainly take pride in my work, I was devastated. Somewhere along the way, my values had gotten mixed up, and I forgot the whole reason why I do the work that I do.
As leaders, if we aren’t careful, we can easily lose the forest for the trees, so to speak. We get so caught up in what we’re doing that we forget the things we truly care about the most?
What are your personal values? What are your company’s values? Taking a values-centered approach to leadership not only helps you make decisions with integrity and clarity; leading with your values reinforces your authority.
Because, let’s face it: People don’t leave bad jobs, they leave bad leaders.
Leading With Authority in the 21st Century
For decades, our culture has held the “hustle” mindset and says that you have to constantly strive if you want to achieve anything. We are encouraged to constantly throw all of our time and attention towards busyness and productivity in order to succeed.
In recent years, however, there’s been a shift. In a post-pandemic landscape, people are starting to prioritize a healthy, thriving workplace over money and success. People’s reasons for leaving a company are increasing, and the amount of time that a person spends at one company is decreasing.
While this shift reflects a positive shift happening in the corporate landscape, it also has serious implications for you as a leader. You have to be more proactive than ever in keeping a healthy and united team together at your workplace.
In this current cultural moment, being a leader is more challenging than ever, which is why a values-centered approach to leadership is crucial. Placing your values at the center of everything you do strengthens your integrity and therefore emphasizes your auctoritas to those you lead.
Authority, Leadership, and Rest
If a values-centered approach helps you build and maintain your authority, then what does it take for you to e-VALUE-ate your values?
The answer is simple: rest.
Let’s be honest: Those of you who are leaders and have been for a long time don’t take time to sit and think about leading, do you? At this point, being a leader probably feels pretty natural to you.
Like a computer, our brain might not be focussed on the tasks at hand, but the “leadership software” is running in the background all the time.
This can become exhausting over time– and when we’re burnt out, we are less likely to make clear, well-informed decisions.
Integrating rest into your weekly and even daily routines will sustain you so that you can enact your values in everything you do.
In order to be effective, your rest has to also recharge you. Think of your phone for a moment. Putting your phone into Airplane Mode doesn’t recharge the battery, it simply slows down the rate at which it drains.
Similarly, if you want your rest to help you recharge, you have to find activities that do that for you! Whether you need to recharge physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually, or relationally, there are so many different things you can do to recharge. Some of my favorite things to do include:
- Reading a book
- Talking with friends and family
- Prayer
- Cutting firewood
- Volunteer work
For me, these things help me recharge. The things that help YOU recharge might look different, but it’s important for you to find things that address your needs on a regular basis.
Show Authority in Critical Moments
People with authority know how easy it is to lose that authority in times of crisis.
The way you handle a crisis says a lot about your values. In times of comfort and thriving, it’s easy to say you value things such as honesty and wellbeing… but in times of crisis, your actions speak so much louder than your words.
I call it the hot water tea bag effect. When you place a tea bag in hot water, the tea seeps out and permeates the water.
You are like that tea bag! When your organization finds itself in “hot water”, your true values will come out.
Oftentimes, organizations rely on plans, policies, and procedures to help them through crises. While well-meaning, these things often only skim the surface of the problem at hand and fail to address the problems at the root of a crisis.
When you take a values-centered approach to a crisis, you move beyond the manifestation of the problem to address the root of it, resulting in healthier, growth-oriented workplaces.
To have the authority to lead through change and crisis- to enable an outcome of growth, instead of creating a cycle- is an inside-out endeavor.
Concentrating on what you are aimed towards ensures that, when a person, leader, or organization is in hot water, their values will leak out.
How do you want to be perceived as a leader?
I remember an older man telling me years ago, “John, there are two types of people leaders in the world… Those you are happy to see, and those you are happy to see go…
“You get to choose which one you will be.”
Think about leaders you’ve had in the past. Which ones have you loved… and which ones have you loved to see go?
For leaders who you genuinely trusted and enjoyed following, think about their auctoritas. What qualities and actions gave them their authority?
Then, think about the kind of leader you want to be. You get to decide your values and how you portray them. What will you do to make sure that others see your auctoritas the way you want them to?
Part of successfully embodying your auctoritas is having people you can go to for advice. Who in your life can tell you the truth about your character and your actions, as well as help you reorient those things around your values?
Let’s face it— leadership is tough in today’s ever-changing landscape. No matter what you do, you’ll face criticism from all directions. My hope is that you will be so rooted in your values that you can be a great leader even amongst all of the noise.
Need help evaluating your values and discovering your auctoritas? I’d be happy to have a conversation. Let’s talk about how a values-centered approach to leadership can give you authority in your business or organization.
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