authority Archives - The Practical Leader

4 things to consider before dismissing that suggestion or idea

If it didn’t work then, will it work now? Elephant syndrome is what I call it, the tendency to never forget. But I am not referring to a good memory. I am talking about a faulty forgetter. Like the elephant in the photo, we remain tied with string to obstacles we could readily overcome. That...

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Leadership is not about who you are but about where you’re going

Self-importance seems to go hand in hand with titles. Ascending to a position of power and importance can readily go to one’s head. One leader revealed that within hours of being appointed to a new job, one where he was in charge, he received two phone calls from colleagues encouraging him to show his power,...

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Using Authority, Capitalizing on Power

I was in my first year of junior high school. That means the ripe age of 12. I had enrolled in woodshop as one of my permitted elective courses and very excited about learning how to make things. I don’t really remember the first project we were given to work on. But I do remember...

The difference between an incomplete leader and an incompetent one

The myth of the superhero leader, a person of unlimited ability, charisma, and strength persists. Indeed, throughout all of history we have forced the illusion of the larger than life figure who is faster than a speeding bullet, more powerful than a locomotive, and able to leap tall buildings at a single bound. Without...

3 leadership lessons I learned on board the USS Midway

In mid-January of this year my son and I spent the better part of a day touring the USS Midway, a decommissioned aircraft carrier berthed in San Diego harbor. I’ve been on naval vessels before but none as large as the Midway. As awe inspiring as the Midway’s war making capabilities were, both Nathaniel and...

The principle of promissory note

You see them too if you ever scan the listings. I am talking about the jobs sections of Craigslist. You can make thousands of dollars working for an unnamed company whose application address is a blind one. This is a common theme of mine. The setting was a private school. The newly installed headmistress faced...

The Principle of Good Faith

Back when I wrote a series called Power Plays, one of the articles dealt with the practice of authority (read it here). I made the following points within that article: Authority is both delegated DOWNWARD and awarded UPWARD. You authorize someone for a particular job. They grant you authority to oversee and hold accountable. When...

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The Power of Example – two reasons why it is imperative that we practice what we preach

“He that gives good advice, builds with one hand; he that gives good counsel and example, builds with both; but he that gives good admonition and bad example, builds with one hand and pulls down with the other.” Francis Bacon You can get to the top of our profession and game by being conniving, ambitious,...

6 Bases of Power – the nine characteristics of a Principle-Centered leader

I raised quite a firestorm a few years ago when I wrote an article called “Cardboard Elvis.” (You can check it out here.) It discusses the disparity between charismatic leadership and principle-centered leadership. They are not mutually inclusive nor are they mutually exclusive. The article explains that while society in general is attracted to charismatic...

6 Bases of Power – Charismatic

They stand out, those charismatic leaders. Larger than life and more enduring than time, their names remain known and their works referred to yet today. People like Jesus, Caesar Augustus, and Charlemagne anchor ancient history. In the more recent past it is Washington, Jefferson, Adams, Lincoln, Henry Ford, Aimee Semple McPherson, Churchill, Hitler (despicable but...