To discover the link that unites authority and service, one must have understood what authority really is. It’s not just: “I decide; he executes.” It would be too easy. In reality, what constitutes authority is much more subtle and much deeper: a kind of quiet force.
Authority is essential to any community. It embodies responsibility, not power. It obliges as much the one who exercises it as the one on whom it is exercised. It derives its Latin origin fromautoritas, which stems from Auger, meaning “increase, raise towards”, denoting a bottom-up movement. Too often in France, we think of authoritarianism when we speak of authority. But it is a question of making the other grow through esteem and consideration. In medio stat virtus : true authority therefore lies between domination and resignation.
I am sure that, during your schooling or your adolescence, you felt that the status of parent or teacher, oh so necessary, was not enough, however, to establish authority. You are right ! I also know that you easily recognized the real authority in some of your educators, without however being able to explain precisely what was hidden behind it.
A ridge line
Authority with a capital A is a crest line, one that does not fall into any of the two traps that await it. Neither the abuse of power which destroys authority nor the demagoguery which is its very negation. Neither coercion nor argument. Neither cold hardness nor warm softness.
When authority is excessive, the confidence of those over whom it is exercised is betrayed. When authority weakens, indecision increases. From indecision arises ambiguity. From ambiguity arises confusion. These are the two surest paths to defeat.
Between abuse of power and weakness, the path is narrow and demanding. It has a name that you know: the service of the common good! It is above all in the sense of service that we recognize authority.
The charisma that calms anger
Authority with a capital A listens, decides, orders, trains, directs, guides, corrects, sanctions if necessary, encourages or consoles if necessary. It warms what is cold and straightens what bends. She does not count her time or her efforts. It creates a dynamic, a momentum, a movement in which we wish to be part. It arouses adhesion and the will to win. It is based on charisma, which calms anger and reassures fears.
If we take a little height, I advise you, when you have to exercise any authority, to respect, as I do systematically, the four chronological stages essential to any assumed decision. It all starts with the design. You will not be able to motivate your teams, which you will have the honor of leading, without a vision, without knowing where you want to lead them. Then, you will have to convince to win better. We do not drive teams today to go beyond without them having listened, heard, understood, adhered. You must ensure this ownership of the decision. Then comes the time to lead the action, managing the hazards and the unexpected as well as possible, without changing the major effect and the point to be reached, with flexibility, but also tenacity in the effort. Finally, you will have to control, through constructive feedback, seeking to improve performance, without concession and without acrimony. To do this, the sooner the better, before the daily grinds you into the wind of emergencies and makes you forget the balance sheet to be drawn.
Mix of competence and charisma
These four verbs – design, convince, lead, control – start with the same prefix meaning “with”. I’m sure you’ll remember them! Thus, you will not seek to have authority, but you will be authoritative.
Authority never exists by itself or for itself. It is embodied by a person. In the army, he is called the chief. In the civilian world, if this term is frightening, we can call him the leader. The one who will give body and heart to his role with a clever mix of competence and charisma. The one who, refusing to “use” his position, will on the contrary put his authority at the service of the mission received. The one who, despite his imperfections and his mistakes, will know how to keep his authority, because he will have had the humility to question himself. He who will avoid falling into the abuse of authority, so classic drift for all those who stray from wisdom, fall into the trap of pride and lack discernment. The one who will avoid succumbing to management through mistrust, pressure and fear. The one who will avoid dividing and conquering, which creates a climate of suspicion and mistrust.
And then, obviously, the one who is authoritative and wants to lead his life usefully must look far, leaving the vicissitudes of the present time to apprehend the great spaces; it requires practicing the art of strategy.