tbc News - Authority Part 2

Hello Reader,

Did you hear about the CEO who snatched a signed merch item out of a child’s hand? Or about the cryptocurrency firm CEO who embezzled his customers’ money and used it as a private bank account to buy luxury homes and cars? Did you hear about the CEO who had an inappropriate relationship with his subordinate and then lied about it? Lied about it and then was fired for it? At this point you are probably asking, which one? There are so many.

What is it about authority figures in our lives who seem to think that the whole world is up for grabs, and all they have to do is reach out? I am curious about why they think that the rest of the world will conform and comply? What is it about us that we seem to almost expect it, and accept it? Up to a certain point.

This behavior is not limited to any particular country, industry, gender, or title. Power corrupts and corruption is evident in every sphere of our society. Whether it is politicians or policemen, CEOs or clerks, grand theft or petty theft, criminal misconduct or personal indiscretion - abuse of authority is the norm rather than the exception. So much so that there is an annual Corruption Perceptions Index.

But we didn’t all start out that way. As we were busy climbing the corporate ladder, all of us had to prove ourselves worthy at multiple steps. We had to prove ourselves competent, punctual, and honest. We had to show that we could follow the rules, and that we had integrity. We had to get along, and care about each other’s opinions or risk getting labeled difficult. But somewhere along this journey a few of us took a fork that took us away from the norms of regular behavior. A path that many of us contemplated, but most of us hesitated upon. It took them down a slippery slope of moral ambiguity, compromising decisions, and internal justification.

Power at play

Is it power and authority? Do they affect us in more tangible ways than we imagined? Do they affect some of us more than others? Adam Galinsky is a social psychologist, author, and professor at Columbia Business School. He co-authored research that explores the effects of power on people. He conducted various experiments, and two of his salient findings are:

1. Power reduces the capacity to take the perspective of the other.

2. Powerful individuals tend to pay less attention to the emotions of others.

So it’s not really the CEO’s fault you see. The higher they rise, the more power and authority they accumulate, the more out of touch they become.

So where does that leave us? Should we avoid power & authority at all costs? Should we curb our ambition, lest we fall prey to its evil? How much power is too much and when does authoritative leadership become authoritarianism? Is there a difference?

In this month’s worksheet we explore some of the red flags to watch out for when it comes to authority. Can you think of any more? Let us know.

This concludes the series of posts that we started last month on #authority. We hope to continue the conversation offline. If there's anything that you would like to add, feel free to email us, or reach out on our LinkedIn page.

Until next month,

Anjani

Click below to download this month's coaching worksheet.

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One last thought...

What is the role of leaders in our society? In our lives? Is it fiscal responsibility towards their organization? Are they responsible for the physical & emotional well being of their people? Is it growth at all costs? Or steady leadership and stability? Do we need them to be custodians of culture and community? Are we asking too much out of them? Are we only too happy to abdicate our own responsibilities, because they are “in charge”? Do they owe us anything? Do we? What do you think?