August 2010, Columns
Authority and responsibility
One of the greatest attractions to management is being in the driver’s seat. We all yearn to exercise control over what happens to us. Management becomes a magnet for satisfying that yearning: power, control, money and prestige. After all, managers call the shots and exercise authority and control.
Authority, however, does not come from a job title, but from its responsibilities. This understanding stems back to the Greek philosophers who recognized that: “No one can be obliged to do the impossible.” They viewed authority as a necessary tool equal to carrying out one’s responsibilities. They viewed power as having a similar balance.
It’s easy to become so taken by the power and control side of management that we overlook its responsibilities. If an organization is to thrive, responsibility and authority must always be kept in balance. Certainly, we as CEOs perform an important function within our organizations. Our positions are critical to its success, but so are other positions. Each position has responsibilities, and the balance between responsibility and authority holds true to every position within an organization.
I entered my first CEO position at age 33 when hired to establish a comprehensive community mental health center for the 129,000 residents living in and around Independence, Mo. In one year, the organization went from a staff of one (me) to 80 personnel operating a 24/7 public mental health service.
Faced with this quantum leap, I looked desperately for role models. Since Harry Truman lived five blocks down the street, he became a logical role model for me. How could a Missouri dirt farmer without a college degree ascend to the U.S. presidency? I read Plain Speaking, his oral autobiography. In it, Truman repeatedly emphasizes the importance of “staying in touch with one’s roots.” He feared that the power of his office could go to his head and lead to bad decisions. Despite the famous sign on his desk — “The buck stops here” — Truman reminded himself repeatedly that he was a common man. He dismissively described the presidency as “that job down there at the White House.”
Truman was a history buff. When he encountered challenges, he looked to history for examples of similar scenarios and the results of decisions made at the time. The outcomes guided his decision making.
Two of the most important areas CEOs must address are delegation of authority along with maintaining full accountability. Successful managers understand that employees need the necessary authority to meet their responsibilities. Insecure and ineffective managers use the guise of accountability to reserve power and authority to themselves. Their personnel are caught in the untenable position of responsibility without authority.
Traditional organizations are pyramids in which the “most important” people sit at the top. That’s erroneous thinking. Successful organizations function more like a wheel with hub and spokes. Managers are the hub that holds the spokes and wheel together, but if a single spoke lacks strength, the wheel will fail.
During my 30 years in management, I was always keenly aware of the responsibilities that came with my job. I was responsible not only to customers and a board or higher level manager, but to personnel and their families. My decisions, good or bad, impacted many people. Personnel depended on the reliability of my judgment when making major family and financial commitments. Boards often made key decisions based on my recommendations.
Management is a necessary organizational role, just like Harry Truman’s “job down there at the White House.” Organizations that thrive delegate authority equal to the responsibilities of each position. Adequate and appropriate delegation empowers personnel to act responsibly. Without proper delegation, “No one can be obliged to do the impossible.”