Authority and Power

“Okay, here is what I want to happen,” Gordon explained. His description was thorough. He painted a good picture.

“I can see your vision,” I replied. “How do your people see this?”

“That’s the problem. I think I explained it well, in the memo I sent out, but they don’t seem to get it. For some of my team, I don’t even think they read it, and I get a little heartburn from that.”

“So, you haven’t figured it out, yet?” I asked.

“Figured what out?” Gordon’s head tilted.

“As interesting as I think I am, I finally figured it out. Nobody listens to me. As interesting as you think you are, nobody listens to you.”

“But, I’m the boss! They have to listen to me.”

“Gordon, you have a kid at home, right? Do you, as the parent, have the authority, at dinner, to demand that broccoli be eaten?”

Gordon sat up. “Well, yes I do.”

“But your kid has the power to determine whether broccoli will, in fact, be eaten.”
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There’s a lot of valuable information in this course that isn’t easily available elsewhere, and the coaching from Tom in addition to accountability for actually carrying out the assignments makes for a solid learning experience. Keep up the good work. The online format makes the course accessible, and makes it easy to put into practice directly in a work environment. -Erik LaBianca

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3 thoughts on “Authority and Power

  1. jonathan

    Nice post – “When I shout nobody listens” would be a really great title for an anger management/parental skills course..

    In these days of technology – where workers do literally own the means of production (their laptops) & can just fold it up & walk away – managers really do need to develop strategies for managing without power

    Reply
  2. Joel

    “Nobody listens to me.”
    “Managing without power”
    Welcome to IT Support. If I had a dollar…

    Will watch this one with interest. Thanks. 🙂

    Reply
  3. Dennis Blanchard

    With vision and goal settingthere has to be a trust but check follow thru attitude by the manager

    Reply

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