Autority vs Infuence in Mgt
from What Best Managers know &do.com 08 Sept 13 enhanced by Peter.CXO Wiz4biz
What is a Manager? One element of being a manager that lures many to the profession is the idea of having some real “authority”, of being in control of something and of having the power to give orders & directions that make things happen. Managers have the authority to hire & fire employees, dictate assignments & tasks, orient subordinates to their specific roles and place in the organization’s pecking order, establish ground rules for acceptable workplace behavior and of course – call meetings which most subordinates will feel obligated to attend. In one sense, this is making some things happen !!!
Getting more done. But what if what a manager really wants to accomplish involves goals or objectives that will require the assistance & involvement of others who fall outside her or his direct line of authority? In other words, what if you need the assistance of individuals you haven’t the authority to order or require to do anything? Moreover, what if — given human nature — even some of those individuals over whom you have direct authority seem reluctant to do as they are told? Almost at once on becoming a manager, the best managers come to appreciate the limits of the authority they possess. Giving orders & directions is one thing, gaining “compliance” is another. And the higher a manager rises in an organization’s hierarchy, the more challenging gaining compliance becomes, despite the greater positional authority they possess.
Influence. I believe it is not just the “authority” a manager possesses, but the Influence s/he can exert to persuade others — subordinates, peers, management — to join them in pursuit of a specific goal that is the hallmark of their success. Over time, the best managers are far more distinguished for the broad influence they exert over people, objectives & events, than they are for the raw authority they occasionally display.
The Power of Influence. Unlike the power of authority that resides in the position a manager fills, the power to “influence cooperation & commitment” from others, resides within the character of the manager herself or himself. One can cultivate a broad network of potentially useful & important colleagues, but that alone is not enough. What makes others want to work with us are those qualities of personality & character our daily behavior either does or does not display.
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