4
CONNECT AUTHORITY
TO RESPONSIBILITY
Authority is the power to decide how something gets done.
Responsibility is being held accountable for whether
something gets done.
For every metric that you hold someone responsible
for meeting, do they have the authority to do what
needs to be done? What if they would do things
differently than you would?
If your people can only do what you tell them to do,
the way you tell them to do it, then they only have
responsibility and not authority – and if they fail, then
you should be held responsible as a leader, not them.
Real leadership means letting people make decisions.
If you don't trust them to make those decisions, then
why are they in a decision-making role?
THOSE WHO ENJOY
RESPONSIBILITY
USUALLY GET IT;
THOSE WHO MERELY
LIKE EXERCISING
AUTHORITY
USUALLY LOSE IT.
MALCOM FORBES
FORMER PUBLISHER OF
FORBES MAGAZINE
