The difference between power and authority!

 

In April 1887, the British historian Lord Acton wrote to Bishop Creighton observing ‘…power tends to corrupt; absolute power corrupts absolutely…’

I have been reflecting on this statement and have come to the conclusion that ‘power’ has nothing to do with leadership.  Please allow me to explain.

Leaders are put into place in all aspects of our society.  Business, politics and religion are just some examples.  In every instance there is either an explicit or an implicit understanding among all parties.  Specifically, the leader is granted both the responsibility and the authority to carry out a clearly defined mandate.  At the same time, the third leg of this agreement holds the leader to account for their actions and their results. This third component is as important to the equation as the two former aspects for without accountability we have no way to judge performance.

However, some ‘leaders’ believe that they deserve certain entitlements above and beyond that which was intended in their appointment.  These individuals seek not leadership’s authority but power because, in their determination, power allows them to amend the bounds ascribed in the ‘responsibility and authority’ elements and to ignore the accountability entirely. They desire unilateral freedom to operate as they choose without any of the normal checks and balances.

We have all had our personal examples of situations where this has played out.  In these instances you must run, not walk, away as quickly and as far as possible.

Typically these people are incorrigible.  And more so, they are dangerous. They are often sociopathic and narcissistic in spite of their apparent charm and appearance. Power is addictive and generally self destructive.

The world has several of these types operating politically; Russia, North Korea and China obvious examples.  These are the most notorious because they are the most visible.  But do not be deceived, countless others lurk in the shadows.

Religion has offered us far too many examples as well.  You need to be in those circles to recognize the names. But be assured that power has been exploited far more frequently than one might imagine.

We have seen power play out in business as well.  The tech world offers several current examples.  The landscape is littered with so many others – think Nortel and Enron to get you started.

In all of these examples, individuals sought power to broaden the scope of their influence and/or abuse the influence that they were granted.  They expected, without justification, that they would not have to face scrutiny because they were self-diluted to believe that the rules did not apply to them.

These people are not leaders. They are abusers.

Authentic leaders achieve through the efforts of those they lead and they recognize those contributions. These impostors seek only recognition for themselves through deceit, deception and defamatory behaviour.

Lord Acton was right in 1887.  The past 135 years have done nothing to dispel his assertions. 

Hopefully we can all learn from history!