How SMEs can Handle Authority at the Work Place

Samchi Group Founder and Chief Executive Officer Madam Esther Muchemi has something unique for us to digest today. Her topic today is:

AUTHORITY

I listen to a lot of SMEs conversation and one thing that keep coming up is, many SMEs seem to struggle with authority in the workplaces.

Authority is that legitimate power given to a person to make them responsible to the assignment given to them.

This authority is delegated and flows from top – bottom, never bottom up. A bottom-up situation is illegal and very chaotic. The later I would call it “politics”, and it can exit if allowed too.

This authority that comes through delegation is defined at various levels and segments. Eg, A finance manager is totally in charge of finance matters of an organization and an account receivable accountant is in charge of receivable in the organization, the later reporting to former and the former report to CEO, for example.

The big question I keep on asking, why is it so difficult, these days, for some people to obey authority, especially among the young generation?

Obeying simple things like reporting to work on time, doing reports expected from you, working on your targets etc.

Do people derive a satisfaction from doing their own things? If so, is it beneficial to the individual or the organization?

My answer is; it is not!

You may look like you are temporary winning, but the end game is you won’t go very far.
It retards your career growth as nobody wants to work with people that defy authority.
The authority above you may not outrightly tell you all the time, but they do make a mental note and come review time and promotion time, these things matter, they all add up.

Remember authority creates order and order brings better results. Pulling down each other hurts you, the other person and the organization.

Today I want you to take a moment, and try to understand the power of authority, in making you and your organization the best that can ever be.

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