Am I properly exercising my authority?
I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth
–Jesus
Recently, I watched an interview with Dr. James Tour, a world-famous organic chemist and nanotechnologist. A professor at Rice University, he was named among “The 50 most Influential Scientists in the World Today” by TheBestSchools.org in 2014. He also happens to be a passionate follower of Jesus.
The question under discussion was the age of the universe and whether the current scientific consensus of 13.8 billion years could be harmonized with the biblical creation account. At one point, the interviewer asked a question drawn from the field of astrophysics. In response, Tour said he was an expert in chemistry, not physics. Therefore, he was not prepared to make any definitive pronouncements since physics was not his field. In essence, he was saying that he could speak from authority in chemistry (his lane) but not with the same authority in physics (not his lane).
In the public domain, opinions are frequently expressed based primarily upon the perceived authority (aka influence) of the speaker rather than supporting evidence. Thinking about Dr. Tour, I can confidently say he has forgotten more about physics than I have ever known! Thus, were he to opine on anything from the field of, say, astrophysics, he would be credible with me since he is a world famous scientist. Given his fame, his refusal to be drawn out of his specific scientific lane should be a lesson to us all when we are tempted to opine on anything!
The foregoing got me thinking about authority in general and, more specifically, in business. The most typical application of authority in business is positional. For example, when I was CEO of a company, my authority to command the enterprise’s resources was delegated to me by the board of directors. My authority was circumscribed by certain constraints imposed by the board including budgetary. In turn, I delegated authority to members of my staff in accordance with the board-approved business plan for which I had implementation responsibility.
Whether we are considering authority based upon position or expertise, it is important to note that it is not unlimited. It is usually constrained by the delegator (if only by a time limit) or limited to her or his specific field of expertise.
Another application of authority in business is special expertise. For example, my former CFO had a professional designation in accounting. Most of the investment analysts in the firm held the CFA designation or had some relevant university education. Whether we are considering authority based upon position or expertise, it is important to note that it is not unlimited. It is usually constrained by the delegator (if only by a time limit) or limited to her or his specific field of expertise.
Authority is also a core concept governing the actions and attitudes of followers of Jesus in leadership. In this case, the delegator is Jesus Christ, who, per his earlier words, possesses literally all authority. Thus, in the case of conflicts between the teachings of Jesus and the conduct of the businesses we lead, we must bow to Jesus’ authority even if prioritizing his direction is costly.
Importantly, Jesus has delegated authority to us, his followers, by commanding that we share our faith with everyone including our marketplace peers. If we don’t, we are disobeying the Commander-in-Chief of the universe! Moreover, we have all the necessary knowledge and expertise, namely the indwelling Holy Spirit and biblical revelation.
Are you properly exercising your delegated authority?
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