What’s the first thing that comes to mind when you think about "authority"? Is it a great writer you admire, your boss, your doctor, your parents? Or is it you?
Chances are pretty good that you were NOT first on your list. Why not? After all you are an authority about all kinds of things. You may even occupy an official position of authority like being a manager, a vice-president, a teacher, an author, or a director.
And even if you don’t hold an official position of authority in the business world, what about your authority as a parent, a volunteer, a student of life?
Miriam Webster offers, among other definitions, a generic definition that can apply to anyone: "power to influence or command thought, opinion, or behavior."
Yet sadly, most people, even in business, have a difficult time owning their own authority.
So, why might it be difficult for you to see yourself as an authority? Check yourself out with these few examples....
True or False:
• If I claim to be an authority, people might think I’m arrogant or conceited.
• If people know that I’m an authority about a topic or process, then everyone will expect me to do most of the work.
• If I describe myself as an authority in my work, it will churn up painful feelings about not being paid enough.
• If I insist that I be seen by my manager as more of an authority than is currently on her/his radar, I’m afraid it will just cause friction between us and more dissatisfaction on my part.
• If I go after far more authority within my profession, I’m guessing I’ll have to leave some friends and associates behind.
These are just a small sampling of issues that hold people back. Whatever your answers were, take a moment to consider calling forth your willingness to be seen by you – first of all – and by others – which will follow – as more of an authority.
There are no snappy, easy answers to taking on a larger identity as an authority.
And not everyone in your friendship circle and your family is necessarily raring to have you move on up. In fact, there may very well be those who consciously or unconsciously will feel threatened, jealous, or just strangely uncomfortable.
That’s because most people like the stability of the status quo. They prefer to keep things "the way they’ve always been."
But, since you are reading this, chances are good that you aren’t among "most people." In fact, since you are interested in your own authority, you probably take pride in your intelligence, imagination, and ambition and any number of other traits and abilities.
So, as a wrap up for now, how are you feeling about disrupting your own status quo and claiming more of your own rightful authority? I look forward to hearing from you in the Comments section.
Judith Sherven, PhD and her husband Jim Sniechowski, PhD http://JudithandJim.com have developed a penetrating perspective on people’s resistance to success, which they call The Fear of Being Fabuloustm. Recognizing the power of unconscious programming to always outweigh conscious desires, they assert that no one is ever failing—they are always succeeding. The question is, at what? To learn about how this played out in the life of Whitney Houston, check out http://WhatReallyKilledWhitneyHouston.com.
Currently working as consultants on retainer to LinkedIn providing executive coaching, leadership training and consulting as well as working with private clients around the world, they continually prove that when unconscious beliefs are brought to the surface, the barriers to greater success and leadership presence begin to fade away. They call it Overcoming the Fear of Being Fabulous http://OvercomingtheFearofBeingFabulous.com.