The unlikely link between authority and empowerment

Published: Sat, 05/03/14

"Authority" is not a bad word.

Be sure your interpretation of the word authority doesn't hold you back.


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I've been talking to a budding author recently.  He's in his 20s and very likely to land a book deal here soon.  He told me he repeats this to himself in the shower every day: "I'm an expert. I'm an expert. I'm an expert."

It's as if he's trying to catch up mentally with his accomplishment.

The word authority gets a bad rap.

This got me thinking about the word author, and the related words authorship and then authority.  In some cases the word authority has... click here to continue to read the rest of my article at the Smartblog on Leadership site.


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My Best,
Mary Schaefer
Coach and trainer for managers of people and anyone committed to their own development and advancement.



About Mary Schaefer: I'm a coach and trainer for managers of people and anyone else committed to their own development.  My belief is that the key to real effectiveness is self-empowerment.  Click here to find out more about what I mean by this and what it can mean for you.

Question? Comment? Click reply and let's talk.
The Empowered Manager's Success Kit
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To be a "good" manager of people it's understood that you are responsible for motivating your employees, for guiding them through rough patches, for being there when they need you and particularly to answer their questions. This is all well and good until your good intentions result in your employees becoming too dependent on you, and they stop challenging themselves to be more resourceful.

The Empowered Manager Success Kit is full of tools and guides to help you move from the "good" manager mindset to that of an empowered manager, one who is comfortable without their own authority, using it for right and noble reasons.

The really interesting thing about YOU becoming more empowered is that it makes room for your employees own resourcefulness and brilliance to blossom.  You want to be a part of that, right?


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