Authority: Obedience on Display | The Right Call S1E5

A lot of Christian business leaders wrestle with authority. The fear goes something like this: if I exercise it fully, it's going to look un-servant-like. So we hesitate, check with everyone, and wait for consensus before we act.

Washington hands it back

At noon on December 23, 1783, a man in uniform stood before the Continental Congress and, in a voice often faltering with emotion, said: "Having now finished the work assigned me, I retire from the great theatre of action, and bidding an affectionate farewell to this august body, under whose orders I have so long acted, I here offer my commission and take my leave of all the employments of public life."

George Washington had fought the world's superpower for eight years and won. He had the loyalty of the army and the adoration of the people. If anyone could have made himself king, it was him. He didn't try to hold on to power or extract a single concession. He handed it back.

During those eight years, though, he didn't always wait on Congress. At Valley Forge, with men unpaid, without shoes, and deserting, he didn't hold endless empathy sessions around the campfire. He brought in von Steuben to drill them, executed deserters, and dipped into his own stores to pay people. He used all the authority he had to accomplish the mission, and when it was done, he surrendered it.

That's authority as obedience: bold in service, humble in surrender.

Upward, not downward

Most models see authority flowing downward, exercised on subordinates. Modern servant leadership makes it consensus-driven, which helps engagement and slows decisions. In the first century, authority was an upward partnership. A Roman steward ran the household on the owner's behalf, and his authority was measured by how well it served the master's mission.

The ogre on the phone

On board USS Saratoga, I was responsible for damage control maintenance all over the carrier. Two men worked for me directly; seventy more had other jobs and owed me this work on the side.

One day I overheard one of my two guys on the phone describing me as an ogre. That's not how I'd have done it. What I noticed was that the work was getting done. He was exercising more authority than I might have granted at the start, and it was all aimed at the mission. Rather than rein him in, I let it run.

Most of us treat authority like a limited liability partnership: what's the least we can give, and how do we limit our exposure? That's fear talking. An expansive partnership works better.

Five steps

1. Clarify the master and the mission. Why am I doing this, and for whom?
2. Embrace our identity as servants, then use whatever authority we have to create success for the master we've chosen.
3. Communicate, communicate, communicate. Regular check-ins keep us aligned.
4. Act as their agent. Instead of "How should I handle this?" bring "Here's what I plan to do. Any reason I shouldn't?"
5. Monitor and adjust, so we can spot misalignment and pivot quickly.

Jesus wasn't sent as a leader. He was sent as a servant, in complete alignment with the Father's will. Leading disciples was what the mission required. True servant leadership is a servant who is called to lead, not a leader who chooses to serve. Before He left, He told them: go, teach all nations, baptize them, and teach them to do all He commanded. When people see us dead set on their success, they start wondering what makes us different.

This week

Pick one step. Then look for one place where better alignment lets us push the boundary, because now we know where the boundary is.

I'll be honest about my own struggle. Years ago, as a frustrated, failing New York Life agent, my dad told me, "Jeff, you have only one problem keeping you from success. You always think you have a better idea." I didn't want to hear it. He was right.

A question to sit with

Where can I exercise my authority more boldly, because I'm more closely aligned?

This is Episode 5 of The Right Call: Wisdom Simply Applied.