Corruption is Authority Exercised without Need

The manifestation of authority is necessary for rapid decision making for any community. It allows groups of people to act in unison, thereby multiplying their efforts in a single direction. But there is a vital consideration for leaders when authority is exercised. Is it necessary for your groups current course of action? By exercising authority, whether it be real or imagined, you limit the individual freedom and creativity of your community members. Authority also serves as a measure for information value. In this case we trust information from an authority on a topic, this I'll call expertise.

Expertise

One of the greatest types of authority is field expertise. Having deep and complex knowledge of a specific topic is the defining characteristic of an expert. These domain masters can predict fine details with great accuracy within their problem space. Essentially they "own" their domain. Expert authority, when systematically initiated, is capable of driving groups to perform amazing accomplishments. In an ideal scenario, each field expert would act with authority at just the right moment, with the precise level of community resources. This agile leadership enables a community to perform what is impossible for an independent set of people, or a group with a single voice of authority.

This dynamic leadership model represents the agility and adaptability of businesses, nonprofits, and even huge corporations or governement branches. We should be aware of authority exercised without need, and should embrace shifting authority within larger organizations.