Do you need to be authoritarian to have authority?

Is being authoritarian the same as having authority?

Hello, hello.

"Do you need to be authoritarian to have authority?" No, no, absolutely not.

I believe it's the complete opposite:an authoritarian person, right off the bat,in my opinion, acts from a place of insecurity,because even if we compare it to when we're at home,and here I'm bringing up the topic of children,because I think, at least from my view, it's very connected,I don't stray much from the values and principles I teach my kids,in a different format, yes, but I want that to exist within my teams too.

But when someone has to be authoritarian, it means they, somehow,can't defend that decision well, or place it above all,or maybe they're not confident enough to explain that decision,or they don't believe in it.

Because if one truly believes in it, and is confident explaining it,even knowing people will disagree,I think people follow those who care.

I mean, I personally follow people who care about me.

If my manager cares about me, about my opinion,if they listen to me, if I state my reasons and they say,"I understand, but it'll go differently, still, I'm open, we can revisit it later," it'll put me at ease instantly, I'll see they understood my point,they understood it, but it's not possible, or they see it differently.

We work in companies, so there's always someone above,who has to make decisions, and they're tough decisions.

I think it's very easy to criticize decisions made at the top Because we don't know the full context, we only see our own,And that's also why we are in the company, to look around us.

But my way of showing authority is by conveying what I often say to my kids, which is...

full responsibility, full freedom.Freedom comes from freedom of opinion, from people expressing how they feel,talking about difficulties, using one-on-one meetings to say exactly why something isn't working.

I set out a strategy, not necessarily from a place of authority, but from sharing my experience,what I've seen elsewhere, or with other colleagues,I think what must be done is this, this and this, and I expect you to do it.

And I expect them to do it, because it's exactly what I'd do with them.

If someone asked me to do or say something,what I couldn't understand is what must be done, a tweak in Salesforce, a change of any kind,listening to people's opinions, it comes from a democratic place in which, ultimately, I have to be the one in charge,because the position demands it, and because it's part of my role,and that's why I'm there, but never by being authoritarian,because I believe it loses value that way, above all, it loses value.

And that's why, going back, freedom to think,and to challenge decisions, always with space for explanation and, ultimately, I think what we're talking about is disagreement,understanding that, as I often say, not every day is Saturday,there are Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays,every day will be a good day, but going back,to the first principles, it's okay, but we know we are all in for the common good,We know that everyone's honest, that we're all committed to what we're doing, and that I feel compassion for everyone's struggles, but that, in the end,it's very difficult to please everyone, not even God could,let alone me, but that's the idea, I mean, no, not at all.

It's the opposite.