A common frustration at work is knowing what needs to be done, but not having the authority to do it. If you feel you lack the authority to do the right thing, then this edition of By Your Life is for you.

A manager has authority to direct the work of those who directly report to him or her. A leader, on the other hand, is one who influences others to achieve great things. You don’t have to be given authority to do this, you just need to take responsibility for it.

Mass Readings Audio
http://ccc.usccb.org/cccradio/NABPodcasts/18_09_30.mp3

Twenty-sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time – September 30, 2018

Welcome to the twenty-seventh episode of By Your Life. Thank you for joining me. If you haven’t already, please subscribe via iTunes, Stitcher, or on the right side of the page so I can send you notifications when each new episode is posted. And please forward to a friend you think would benefit from By Your Life.

My goal is to inspire, empower, support, challenge, and encourage you to connect Sunday, with Monday-Friday, in a secular, business world. It is my desire to help you live our Catholic faith in the marketplace, and to trust that it is good for business. I hope to offer you practical ways to go forth and glorify the Lord by your life.

In this edition, we will reflect on the readings for the Twenty-sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time. In the first reading (Num 11:25-29) and the Gospel (Mk 9:38-43, 45, 47-48), the disciples of Moses and of Jesus share their concern that “someone else” is doing God’s work by prophesying (in the first reading) or driving out demons (in the Gospel). They don’t think that these people have the authority to do what they are doing so they want to stop them.

Have you ever experienced this feeling at work? Someone comes in and starts making things happen and “its not their job!” Who do they think they are? Who authorized this?

When this happens, it is possible you are concerned about whether they are doing the “right” things and doing them “right,” and these can be valid concerns. But that wasn’t what was bothering the disciples as expressed in Mark’s gospel. John didn’t like that “he does not follow us.” (Mk 9:38) He was an outsider. The real problem was not concern for accomplishing the mission, but who was accomplishing it and the root cause of this problem was ego.

I’ve worked as a volunteer in the nonprofit world and have seen organizations with the same mission compete for resources instead of joining forces and sharing best practices to accomplish their shared mission. They were more concerned about their individual organizations’ accomplishments than they were about attending to the human need they had committed their lives to address.

I’ve also seen previously competitive organizations come together and do amazing things that they could not accomplish alone. This is the spirit of cooperation that Jesus encouraged when he said, “Do not prevent him. There is no one who performs a mighty deed in my name who can at the same time speak ill of me. For whoever is not against us is for us. (Mk 9:39-40) When people focus on the common goal or shared vision for the future and beyond self-interests, it is possible to perform mighty deeds.

This idea of questioning whether someone has authority to do something is not just a concern we have for others. It is often what holds us back when we allow it to prevent us from doing what we know needs to be done. Have you ever held back doing the right thing because you didn’t think it was your job? Do you ever feel like you lack authority to get the job done?

I’m working with a client who recently shared his frustration that he couldn’t get another guy to do something because the other person didn’t work directly for him and he didn’t have the authority to tell him what to do. This kind of frustration is common, especially in matrix organizations or those who work in cross-functional teams. But, I think it highlights the difference between management and leadership.

The manager has authority to direct the work of those who directly report to him or her. A leader, on the other hand, is one who influences others to achieve great things. Or, as Robin Sharma, leadership guru and author of The Leader Who Had No Title: A Modern Fable on Real Success in Business and in Life, said “Leadership is not about a title or a designation. It’s about impact, influence and inspiration. Impact involves getting results, influence is about spreading the passion you have for your work, and you have to inspire team-mates and customers.” You don’t have to be given authority to do this, you just have to take responsibility for it.

In fact, working for someone who depends on their authority to get things done is the worst. Even if you have authority, don’t rely on it. A “because I told you to” kind of boss is a diminisher. No one likes working for them. Don’t be that person.

Instead, imagine what could be done if with a clear focus on the goal and with the guidance of your core values for how to get it done, (because the ends don’t justify the means,) you and everyone in your organization, took personal responsibility to make things happen. Or as Moses said to Joshua, son of Nun, “Would that all the people of the Lord were prophets! Would that the LORD might bestow his spirit on them all.” (Num 11:29)

Taking personal responsibility is a capacity we all share, but we don’t always live up to it. We may use lack of authority as an excuse. But as Governor Mitt Romney is quoted as saying, “Leadership is about taking responsibility, not making excuses.”

When we fail to take personal responsibility for doing the right thing, even when no one else is doing it, for stepping up and making right choices, for going outside our comfort zone and inspiring others to do so as well, we fail to live up to our potential as leaders and as Catholics.

Many years ago, when I had a “real” job, I worked for a company that regularly entertained customers, hosted conferences, and sponsored events at conventions. Alcohol flowed freely, and some people practiced moderation, while others lost control. It was an accepted part of the company’s culture. So, when I was told by several different people that one of my employees had demonstrated inappropriate behavior on multiple occasions after having a little too much to drink, I knew I had a responsibility to address it.

I told my boss that I intended to speak to HR and direct the employee to our employee assistance program. He was surprised. Afterall, everyone (well, almost everyone) would have a little too much to drink at these events. I could have just ignored it, but I knew, that wasn’t the right thing to do. Not only was there potential liability for the company, it was a liability for this employee’s health and reputation. For this person’s sake, I needed to take action.

As expected, my employee wondered why they were being singled out when “everyone does it.” I had to explain that “everyone” didn’t work for me. But more importantly, I cared about what happened to them. I wasn’t punishing them, I was helping them address a problem.

In this case, the person worked for me and I had the authority to act. What if they didn’t? What if I observed their inappropriate behavior, would I have talked to them about it or would I have ignored it? I don’t know. I know I have often thought that it is not my place to correct someone else’s behavior. If I don’t have the authority, I’m not likely to do anything.

But, as Catholic Christians, we not only have the authority, we have an obligation to each other. Jesus said, “Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him if a great millstone were put around his neck and he were thrown into the sea.” (Mk 9:42) If I had continued to allow my employee to go on trips and attend events where I knew there was a potential for them to “sin,” I was guilty as well. I was responsible.

As Catholics, we are given the authority and the responsibility by our baptism to live as priests, prophets, and kings. We are anointed with oil in a symbolic act that means more than simply joining the Christian community. We are given a role and anointed just as the Old Testament priests, prophets and kings were at the time they assumed their offices. Bishop Robert Barron wrote a great article and created a film series that go more in depth on this topic. For now, I’d like to mention that we need to consider the authority and responsibility we have to be a priest, prophet and king in the workplace.

As a priest, we are to recognize the divine in each human person and help them to holiness, however we first need to embody this in ourselves. Taking the challenges of life, the people, the problems, to prayer and finding the wholeness and integration of the divine in ourselves, allows us to act out our priestly purpose.

As a prophet, we must bear the truth of God, and to do so, we must seek it outside of what our crazy, modern culture proclaims to be true. Leaders are readers. In our increasingly secularized society, we must pass on fake news that is being passed off as reliable and illuminate our minds by reading trusted sources so that we may then share real truth with others.

Finally, as king, we are responsible for living out our convictions and coordinating the talents and efforts of those we have been given authority over, in order to help them achieve a common purpose. This is what leadership is all about. However, as an anointed king, the work we do, our businesses, are a means to help others succeed and not the other way around, where others are there to help our businesses succeed. In this regard, it is important to remember the second reading from the Letter of Saint James. Let’s not focus all our energy at work for the purpose of storing “up treasures for the last days.” (Jas 5:3)

I was recently interviewed by Peggy Normandin, host of EWTN’s Call Me Catholic radio show. She asked me, what was the best piece of leadership advice anyone ever gave me? I couldn’t think of anything anyone said. What came to mind was what they did. Let us also be an example by what we do, by how we live our faith, by how we help others for their sake, and by how we speak and act on the truth.

Bishop Barron warns, “If baptized priests stop praying, stop going to Mass, stop frequenting the sacraments, they will become, in short order, like salt that has lost its savor. If baptized prophets stop studying and stop speaking, they are like lamps over which a bushel basket has been placed.” In this Sunday’s readings, everyone who encountered the Lord, whether they were in the camp or not, whether they followed him or not, were transformed and compelled to take what they received out to the world.

Every Sunday, we are also sent. This week was no different. So, “Go! Bring the light that you received, bring the Christ that you’ve become to the world.” (From Word on Fire video “Christ Calls You to Mission”)

Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and kindle in them the fire of your love. Send forth your Spirit and they shall be created. And You shall renew the face of the earth.

May God bless you abundantly and may you glorify the Lord by your life.  Amen

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