1.(of a person, institution, or written work) The quality or characteristic of being respected for having good character or knowledge, especially as a source of guidance or an exemplar of proper conduct.
2. someone who has power to influence public opinion without the use of force which contrasts with political or legal authority, which can be coercive.
Example: Myanmar's (formerly Cambodia) dissident and democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi, despite having no official political or legal authority, has been a voice for justice in her country and around the world for many years; a voice that is much more respected and influential than the military and government forces which imprisoned her.
How to Succeed by Stephen Covey, Author, The 7 habits of Highly Effective People
STRIVE FOR MORAL AUTHORITY
"Most people define greatness through wealth and popularity and position in the corner office. But what I call everyday greatness comes from character and contribution. Sometimes people who possess the wealth and prestige also have everyday greatness, but not that often in our celebrity-obsessed culture, because they are primarily focused on what's in it for me. I'm in favor of achievements - degrees and wealth and that sort of thing. Still, those achievements convey formal authority but not always moral authority.
The only way to acquire moral authority is through your character and contribution, to live in such a way as to merit the confidence and the trust of other people. Moral authority is especially important to business. This is because in order to reduce costs, increase production, and nurture a culture of innovation - all of which are important criteria in today's global economy - you've got to have high trust among your workers and partners. Why? Because everyone involved needs to sacrifice. If you don't have high trust, none of those things will happen. You can't fake high trust."
from http://money.cnn.com/...
No comments:
Post a Comment