So, this one time I got yelled at... 

So, this one time I got yelled at...

Actually yell isnt the right word, its more like a stern talking to. People dont yell a lot these days. However it does seem that people with positions of responsibility seem to mistake that responsibility for authority.

For example, the organization I am involved in consists of leadership positions which are applied for by students. They are selected by student council. Student council is selected through an election. COuncil meets every so often with the student president who is also elected, and with the director who is a permanent staff member. No one in this chain of comand has any authority over other people except for the director. The rest of us are burdened with responsibility.

Whats the difference? In my mind the difference is that authority means contol over another person. Responsibility means accountability for the completion of their job. Just because I am on council does not mean that I have authority over people on leadership. I am however responsible for the leadership people in my area.

Moving upwards, the president is responsible for council. However it seems that the higher up one goes in such a bureacracy, the more assumed authority you will find. Its like the more responsibility one has the greater need to show it off they have, which manifests itself as assumed authority.

How insecure are you when you need to pretend to be the boss? I understnad that people need to be in charge when they need to be in charge. However why do some people feel the need to act in charge all the time? Your job ends at some point. Watch yourself and dont overstep your bounds.

I have heard that those with the least authority abuse it the most. I think thats probably about true. I have noticed that people with the most responsibility like to look responsible without actually doing anything that will get their hands dirty. People look for ways to be seen doing things that they neglect the most important stuff when it isnt a highly visible or glamorous job.

The people who get stuck doing all the real work are the ones stuck in the middle. The ones on the bottom of the responsibility ladder are rarely if ever held accountable for their actions because the ones above them have no authority to do anything about it, but the people at the top of the responsibility ladder expect results from those in the middle. So you have the eople in the middle getting crapped on from both directions.

I heard that power corrupts. I think it does, but it makes you into a douche bag first. If the people at the top werent so concerned about looking good they could spread that authority out and save them selves the embarrassment of looking like clowns.

Maybe I just dont like not being in charge, but I think there are so many better ways to do things that the way they are done.