Apples and Authority

I don’t know if the old adage about one bad apple spoiling the bunch is agriculturally true.

When it comes to leadership, I’ve certainly seen examples where one person who is difficult, headstrong, uncooperative, or out of alignment, can wreak havoc on an otherwise compatible team. It’s hard to watch.

I’ve also seen situations where someone comes in to a healthy team and, instead of infecting it with dysfunction, they find a way to embrace what’s working in the culture and become a better version of themself. Those are beautiful stories.

And, when someone finds themself out of step with the rest of the group they may find it so uncomfortable, if they are unable to find their place, that they self-select out. It may be that they can be a great fit elsewhere.

A key distinction between those outcomes is whether the “bad apple” is able to gain authority.

I don’t necessarily mean formal authority, like a position of leadership, thought that is definitely significant. I’m thinking of the authority that comes when others give this person influence. If people rally around their disruptiveness or (as often happens if the “bad apple” is extroverted) just try to ignore them and hope the situation resolves itself.

Reckoning with the amount of leverage the challenging person holds is essential.

It’s human nature to have a certain resistance to the boss. It can be healthy to resist blind loyalty and hold leaders to high standards. Some amount of well-intended, even awkwardly delivered, friction is something many organizations need more of. There is a kind of accountability that comes from the need for those in charge to maintain trust with their subordinates. But it can easily become problematic.

The healthiest leaders have worked on their own understanding of power and authority. They understand that it is a responsibility that comes with benefits and obligations. And they accept that using authority to get things done is a tool to be used sparingly when possible, but decisively when necessary.

In charity world there are added complexities when people are volunteers, or our general aversion to conflict (and paying severances) gets in the way, or when the lines and limits of authority are vague to begin with. But healthy leadership requires us to not be avoidant when it comes to human dynamics.

Dealing with the “bad apple” is a time to use authority.

First, to make clear what the expectations are and offer whatever supports you can for them to succeed. Winning over a difficult person can be one of the most satisfying experiences a leader can have. But if that fails, to move quickly and clearly to protect the synchronicity of the rest of the team.

Wise use of authority is crucial to your credibility.