# Artificial Pressure and Authority By:: [[Brian Heath]] 2023-02-27 There are times at work when managers and the organization create artificial pressure. For example, they might ask for a completed project in one week instead of two when it should really take three weeks. These tactics only work because we accept the absolute authority of management, believe in always meeting expectations, and that meritocracies exist. Let's start with the authority of management. How often has a manager been correct in their assessment of work and what is needed? More simply, how often are humans wrong about the future? We are often wrong, and management does not have the magical ability to know what is realistic and possible. Why accept their authority of being correct? Is their opinion more correct than yours? This brings us to all the schooling we've undertaken that trains us to meet the expectations of the authority. Why do we do this? To be seen positively within the social hierarchy and to do one's duty. The logic is that you'll not only be accepted by the group but also come out ahead because of the meritocracy of life and work. However, we know how unfair life and work really is. When the suffering and banality of life start to slow us down, managers and organizations ask for even more to keep us in line and working harder. What if we broke the cycle and had honest conversations about reality? It might bring progress, but I suspect we are so used to the roles we play that our brains have forgotten who we once were. #### Related Items [[Authority]] [[Management]] [[Thinking]] [[Identity]] [[Forecasting]] [[Organizational Analytics]]