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or question. A tyrant is not only a usurper of power, but he also especially wields power for his own personal gain and security.
    Again, the very nature of dictatorship and tyranny cancels genuine authority. Any perceived submission that is a result of force or threat is not real submission but surrender. Wherever there’s true authority, there will be true submission—which, as we will see in a later chapter, is a voluntary act and part of the inherently interdependent nature of authority. Surrender is in stark contrast to this and is always a result of manipulation and fear.
    When people are so fearful of another person that they are afraid to do what they actually desire to do because that person has “authority,” they are functioning under a dictatorship. That is not authority; it is intimidation. True authority allows people to express themselves and to develop to the full extent of their potential. It doesn’t restrict but provides instruction, advice, or counsel to build others up. The opposite of a tyrant is someone who seeks the good of others, not his own gain, and even makes personal sacrifices on their behalf.
    A Person Who Has a Title
    Some people think that because a person has a title, authority automatically accompanies it. We tend to respect and honor people who have titles that seem to elevate them. In this way we confuse labels with legitimacy. It does not necessarily follow that a person with a title is exercising authority. For example, a person may connive, manipulate a system, or even kill to obtain a certain title or role. This person’s rule is unauthorized. Only genuine authority makes rule or power legal.
    A true leader may have a title, but he does not operate from the title. He operates from his inner authority, and people respond to his natural authority rather than to his label.
    A Person Who Is Loud or “Larger than Life”
    At times, people automatically attribute authority to someone who speaks the loudest or appears “larger than life.” This aspect of false authority has to do with a person’s personality—he or she may come across as strong, opinionated, overbearing, charismatic, articulate and persuasive, threatening, or obnoxious. Yet, just because a person or even a group speaks the loudest or the most forcefully doesn’t necessarily mean they have legitimate authority over others. Many people are intimidated by such individuals and therefore succumb to them. They allow them to make decisions and to cause everyone connected with them to move in a certain direction, which may or may not be healthy.
    In contrast, I have noticed that true authority is often quiet or even silent. It takes greater natural authority to lower your volume and still be effective. Often, the greater the true authority that is present, the quieter the atmosphere. You know you have effective authority when you say nothing or are very quiet, and people respond positively to you and your influence.
    I taught junior high school for five years, and I learned early on that if I had to shout at my students to maintain order, I had no real authority. So, I quickly established boundaries and communicated the values on which my classroom would be run, making it clear on the board and on signs posted around the room what the laws of the learning environment would be. I had been authorized by the school to teach the students, so my authority in that situation was legitimate, but then I had to create the context for that authority. Once the students understood my standards and values, they knew they would have to submit to them if they wanted a good relationship with me. The students responded well and respected my authority, and so there was a good environment for learning.
    A similar principle can be seen in many effective leaders of countries, companies, and even families. The measure of their authority is what happens in the midst of their silence—or even their absence. For instance, if a mother goes on an