I still remember the first time I chose to challenge authority.
I was young,
Eager,
And determined to make an impact.
But I had one major problem.
I thought that if I worked hard and I followed the rules,
That leadership would naturally take notice.
And that's when I believed that deference to authority meant success.
But it didn't.
I watched others no more talented than me rise ahead.
Not because they were better,
But because they had the courage to stand up and the courage to challenge the status quo.
That day I learned a powerful lesson.
Power concedes nothing unless it is confronted and challenged.
There is a wild river that runs through each of us.
The deep current of our truth.
The undeniable pull of our soul's calling.
But too often we damn it up.
We trade our truth for comfort.
Our knowing for approval.
Our voice for silence.
And when we do this,
We forget who we are meant to be.
Today I want to talk about how to challenge authority effectively without losing your integrity.
Because whether you're an executive,
An entrepreneur,
Or simply navigating life,
The ability to manage up,
To push back with strength and wisdom,
Is the difference between being seen and being forgotten.
Looking back,
I realized I made every mistake in the book.
I assumed that authority figures always had my best interest in mind.
I played by their rules,
Even when those rules were outdated,
Unfair,
Or out of alignment with my integrity and core values.
And I let my frustration simmer rather than voicing my concerns directly.
I once worked under a leader who was absolutely brilliant and incredibly rigid.
He had a vision,
But no tolerance for new perspective.
He dismissed questions,
He shut down discussions,
And he refused to acknowledge problems until they exploded.
And for a long time I stayed quiet.
Do I challenge him?
Do I risk my job?
Do I risk my security?
Or do I just accept that power is unchangeable?
Then I made an internal shift,
A simple but profound one.
Instead of seeing authority as an immovable force,
I started seeing it as something that could and should be directly engaged with.
Instead of staying silent,
I found ways to present my perspectives in ways that naturally received attention,
Like a current naturally drawing toward me.
And slowly I became not just another person on the team,
But someone that was listened to and was deeply respected.
What I learned is that managing up isn't about rebelling for rebellion's sake.
It's about pushing back when needed,
Speaking up when it's hard,
And refusing to be silenced when the stakes are high.
It's about standing in your truth.
It's about understanding that your voice is part of a greater story,
Something ancient,
Something necessary.
And I now know that I'm not alone.
Many of you have felt it too.
The frustration of knowing you're right,
That you have a contribution to bring to the table,
But feeling like the system is stacked against you.
The helplessness of seeing authority figures make poor decisions that influence you,
Your teams,
Your family,
And the rage of realizing that some people in power will never change unless they have to.
We all face this challenge at work,
In our communities,
Even in our personal relationships.
Because here's the truth.
Authority,
When left unchecked,
Does not make room for fairness.
It makes room for stagnation.
The most impactful people aren't the ones who blindly obey.
They're the ones who breathe their heart bigger and they push for something better.
The ones who ask the uncomfortable questions.
The ones who refuse to sit back and let others dictate their fate.
The path of managing up,
Of challenging authority,
Is not just a corporate skill.
It's a rite of passage.
It's the moment we shift from a socialized mind to a self-authored mind,
Where we recognize that we were not placed here to blindly serve,
But to shape,
To disrupt,
To create something remarkable.
So how do we do this?
How do we challenge authority without losing ourselves in the process?
Standing up to authority isn't about chaos.
It's about focus and controlled courage.
It starts from an internal shift,
Shifting from obedience to discernment.
Stop assuming that authority figures are always right.
Start asking why.
Lean into curiosity.
Why are things done this way?
Why is this rule in place?
Why are we accepting this status quo?
The moment that we stop blindly accepting and start critically questioning,
We take the first step toward real change.
Then it's about shifting from complaining to sacred confrontation.
It's really easy to vent.
It's easy to talk about how bad things are.
But true change only happens when we address authority directly.
When we challenge decisions with an open heart and rooted spine.
When we speak truth to power.
Refuse to let fear keep you from standing your ground.
Know that every time that you speak,
You are creating a sacred offering.
You are co-creating existence with your breath,
With your voice,
With your truth,
With your energy.
And then it comes to shifting from waiting for permission to acting with conviction.
Many of us wait for the right time to challenge authority.
The reality?
That time never comes.
Influence doesn't come from waiting for approval.
It comes from taking action.
You don't need permission to advocate for what's right.
You don't need permission to demand better.
The only permission you need is from your own soul.
Remember the leader that I worked under?
The one who refused to listen?
When I finally found the courage to challenge him strategically,
With deep compassion and persistent conviction,
He changed.
Not because he necessarily wanted to,
But because he felt compelled to.
And he learned through my feedback.
And from that day forward,
He never dismissed my voice or anyone else's on the team again.
That moment changed everything for me.
Because challenging authority isn't about being disruptive,
It's about being necessary,
About being vital.
And that's what I want for you and that's what we want for our kids.
So I leave you with this.
Will you keep playing by someone else's rules,
Or will you step forward and make your voice heard?
Because the future doesn't just belong to those who follow orders.
It belongs to those bold enough to rewrite them.
And perhaps,
Just perhaps,
When you challenge authority,
You aren't just speaking for yourself.
You're speaking for the generations before you who couldn't.
And then for the generations after you who will.
