Looking at Power Differently
Got Power?
I get to have conversations with caring, high-impact, unconventional leaders and a common thread that comes up is that they unknowingly fear and dilute their power.
Not that you would see it from the outside.
No way, on the outside they look confident, accomplished, successful, “leaderly”.
Yet, when we get to some of the things that are getting in the way of their desired level of leadership, impact, and enjoying their work (and life) being uncomfortable with their power is one of them.
What if I hurt someone?
What if I disappoint people?
What if I make a mistake?
And so on they ponder. These can be responsible and fair questions to consider (it's important to be aware of the impact you have on people).
However, for leaders that really care, they can get stuck in the pondering and fear of getting it wrong.
Then they don’t make the decisions that would make the most difference. Or lead in a way that allows them to flourish and also elevates those around them. Or move forward the causes/companies/communities that had them get into leadership in the first place.
I think we often equate power with hurt because we’ve seen power wielded in ways that have very dangerous outcomes.
Consume the news for 5 mins.
Yep, power can be hurtful and destructive.
Many of us have been conditioned to see power as over vs. power as connective.
What we miss is noticing where power can be used for goodness.
The kind of power that raises each other up vs. squashes another.
It is easy to forget that some of the beautiful, amazing things getting created in this world also come from power.
It is easy to forget that power leveraged responsibly and intentionally can positively affect the change we want to see in the world (whether it’s the whole world or your corner of the world).
Instead of fearing your power, what if instead you asked “what will I use my power in service of”?
