Power's Paradoxical Pattern
Ijournal Assignment
On the show, “Power’s Paradoxical Pattern,” we talked about the nature of power and how it can be used or misused:
- Power comes from having influence in some way
- Power that is superficially gained is easily lost
- Influence results from trust, honest communication and achieving successful outcomes
- For subordinates to willingly share their power with their leaders, they must trust the leader to do the right thing. Without trust, there is often respect for the role but not the person.
- Leaders share power when they empower others to make decisions and take appropriate risk
- Force is not an effective means of sustainable power
- Positive power multiplies and extends over time
Think of an example in your life when you were positively empowered by someone in an authority role.
- What was the nature of the relationship? What caused you to trust the person? How did he or she “share power?”
To gain and maintain power, we suggest sharing it. Try these suggestions:
- If you tend to tell more than ask, make it a goal to ask three questions before stating a point of view.
- Practice flexibility. Flex your style and your mindset. Open your mind to new points of view.
- Think about ways you might encourage empowerment in others.
Identify an action you can take this week to share power. Implement the action.
- After a week has passed, reflect on the action you took. How did you gain power in that situation? What was the impact on the other person?
A Final Tip
Examine your own perceived power limitations.
- What are the sources of the perception? Are they true?
- What has anyone said or done today to limit you in any way? What will you do about that?
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