Post on 16-Apr-2017
What is power, anyway?
Tom GravesTetradian Consulting(www.tetradian.com)© Tetradian 2002 / 2009
the futures of business
Almost everyone will saytheywant to be powerful
but what is power, in human terms?
Apparently it’s somethingthat only other people have...
perhaps...
We seem to be certain onlyin knowing
when we don’t have it
than when we do
- whatever it is, anyway.
Since we know when we don’t have it,
someone else must have taken it
- someone’s taken our share
and we want it back, please
- NOW!
Nor is power associatedin any real sense
with that feelingof ‘powerlessness’
that we want to avoidso much
that we’ll give it to othersto anyone
for free...
Insteadto understand power
we need to go backto first principles
and in physicspower is
‘the ability to do work’.
‘Power isthe ability to do work’
- simpleclear
uncomplicated
an expression of energynot a ‘thing’
an inherent property of everything.
It’s a property of people, toothough we must
expand that definitiona bit
or else we find ourselvesdefining slavery
as power- not a good idea!
First,‘work’
can be anything people do:
- dig a ditch- solve a technical problem- relate with others- find a sense
of meaning and purpose- calm a fractious child
or an angry client...
Whatever it is that we do,it’s work
and we need powerreal power
human powerto be able
to dothat work.
Next, in human terms,power is an expression of
personal choicepersonal responsibilitypersonal purpose.
Without choicewithout responsibility
- without commitment -the power fades
to nothingor, at least
the brakes go onand little work is done.
Without purposethere’s no direction
so whilst much may seem to happen,
little will be effectivein any real sense -
“an empty thundersignifying
nothing”...
Last,but not least,
‘work’ is only one side of a tetrad:
workplayrelatelearn.
Unless all four exist togetherunless all four are supported
none of them will exist.
So, overall,human power is
the ability toworkplayrelatelearn
as an expression ofpersonal choicepersonal
responsibilitypersonal purpose.
The ‘power’ to crush othersthe ‘power’ to take prioritythe ‘power’ to withhold or denythe ‘power’ to trap others
into doing our work for usthe ‘power’ to dump on others
as we please…- none of this is power
in any real, functional senseit’s just a delusion...
It’s a delusion, becauseit’s not sustainable.
Sooner or laterthe delusion falls apart
and usually in waysthat show
the real extentof the delusion.
Real human powercomes from within ourselves;
delusory ‘power’comes from a belief
or fearthat only other people have power,
and that we must take itfrom them
in place of our own.
In effect, delusory ‘power’ depends
on having other peopleto steal from,to bully,to dominate,to cajole.
It feels like powersometimes
but it’s not power- it’s just a delusion.
So delusory ‘power’ is addictive- very addictive...
‘Power over’ others- bullying,
domination -
or ‘power under’ others- manipulation,
blame -
is not real power at all:
Our power comes onlyfrom within ourselves.
No-one ‘gives’ us power,no-one ‘takes’ our power from us
but we can easily lose itor waste it
in delusionsof our ownor shared with others.
Collectively, we also gainmore powermore ability
to work/play/relate/learnin synergy
where the whole poweris greater
than the sumof each person’s
personal power.
So we can either
help each otherto find
and sharethat real, human power
or hinder each otherin shared delusions.
Anything which supportsreal power
will improve the ‘bottom line’for everyone- whatever that
‘bottom line’ might be.
So, to summarise,power isn’t
the ‘power’ to crush othersthe ‘power’ to take prioritythe ‘power’ to deny othersthe ‘power’ to trap othersthe ‘power’ to dump on
others…
they’re just delusions about power.
Power isthe ability to
workplayrelatelearn
as an expression ofpersonal choicepersonal responsibilitypersonal purpose
- and shared purpose, too.
So which do you wantfor yourself
and for your organization:
the usual delusionsor
real power?Your choice…
…your responsibility…...the power is yours to
choose!