The Power We Hold

Power.?

Some people think of “power” as a dirty word: something they’d rather not admit they have, or something they - subconsciously - don’t even realize they have.

Others see it as a commonplace thing that simply comes with the “territory” of being them.?

After all, power is innately associated with the role that people play in society, the people they interact with, their appearance, their upbringing...the list keeps going on and on. Basically, power is something they can use to the best of their advantage.

Whatever the case, the reality is that power influences everything - whether we’re happy, angry, or adamant to admit it.

It affects our personal and professional relationships, it plays a part in the ways we communicate with each other, and it’s ever-present in the role we have within our organization - read: workplace - or community.

How power shows up in our leadership style

In my experience working with senior leaders in companies around the world, one thing has become clear: leaders are afraid of the word “power”.

Scratch that. They’re fucking terrified of it.

They don’t want to think about power and they don’t want to realize that they hold any of it, either. It’s as if their power doesn’t really exist to them - it’s merely a far-off concept that’s easier ignored than acknowledged and managed.

And why are they so damn scared of it? Because they don’t realize how their role translates into the amount of REAL power they hold - the ability to affect or prevent change.?

I can’t even begin to tell you the number of times senior leaders - and I mean senior executive leaders, in global-scale companies - have come to me with the argument that they believe they hold “way less” power than they actually do.

They’ll be the first to realize that there’s a problem within the company - in the culture, the policies, the practices - but they’ll also tell me that “they can’t do much about it”.

Pursue change internally? Nah! They can’t please everyone! Plus, there’s always someone else to blame or point the finger at!

“Why bother when there’s always gonna be someone who complains too much, takes things too personally, doesn’t see the “other side” of the argument, constantly feels discriminated against...”

Oh, yeah.

I’ve heard a variation of that excuse so many times that I can already anticipate when it’s going to be conveniently blurted out during a session...by leaders who hold all of the power but insist on pointing fingers and washing their hands.?

It’s all about “them, them, them” and never about “me” or “I”.?

Their power only comes into play when they try to excuse themselves of “not” having it.

“My priority is to the shareholders and there are trade-offs implied in that” or “That’s just how the system works!” (hint: the fact that we “owe” more to shareholders than stakeholders is already problematic)?

Except...they do. And no, that doesn’t have to be the way the system works.

Blaming externally won’t get anyone anywhere.?

And by externalizing their responsibilities and not taking full ownership of their power - because they’re afraid to or because they don’t actually realize they have it - a lot of senior leaders are also ignoring the additional power they hold: one that’s tucked away within the layered identities - usually male, White, cis - that have already given them the upper hand.

So, how can people - specifically, senior leaders - move past these blocks?

For me, this is using cultural intelligence tools to find clarity:

• In who you are (as a leader)
• What your identity means in relationship to the power you hold (and how that shows up in your leadership)
• And the role you want to play in the world (additionally, how you want to change it)

How power shows up in the workplace

But we don’t need to go that far up the “power ladder” to see and understand how the act of having power affects the workplace.?

Just take a quick glance over at the HR folx and those who work in recruitment…

The gatekeepers, we could say.

Are they truly aware of the power they hold? Of where they stand in the power dynamics with someone who’s come to them in hopes of financial stability, finding a job, adding value to and being brought into a new company?

In the DEI world, we see organizations have anti-bias trainings to help their HR and Recruitment department notice and be conscious of their biases, but that’s not enough.

To truly counter bias, there needs to be a diverse group of people making the hiring decisions. This could be bringing in various people into different stages of hiring, having a diverse hiring team, and teaching HR that they HAVE power.

You can’t lead and create change if you aren’t aware of the power that you hold.?

To decolonize is to declutter

The interesting thing about power and power dynamics is that they can evolve and change with a little extra push.

You know where this is going…

When we see power and examine it, we can go deeper into understanding what the cause of said power is and where it stems from.

Does it come from knowledge? Does it come from external factors? Does it come from a specific type of identity?

Is the power we see - and the power we hold - cemented on classist, Westernized views? More than likely, for some of you, the answer is probably yes

This is where putting in the work comes in.?

Through a process of decolonizing the workplace, we can also begin to declutter it: to remove the excess and keep what remains in terms of the power we see or hold.?

And, once this happens, it also becomes easier to understand and use that power for the greater good of everyone involved. It becomes clear how power trickles down from the top, how our roles affect the drip, drip, drip of this power, and how we can achieve true community power that doesn’t get stuck or muddled on its way down.

Yes, to get community power we must first achieve personal power. However, we can’t let it get stuck there.

Because although it’s great to hear from DEI and leadership programs that you need to feel empowered, that “you can do it!”, and that it’s all inside you burning and yearning to be released…

We can’t let it stop there.?

Here’s the thing: power doesn’t stop when one person achieves it. That’s what we call a dictatorship.

Personal power is a basis. It’s a starting point that is later transformed into impactful community power that doesn’t waste its time on “me, me, me” or on pointing the finger. Instead, it focuses on generating actual change, teaching, helping, and supporting.

And where are we without community power??

------------------------------------------------

Want to improve your leadership using Cultural Intelligence tools? https://dont-be-an-asshole.ck.page/d77a156815 and receive tools and resources to help you lead in your culture, leave a legacy in alignment with your values, and be an ancestor in the making!