Sources of Power

This short article is an excerpt from my upcoming book "The Armored Knight: Building Psychological Strength in Modern Times "

The Knight’s Challenge

This subheading almost sounds like a TicTok contest trying to go viral, but I promise you it is far more serious. The 21st century Knight’s challenge is one we all face, unravelling and overcoming complex life-threatening challenges that involve multiple uncontrollable variables at a time not of our choosing. This is not child’s play. Every knight in waiting needs to come to the task seriously, as our lives, and those of others, may one day depend upon us.

The next challenge you or I face may be simple or complex, tame or life-threatening, static or dynamic. It may fall into our areas of competence or not. It may come at us slowly or all at once. Therefore, the Knight’s challenge is to also be ready for anything (or at least as ready as possible), come what may. A tall task for a species who enters the world naked and afraid. So how does one go about becoming ready for anything – a task which seems to cover an absurd amount of real estate? It begins with understanding our sources of power.

Sources of Power

A Knight draws power not only from his or her knowledge and skills, the subject of the majority of the upcoming book, but also from their allies. Sir Edward, the Black Prince of England, overcame seemingly insurmoutable odds at the Battle of Poitiers in 1356 with incredible endurance and tactical genius. But his gambit in France would not have worked without a reliable cavalry commander and infantry who believed in Edward’s leadership. Likewise, in the modern world these are the networks and systems – both personal and professional – we have at the ready. From that one friend or relative you can call and expect to respond immediately, to systemic avenues of assistance – you must know them all in advance. Even more importantly, they must know you.

Friendships, networks, and systems are all two-way streets – don’t expect them to be there for you if you are not already there for them. When it comes to building reliable allies, its essential to pay it forward. If you want a good friend, be one first. If you want to leverage a network, be an active participant first. If you want to leverage a system, be more than a cog in the wheel. Be an active and visible part of it first.

When the proverbial crap hits the fan, you will need fast and seamless access to your sources of power. Build this access before you need it by becoming a fast and seamless resource for them.

For more information on Convergent's Armored Knight Psychological Strength Building program, click here.