Hidden Sources of Power at Work
By Daniel Robin
Many of us hold archaic assumptions about power … and there are precious few new archetypes or role models. To me, the greatest power comes from collaboration … from skillfully going inside our differences and working cooperatively toward building something better than we had at the start. The key here will be to use those forms of power that balance your approach: to simultaneously create sustainable work relationships and the desired results, with the least amount of effort.
Traditional forms of power are highly inefficient and often not very effective in the long run. For example, did any bombing of Iraq accomplish America’s real objective? I think not – a classic case of not much “bang” for lots of “buck.” Do we need different leadership, or do we need leadership leading differently?
Stop and think for a moment: what’s truly powerful to you? Remaining calm in the heat of the moment? Dealing well with complex problems? Being direct and honest? How do you express your power and potential in the workplace?
Of the many types and uses of power, the ones that bring up fear, anger, or harsh judgements usually involve the use of overt force (win-lose tactics) or are covert, cut-throat competitive and ultimately destructive. Although it is human nature to have destructive urges, particularly when confronted by other people’s misuse of power, but there’s little point in giving power away if nothing comes of it.
Do you give power away?
There’s a sharp but subtle difference between giving away power and sharing what power you have. If I give away my power – perhaps by acting in haste due to emotional hijacking, or by failing to act courageously due to fear and “analysis paralysis”– then nobody really benefits. When I share power, I also share my legitimacy and my ability to get things done.
Consider the “commodities” of power at work: useful information or knowledge … backing, support, approval … or scarce resources like time and attention. Granting this type of power to another person’s priorities (or even your own!) is rarely wasteful.
The more commonplace sources of power are often used to coerce or control. Here I’d like to outline seven potent forms of power, summarized below, that are more subtle and often overlooked.
1. Collaboration – “two heads are better than one.”
2. Crystal-clear focus of attention on desired results. Clarity is power, and what you attend to, grows. Your clear purpose magnetizes others as it guides your own actions like a compass.
3. Acceptance – The power of accepting, acknowledging, and aligning with “what is.”
4. Flexibility is powerful – those who remain flexible are least likely to “get bent out of shape.”
5. Intuition, the power of instinctively knowing, ignoring rational evidence to the contrary, following your gut.
6. Self-awareness – as if someone held up a mirror so you could see how you operate.
7. Play and Renewal. Let the cycles of tension die away, get the Alligators of Anxiety to take a hike, have some fun for awhile and recharge!
Now we’ll dive into each one a bit. Some have associated articles for further exploration:
- The Power of Collaboration – The article “Collaboration At Work” describes how to harness this source. Working in collaboration is a powerful leverage point to get things done in the modern workplace. It is particularly important to be able to collaborate with people who are unlike you — if two people are too similar, think alike, value the same things, have the same great ideas … then one of them is probably unnecessary.
- The power of crystal-clear focus on the desired result. Clarity of purpose is powerful. Even if you don’t tell anybody, clear intention magnetizes and attracts those who can imagine their role it. How clear are you and your team (even if that team is your internal committee or virtual board of directors) of your dream, realist, and critic) on I don’t mean just knowing the general direction and having a sense of the next few steps to get you there, I mean having a full 3D representation of the place you’d like to arrive – and who is going there with you – before taking step one. Ask yourself and would-be collaborators: What do we want? How would we know we’re there? What would it look like (What would we be seeing), sound like (What would I be hearing), and feel like (what would I taste, smell or sense) once we are there?
- The power of acceptance, non-judgmental, unconditional, peaceful acceptance of “what is.” This is similar to surrender, or selectively and strategically abandoning one’s strangle-hold on what’s yet to be in favor of aligning with the flow of nature, the Tao, the path of less resistance.
- The power of flexibility – the wisdom here is that those who remain flexible are least likely to bent out of shape. Flexibility is a capability that allows us to be change adept, able to leap to action or sit and design an approach through careful analysis and assessment of “what is.” The person with the most options and greatest flexibility ultimately has the most control. There’s nothing quite as dangerous as a person with only one right answer.
- The power of intuition, of instinctively knowing, ignoring all rational evidence to the contrary and following your gut.
- The power of self-awareness. This is about the power of knowing yourself, being able to witness yourself as if someone was holding up a mirror to see clearly how you are operating. This is the “rough equivalent of opposable thumbs….” (Wes Nisker)
- The power of play and renewal. When most or all of the direct, focused and goal seeking juice has been expended, and the desired results still sit off in the distance, when would it be more powerful in the long run to sit back and have a good laugh, throw open a “stress release valve” and let the cycles of tension and Alligators of Anxiety take a hike? However, many of us prefer to simply stay on a project until it is complete; this is fine when you’re flying solo, but pay attention to collaborators or employees who may need to focus on something else for awhile. The wisdom here is what Covey called “Sharpening the saw.”
In the end, our opinions (interpretations, judgments, and beliefs …) aren’t nearly as useful or powerful as our ability to witness that we all hold but a piece of the elephant. Skillful collaboration is a lot like being of two minds, as if both perspectives are within you (because they are, or will be, if you practice), and by taking turns leading and listening, you can usually find a much stronger path to a far better future.
