Presence. This is real!

This is real!

Josephine is 31 years old. From an early age she had the desire to learn more about leadership. She attended courses, spent time watching people in leadership, and even mimicked some of the behaviours of famous people in positions of leadership. At the age of 23 she had the opportunity to be on the student council of the university. Her first real experience in leadership. This time was filled with exciting innovations, strategizing, planning and getting people to join campaigns to improve student life on campus. Simultaneously, it was also an eye-opener for her. She lost friends as student council members rallied for more authority, status and power. The whole experience left her in the dark regarding the topic of healthy leadership. But she brushed it off as being in the presence of youthful people all finding their way forward.

Josephine moved on in life and during her first experience as part of the workforce, she came across a different type of leadership. This time status was connected to knowledge, and expertise produced authority. She learned much from the leaders in the company, and this time contributed to foundational beliefs and principles around leadership. She experienced varied approaches to leadership, some resonated with her, while others were contradictory to her personal beliefs.

Now, at age 31, she just resigned as a bright young executive, because she experienced the epitome of destructive positional power.

Josephine, as with many other leaders, had been the recipient of the unhealthy use of power. When power is used for personal gain, it will ultimately lead to destruction for all.

How do we know if we are using power effectively? Here are a few points to ponder.

Do my actions lead to win-win or win-lose results? When both people win long-term, it is a sign of the healthy use of power.
Do my actions create a healthy or toxic work environment? Usually, the unhealthy use of power creates toxic work environments. Employees won’t speak up, they usually just go to work for personal reasons, mostly financial. They do not feel inspired and they actively look for other work. This is one of the reasons for The Great Resignation.
Do I crave more power? Power hungry individuals are never satisfied. They climb every ladder, leaving casualties in the wake as they try to satisfy their thirst.

These are just a few initial thoughts. Take some time to dive deeper into the topic.

I wish you all the best as you learn to use your power effectively.

Order the new book “Presence – An Essential Leadership Challenge” to dive deeper into the topic and design your way forward.

In the next blog we will dive deeper into the topic of power.