Power, Position, and Leadership
Imagine you are an American president, taking one last lingering look around the Oval Office as you reflect on the contributions made during your time in office- the successes, the failures, and the responsibilities each outcome held. You pause as your gaze settles on the seat you must leave behind.
The sheer amount of power that seat holds!
Is it empty? Or is that emptiness a mere reflection of the inner struggle you now feel knowing that power will soon belong to another?
You quietly step towards the doorway and reach towards the knob. Glancing back one last time, you realize that part of the inner struggle you may experience is also a sense of relief at having, literally, the weight of the world removed from your shoulders.
The sheer amount of responsibility that seat holds!
And not just any seat. That seat!
You gently close the door and walk outside the building, knowing you must now redefine yourself as someone who once occupied that seat, and uncertain as to how to do that.
Power, you see, belongs to that seat and is merely borrowed by those who occupy it. It is the power of the position, and the person occupying that position must choose whether to use that power for the country’s benefit or to abuse that power for his own.
That seat, however, is not the only seat of power in existence. There are seats just like that one all over the country, in every household, job, municipality, etc. Those who hold the power of a position such as heads of household, teachers, law enforcement officers, social media influencers, journalists, managers, supervisors, etc. must make the choice every day how they are going to use that power.
These choices, ironically, do not rely on the power a position holds but on how the person occupying that position chooses to engage in the work associated with that position. Do they delegate authority to others as they work to build a winning team in alignment with the values/goals of the business, organization, or institution? Or do they relegate responsibilities onto others as they work to make it appear as if they believe in anything other than themselves?
If you have questions about what kind of leaders you are working under, then start observing how they engage in their own work. Do they accept responsibility for the good, the bad, and the ugly? Or do they blame others for the bad and the ugly while crafting false narratives accentuating their goodness at others’ expense? How do they interact with others? With you?
To answer these and other questions regarding leadership, we need only reflect on the seat. Yes, that seat.
Which American presidents accepted responsibility for the state of the union, and which ones blamed others?
Which presidents worked with Congress to meet the needs of the people, and which ones controlled Congress via bullying, intimidation, gaslighting, and other abusive tactics?
Which presidents respected the rule of law, and which ones defied it?
Which presidents at least tried to create a more perfect union, and which ones tried to divide it?
Which ones used that seat for good, and which ones abused that seat for personal gain?
I will leave the answers up to you.
Source: Power, Position, and Leadership
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