“The leader has more power over those who are more dependent.” – pg. 55, The 52nd Floor: Thinking Deeply About Leadership
Power is the ability to get something done. It is “capacity that can be converted into control.“ And it is this control that often leaves a bad taste in people’s mouths as few enjoy the idea of being “controlled” by another. We all like thinking of ourselves as free people. However, power marches onward despite our feelings.
The authors of The 52nd Floor highlight an interesting way to view power — as a function of dependencies. In other words, the people who have the most power over you are those upon whom you are most dependent. Of course, the relationship works the opposite way as well.
You gain power within an organization or relationship when you, “…increase the dependencies others have on you or decrease the dependencies you have on others.”
To understand power, one must develop a deep knowledge of the various relationships at work within an organization. To answer the question, “who has the most power?” one must first ask a more nuanced question, “who is dependent on whom?” The answers may be surprising.
For a long time now power has tended to be viewed as something that is earned as one climbs his way up the greasy pole of an organization’s hierarchy, but the culture of the workplace and consequently its power structure have changed with the entering of the millennial generation into the workforce.
The authors offer this insight into the origins of power as created by virtue of need,
“The power others have over us is nothing more than a function of desire. By strongly desiring a relationship with someone, we often grant him or her the power to influence us. In this sense, power is not a possession, but rather our own compliance given onto someone else. Power is created by virtue of need. It is exchange within a relationship between the ‘needy’ and the ‘provider.’”
Part of the reason old CEOs and generals find managing millennials so difficult and frustrating is that we feel much less dependent on the company or organization to fulfill our needs, viewing life as something we can take into our own hands rather than waiting for it to be bestowed upon us in the form of a company car or fancy title. Work is not our life. We’ve seen the tattered hopes of our parents who tried to be good company men only to end up burnt out and unfulfilled…so we’re choosing a different route, one less dependent on the company to satisfy our hunger. In a very literal sense, we’re out of control.
Popularity: 1% [?]
No related posts.
Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
Hi Cameron!
Yes, this pricipal works particularly well and is understood very well and applied very well by many African leaders and dictators-power over the masses. That’s why Africa will never escape poverty (dependance) because it is created by the leaders who live in the utmost luxury while their own people are suffering and living on promises. Zimbabwe is a good example of this in the recent history. It will take a miracle to save Africa from this very sad situation!
Regards to you all there in the USA!
@ Fred,
Very interesting, I had only been thinking of it on a more micro level, thanks for pointing out its implications at the macro as well. A good reminder that man is more often than not a very poor steward of large amounts of power.