4 sources of power
In any career, there are 4 sources of power: organizational, emotional, professional and spiritual.
The higher up the corporate ladder you are, the more organizational power you have. A VP obviously has more power than a project manager, for instance.
The more passionate you are, the more power you have.
The more talented or professionally experienced you are, the more power you have.
The more you view your job as being part of something important that you do to improve the world, the more (moral) power you have.
The sad thing is that most people are only aware of organizational power. Since most corporations are structured like a pyramid, then statistically speaking, most people do not have power (only the few people at the top of the pyramid have power).
However, the good news is that there are three other sources of power: they come from your brain (professional power), your heart (emotional power) and your soul or conscience (moral power).
Gandhi, for example, had no organizational power, but had lots of moral authority and power. He influenced a nation forever.
A recent example of emotional power is Sean Bono, who won over Lee, the other finalist, in the show The Apprentice (it's a TV show where billionaire Donald Trump submits participants (chosen from a million applicants) to a grueling 15-week "job interview" consisting of various projects during which they have to compete and demonstrate their leadership abilities).
Sure, at 33 years old, he has more experience than Lee, who is only 23 years old. But I think what set him apart was his enormously contagious passion for his work. The guy is totally electric, a natural-born leader.
The success secret here is that if you unleash these three other sources of power, the more confident and powerful and invincible you will be in your career.
The higher up the corporate ladder you are, the more organizational power you have. A VP obviously has more power than a project manager, for instance.
The more passionate you are, the more power you have.
The more talented or professionally experienced you are, the more power you have.
The more you view your job as being part of something important that you do to improve the world, the more (moral) power you have.
The sad thing is that most people are only aware of organizational power. Since most corporations are structured like a pyramid, then statistically speaking, most people do not have power (only the few people at the top of the pyramid have power).
However, the good news is that there are three other sources of power: they come from your brain (professional power), your heart (emotional power) and your soul or conscience (moral power).
Gandhi, for example, had no organizational power, but had lots of moral authority and power. He influenced a nation forever.
A recent example of emotional power is Sean Bono, who won over Lee, the other finalist, in the show The Apprentice (it's a TV show where billionaire Donald Trump submits participants (chosen from a million applicants) to a grueling 15-week "job interview" consisting of various projects during which they have to compete and demonstrate their leadership abilities).
Sure, at 33 years old, he has more experience than Lee, who is only 23 years old. But I think what set him apart was his enormously contagious passion for his work. The guy is totally electric, a natural-born leader.
The success secret here is that if you unleash these three other sources of power, the more confident and powerful and invincible you will be in your career.
posted by Super Peter at 10:09 AM
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