This article first appeared in the November, 2004 edition of the Jacksonville Business Journal
Power is a word that carries significant emotion. For many, it connotes the "evil empire." It generates the concept of using raw power to direct and control others - often through fear, intimidation, coercion or threat of bodily harm.
But describing someone as a "powerful person" conjures up a different image. This picture generates an image of influencing others, having personal confidence or charisma, and creating results or making things happen. Therefore, the use of power and being a powerful person are two very different concepts. Let's take a look at examples of both.
People Known For Their Use of Power
I have been conducting an informal survey over the past several months, asking business leaders to name people who come to their mind as individuals who sought to achieve their goals through the use of power. The top responses I received were: Ghengis Kahn, Alexander the Great, Caesar, Napoleon, Hitler, Stalin, and Saddam Hussein.
The names on this list bear a lot of similarity. They all exercised their power in the military or political arena. They all used the direct force of people to control the lives of millions of others. They all used fear as an integral part of their strategy. They all valued power over relationships - even over human life itself.
Leaders and managers who use power in their organizations tend to apply the same tactics, restrained only by the laws of society and their corporate policies or culture. Threats of job loss or career advancement are common techniques to maintain power. Control of information, of the activities of others, and of access to resources are typical power mechanisms. Dominating behavior and the use of intimidation are the usual characteristics of this style.
The use of power in history and in organizational life creates a predictable result. It works in the short term and then leads to other consequences.
Most importantly, this approach accumulates enemies. The enemies do not go away over time - they grow and often form alliances with each other. In the end, these enemies often help to shorten or end the reign of power.
What is even more significant, is that after the person who uses power as a means of control has been removed, the organization or system left behind rapidly crumbles. Whether the example is the Roman Empire, Russia under Stalin, Nazi Germany, or current companies controlled by leaders using the same style, the approach does not create sustainability. It is impossible to sustain because it controls people through coercion, fear and intimidation. There is no desire or commitment to support such an organization.
People Who Have Had a Powerful Impact on the World
I then continued my survey with a different slant. The question I asked was "Who are some of the people that have proved to have a significantly powerful and lasting impact on the world?" This question generated broad response in several categories. Politically, some of the most common responses were Washington, Lincoln, Roosevelt, and Churchill. In science, names included Galileo, DaVinci, Pasteur and Einstein. In philosophy and the arts the names were Plato, Aristotle, Michelangelo, and Shakespeare. Social influence included Ghandi, Freud and Martin Luther King. And of course Abraham, Moses, Jesus, and Mohammed led the religious group.
There is a strikingly different commonality among these individuals compared to the previous list. They did NOT use raw power as the source of their impact. Instead, they used knowledge, service to mankind, and the depth of their personal beliefs. They did not force others to submit to their control - they contributed to the greater understanding of the world and personally lived what they believed. They all "walked their talk." These individuals have had an enduring impact on the world through the power of their vision, their ideas and their contribution to others.
Power in the Business World
The same principles are true in business. Leaders who use power to force others to submit to their desires may have short term success in imposing their will on others. But they pay a price - often during their own tenure. Certainly, they leave no legacy behind and the structures they imposed crumble shortly after their departure.
Leaders who have a powerful enduring impact on the organizations they lead use knowledge, service and contribution to others as their tenets. They lead through personal example and create organizations with powerful cultures focused on creating value for customers, employees, and shareholders. These are the companies that are "built to last."
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