Mr. Burns, Gordon Gekko, and Other Power-Oriented Leaders, or Power Is a Means Not an End

Power is critical to leadership, but very often leaders (and those who follow them) misunderstand it.  The traditional view of leadership is often Machiavellian, meaning it’s about getting and maintaining power in a zero-sum world where one person’s increase in power is another person’s deficit.  This model lacks an ethical center and success is defined only in terms of who has the most power, regardless of the process used to get it.  Power is an end, in and of itself.  Those who enact this philosophy typically leave casualties in the wake of their climb to the top of the power pyramid, creating a sea of animosity, which they often mistake for envy.  Often the power-oriented leader is ultimately dissatisfied.  In that world, there is never enough power to go around, they must constantly guard against other power-grabbers (which is exhausting), and many are left at the end of a career or life surrounded by those who are interested in them only to the extent that they can offer a transactional power benefit. 

Many people see these types of games play out and, unwilling to make the ethical sacrifices to grab power (and afraid of becoming a real-life Mr. Burns), they end up opting out, believing that leadership isn’t for them.  Servant leadership and similar leadership philosophies offer an antidote.  Servant leadership defines success not in terms of who has the most of anything, power included, but who accomplishes the most through helping others to grow beyond expectations.  Kent Keith says “Power-oriented leaders want to make people do things. Servant-leaders want to help people do things” (Keith, 2008, p. 29).  Servant leadership offers an alternative to the Gordon Gekko-style, “me-first” pursuit of power often offered by the traditional power model of leadership. It offers a way to accomplish a great deal for organizations and individuals while maintaining ethics and building skills in self and others.

It’s important to avoid any false dichotomies when considering the power and servant leadership models.  It’s not a matter of choosing to have power or not have power and servant leaders do not ignore or eschew power.  Servant leaders understand power (including its dangers), recognizing it as a valuable tool that can be used to shape outcomes and create value for others.  Servant leaders do not worship power nor do they see power as an end in a winner-take-all game.    Servant leaders use the influence of power to gather the right people and get the best outcomes for the clients, customers, students, and organizations they serve and for their team members.  Servant leaders work from an abundance mentality, empowering others to reach their full potential, with the understanding that power takes many forms and can be obtained by all.

Citation:

Keith, K. M. (2008). The case for servant leadership. Westfield, IN:  The Greenleaf Center for Servant Leadership.

Power Poisoning and the Servant Leadership Remedy

"Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man's character, give him power."

~~Abraham Lincoln

An understanding of power is central to all leadership.  In fact, you could even say that power  -- its nature and its uses – is almost synonymous with leadership.  Everyone has been on the receiving end of power and has at least some understanding of the effects of power on teams.  But most leaders have little understanding of the effects of power on them.  Understanding the effect of power is critical to avoiding some of the pitfalls associated with it.

Several researchers, including Robert Sutton, have investigated the effects of power on leaders and have reached some pretty interesting conclusions, which have been confirmed in literally hundreds of studies.  To keep this post brief, I’ll summarize them.  You can find out more by looking at the links below.

The effects of power can be summarized by the word “disinhibition.”  Basically, power acts on us to lower inhibitions, much like alcohol.  Specifically, those with power become, over time:·     

• Overly confident, often misjudging the potential dangers in a situation and refusing to take advice;
• Oblivious to what others think;
• More focused on themselves and pursuing their own wants;
• More likely to believe “the rules” apply to others but not to them;
• Less able to accurately judge how others react to them;
• More likely to stereotype others;
• More likely to engage in risky behavior. 

This understanding of the pitfalls of power is not new.  Lord Acton, a 19^th century English historian and baron, is famous for summarizing it:  “Power corrupts.  Absolute power corrupts absolutely.”  The modern term for this is “power poisoning.”

Power is an unavoidable part of leadership, but how should we guard against this subtle but almost inevitable transformation?  One way is to adopt a leadership philosophy that teaches specific skills that prevent this de-evolution and encourages an overall viewpoint that remedies the ego inflation of power.  Servant leadership does just that.  In coming weeks, we will be learning the critical practices of servant leadership, which counter the disinhibiting and corrosive effects of power.

For more information: 

“Power is Not Only an Aphrodisiac, It Does Some Weird Things to Some of Us” by Vicki Haddock 

“It Isn’t Just a Myth, Power Turns People Into Assholes,” by Bob Sutton

“The Detrimental Effects of Power on Confidence, Advice Taking, and Accuracy,” by Kelly E. See, Elizabeth W. Morrison, Naomi B. Rothman, and Jack B. Soll