It’s the human condition to crave significance and personal power. We all seek significance and meaning, even if we are not aware of that drive. And it’s a wonderful thing. Yet it can too easily tip into the negative when we seek personal power by taking it away from someone else.
When we experience these battles (or even instigate them), we have to choose an approach, a strategy of how we deal with these moments. It is all too tempting to jump into the fray and relish in the battle. Think of those cartoon fight scenes – a dust cloud with arms and legs popping in and out. We also don’t feel too good after these bouts. They never tend to resolve anything other than heightening hostility and deepening division.
So sometimes the best strategy for an unfolding power game with others is to step back, watch from the side-lines, and when the dust settles, be the voice of reason that mediates the defusion of tension and the brokering of peace. To do this we must overcome the belief that we lose something if we don’t jump in and play the game.
What power game is taking place around you now? If it’s in your own team, you unfortunately don’t have the luxury to wait it out. You do have the responsibility to step in and lead the moment out of chaos and back into order.
NOTE: Our current Me-Scan Average in Compassionate Leadership is sitting at 66%. Can your team beat the average? Check out this free self-assessment tool on our website.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download