© T.H. Warrior – Tender Hearted Warriors
– S.S.P. & E.L.C.
In Physics, power is the rate at which work is done. It highlights the amount of effort, commodity, material, time, and energy that is needed for a task to be done. High power means a large amount of work was done over a short time. In other words, power could beat the old odds of limited resources and opportunity costs; because when it comes to power, all rules are applied biased: by the amount of power they have. For example, when a powerful car can accelerate rapidly, it does a large amount of work and consumes a large amount of fuel in a short time. Whereas in economics, we can’t have it both ways. We cannot reach a large pinnacle or come to a high climax without having put a tremendous amount of work over a long time.
And I believe we’ve all heard the old saying that with great power comes great responsibility. Responsibility towards an excellent source of influence that no one has ever been able to define as an object, reference, solid written law, or even a raw material. It doesn’t fit in any already established box, and that is what distinguishes Power and Authority.
Power is the potential of an individual or an object to influence others and control their actions. Authority is the legal and formal right to give orders and commands and make decisions.
Power is a source of control, a chance for us to leave our influences on others. Authority is a sort of delegation granted to us; and that is precisely why it carries less responsibilities with itself – more people are involved; A written law controls it, not personal emotions and internal triggers. Power comes from who we are; resides in the person who uses it, whereas authority is a privilege given to us and lies in a post or position we hold, and not in ourselves. Power is flexible, dynamic. Authority is technical and static. Power cannot be accurately illustrated – it flows in every direction possible, whereas authority is defined in organizational charts, and of course, it flows downwards.
„Power is flexible, dynamic. Authority is technical and static. Power cannot be accurately illustrated – it flows in every direction possible, whereas authority is defined in organizational charts, and of course, it flows downwards“
T.H. Warrior
Power is a personal trait that can affect people in every single aspect of their lives. It can come from the inside, can be gained through hard experience and even failure. It takes years to build a reliable internal power that knows its function and timing. And it takes less than a few epsilons of a second to be put to misuse, where it serves no purpose of social construction, but rather more selfish agendas.
Power – undetected and accepted?
The Powerful are often not even fully aware of their power. One of the very odd characteristics of power is that it is denied to us. Usually from both sides, that is, even from the „rulers.“ Sometimes the powerful ones even like to suppress this knowledge, because otherwise they would have to constantly deal with the question of their legitimacy.
Where there is power, fear is to be found. Those pushing their ways upwards, fear they’re missing out on potential connections. And those who have already reached the top, fear losing the privileges that come with power. So, the powerful hermetically seal off their area of responsibility, remain in a silo mentality, and guard their knowledge like a treasure instead of sharing it. The young generation, on the other hand, has long understood how poor you stay when you keep everything to yourself and how rich you get when you share.
If the management elite and the workforce understand themselves as „we up here“ against „them down there,“ then the change is inevitable. In such a context, the administrative supervisors are the lesser evils. Above all, human resources are wasted on a large scale, because a scenario of threats, intrigue, resentment, and mania as a means of control builds up. The focus is on the inside; a lot of energy goes into attack and defense. Everyone is busy with extensive security measures. There is little room for customer concerns.
The power hustle and bustle at management level is highly unproductive and wastes valuable time that no one has nowadays. It also creates a high level of bureaucracy, which makes the company’s dynamic cumbersome, although agility is urgently needed. Besides, the boss’s „misused power“ dries up the valuable initiatives. In a way, that the right employees with high potential learn that their opinion does not count. And they leave the company in droves. With the remaining mediocrity, the challenges of the future will certainly not be met.
Those holding a high status instruct without asking. And the ones below them listen without saying anything. And when the „lower ones“ do speak, their comments are irrelevant. Most superiors continuously need signs of power and, at the same time, signs of devotion to be sure of their sovereignty at all times. The submissive use their lower voice, stutter, have a deceptive look, bow their head sideways, make themselves small, wear a fake smile, give a timid apology, awe, pity. Such signs should only mean one thing: RED Flags!
The weak bosses, who need to watch for their status, are in need of some „tinsel.“ They discredit others to hide their smallness. One thing is obvious: Those who make their employees small and humiliate them will not be able to expect anything significant from them! And those who cannot praise will find that there will soon be no more praiseworthy achievements in their field – because people reinforce behavior for which they receive attention, recognition, and appreciation. When they are not appreciated, people commit themselves without commitment.
„When they are not appreciated, people commit themselves without commitment“
T.H. Warrior
Wherever power is secured with hierarchy, powerlessness and blind obedience is to be seen. Unreflective yes-sayers are dangerous for every company or society. They cover up unfair practices and do not even reveal derailed morals. Therefore, an iron law should be introduced urgently: „Contradict your superior!“
Authority is only recognized by the up-and-coming young generation, the digital natives, when deeds justify it. Institutionalized authority „ex officio“ is immediately questioned. And the classic status symbols, the „crutches of power,“ have lost much of their radiance. Companies that act in a highly hierarchical manner are irrelevant to talented millennials.
We all get a slightly negative feeling about the term „power,“ whereas power could be a constructive force that provides the foundations for a life worth living together, that is, law and order. But when the term power comes up, it usually carries a negative connotation, a bad image.
Power is a dazzling phenomenon that triggers highly ambivalent feelings, fantasies, and evaluations. It is devalued, damned, even demonized, and yet it fascinates us. We both admire and envy those who exercise it.
Read the paragraph about Authority and Power again, and flashback on your life. Was every rule implied, forced on us with authority or power? Was there ever a time when things didn’t quite make sense or didn’t seem fair? And how did the ones responsible and in charge handle our questions? With a hat? Or a reference to an article of a paragraph in the civil code?
„Power is a dazzling phenomenon that triggers highly ambivalent feelings, fantasies, and evaluations. It is devalued, damned, even demonized, and yet it fascinates us. We both admire and envy those who exercise it“
T.H. Warrior
Was that all a pattern of narcissistically disturbed personality of the ones in power, or the struggle for power?