It’s Time to Talk with Your Team about Power

Address the elephant in the room

Address the elephant in the room.

Photo by Richard Lee on Unsplash

“What lies in our power to do, it lies in our power not to do.” — Aristotle

Power is a curious beast.

It can sometimes be wild, and others tamed. Power is not absolute. However, most people associate it with a title or formal authority.

Power can harm or unblock great work. Does your team feel empowered to take action? Or do they feel powerless more often than not?

Unfortunately, no one addresses the elephant in the room until it’s too late. You must kickstart the conversation.

The Power Gap

“Knowledge will give you power, but character respect.” — Bruce Lee

Power is an illusion, as I wrote here — it lies in the eye of the beholder.

Managers usually believe they delegate much more than they actually do. On the other hand, employees feel they have less power than they actually do.

Two key reasons cause this power gap:

• Most people interpret power differently

• They view power as something fixed — some have it, and others don’t.

Power is…