Power Dynamics
Society, the office, your home life--every inter-relationship contains a balancing act of power dynamics. The more people involved, the more muddled they can become, and the more attune we are to power disparity and marginalized communities… well, it only gets more complicated.
Times are rough, emotionally--physically- speaking. We are all grasping for whatever tiny ounce of power we might retain. We are all being shoved back and forth on the rollercoaster from hell that is 2020... But our win/win scenario going forward requires us to identify and respect each other’s moments of power, to share the little we have back and forth between us to make the most of its collective force, and to build off each other’s power to craft a better world in 2021 and onward.
But you have to be able to identify the dynamics of the power structure in order to share it equitably amongst others. Sometimes the power we wield in one sphere will do very little for us in another. Consider, for example the following:
You are stranded on an island with 5 strangers. One of you is a Navy Crewman. One of you is an Engineer. One is a Butcher. One: a twelve-year-old Boy scout, and you are a Fortune 500 CEO.
Now: survive.
This is a prime moment to identify and share your individual power bases--each individual’s talent, education, and soft skills--for the actual survival of the group. Don’t think soft skills are relevant on a desert island? Try having a conversation when stress is high, or stay devoted to your task with seemingly insurmountable odds. You, being a natural leader (a soft skill, incidentally), might undertake the organization role: Who does what? How might their skills contribute to the safety of the group? What needs to be done in what order?
...But there is a point where your gravitational pull of power needs to give way to another. Because you will all need shelter, and who out of your team might best lead this part of the “project to survive?” At this point, the Engineer takes the Crewman as his second, and the two begin to salvage the best they can of the wreck that got you here, and strategize how to best fashion a shelter. You now fall back to the role of their support system in helping to salvage, carry, lift, and cart items as needed.
…Meanwhile… What is there to eat and drink on the island? The Butcher and Boyscout are elected to investigate sustenance options.
In time, a serviceable shelter is up, and all report back with their findings as you and the Engineer begin to strategize SOS options, the Boy scout starts a fire and begins to help the Crewman with boat repairs, and the Butcher starts to build a meal out of the initial island findings.
The flow of power and leadership depending on the need at hand can be this natural as long as personal ownership of your talents, humility, and teamwork are involved. It would make little sense for you to be the lead architect of the shelter just because you have 1.5 billion dollars and a 20 million dollar house. Does that mean you know how to build one? Identifying that the 12 year old Boy scout owns more skill in survival than you do at this moment isn’t just practical, it is down right necessary. Do you know how to start a fire from nothing? Have any idea how to kill and skin a wild boar--or a squirrel, for that matter? Understand the effect of rainfall on a roofing system? No. So what purpose would holding onto the leadership power in these moments do for any of you?
Sure, it might be easy to see this if you were ever stranded on a desert island. But what if you are trying to get your teenager to pick up their room for the hundredth time? What if you want your employee to stop bugging you with constant questions and just figure it out and get the work done? What if your sister is always talking over you at dinner time, your dog won’t stop eating your shoes, Dad always hogs the remote, or your office work partner always puts everything off until the night before it’s due? What if your Boss is micromanaging you within an inch of your life? Learning to identify these power dynamics and learning to balance them will improve your family and your team's trust in you and confidence in the collaboration. By sharing the power, you also share more of the responsibility for the end effect. By putting an end to abusive action--that is, the inappropriate grab of power--you recalibrate for a more fair and just structure. By increasing your awareness of where power is at play--whether at home, at the office, or on a desert island, you instill more equity, more equality, and a higher return on your investment than you ever would have otherwise.
...After all… if you’re stranded on an island with no shelter, or food, or team to help get you home… who cares how many billions you’ve got?