The Best Way for You to Start Leading With the Power of Purpose
Posted on June 16, 2016 by Tru Pettigrew, One of Thousands of Life Coaches on Noomii.
The most effective leaders influence others by providing purpose, direction, & motivation. Effective leaders understand how to Lead with Purpose!
The seductive allure of power can be a dangerous thing. And to quote Mr. Kanye West…”No one man should have all that power”. I don’t typically quote or even agree with Mr. West on everything, but this is one case where I do, especially when it comes to leadership. No one man or woman should have all the power.
When we think of leadership, we often think of this authoritative, heroic figure that is in total control, shouting out orders here and there to make sure that everyone is in place to march his people on to victory. And sometimes that is exactly what is required of a leader, and they need the power and authority to call those shots and lead that charge. But how does a leader get his or her power and avoid the risks and dangers that often come with that power?
The real power for any leader comes from the people that they are leading. You can’t take power; you have to be given the power by the people that you lead. Your title or position alone is not enough to make the people trust and follow you. Leadership should be viewed more as a role of responsibility rather than a position of authority. And the more responsibility you take for helping your people to thrive, then the more power and authority they are willing to give you.
What the people understand is that the person with the most responsibility requires the most authority in order to be effective. The people choose to give the leader the most authority, but not all authority. And the people will only give the authority to a leader who prioritizes responsibility over authority and shares the power with the people.
The best way for a leader to avoid getting drunk off the intoxicating allure of power is to share the power with the people. When you empower your people to make decisions and offer counsel in their areas of expertise, they feel better about them selves and better about you as a leader. They trust you more because you trust them. They respect you more because you respect them. They love you more because you show them love.
To avoid the trappings of becoming a misguided, power hungry leader, simply give the power that the people give you back to them. The funny thing about this approach, is the more you give power to the people, the more power they will give back to you. They will do this because they trust you to act responsibly with the power.
It’s the basic principal of sowing and reaping… whatever you want, just give it away. It sounds crazy, I know.
If you want more love, show more love. If you want more time, give more time. If you want more power, empower others.
Leaders need power to be effective. But understand that your power as a leader comes from the people. So in order to increase your power and authority as a leader, you must prioritize responsibility over authority and give the power to the people. They will gladly give it back… and then some!
