It is not titles that honor people,

but people who honor those titles.

Machiavelli

How do you handle power?

How do you use your power in front of a subordinate?

To have power is not to have wisdom. How you handle your power is perhaps the most important attribute of being a leader. To serve others, even if it is just a cup of coffee, is to show by example for others to do so as well, and as the leader demonstrates a willingness to serve, others will follow in the next instance.

Effective use of power requires wisdom and self-control and this is paradoxical. Lau-tzu wrote:

"Water is liquid, soft, it gives way. But water makes a hole in a stone that is hard and does not give way. As a rule, the liquid, soft and flexible will prevail over the hard and rigid that does not give way. The paradox here is: soft is powerful".

A leader has the capacity to face chaotic problems, knows how to demand or claim from others without offending, respecting the dignity of the person. He knows how to delegate power with enforceability. By empowering others, he does not lose power, but multiplies it. Power energizes and when you use it correctly you discover that you can trust others.

When power is abused, people cover themselves with defensive mechanisms to avoid humiliation and mistreatment. They devote their energy to defend themselves from the leader instead of creating and producing. They avoid taking risks and making decisions for fear of punishment. This destroys trust and paralyzes the project's entrepreneurship since everyone now looks for ways to shift the blame onto someone else.

Nor do rich millionaires or celebrities necessarily possess leadership qualities. These qualities must be demonstrated over the long term. Money and fame come and go like the wind. Power is also lost if one allows oneself to be seduced by the corruptible and degenerative. Holding an office gives power, but the one who holds it may be incompetent. Personal power is more important, since it attracts people if it is used to empower them. It means leading with humility, service, sobriety, honesty, integrity, patience and good treatment of people and subordinates.

A leader is open to communication and criticism. By isolating himself from others, he ceases to perceive quality information and loses strength. Believing that he knows everything because he holds a position and that everyone else must say "yes sir" is a serious mistake. You must use your personal power to maintain the power of your position or position.

Lao-tzu wrote: "The best leader is the one who helps people so that eventually they do not need him. Then follows the leader who is loved and admired. Next, the one who is feared. Finally, the softie who allows himself to be pushed around by people. Where there is no trust, people will act in bad faith. A good leader speaks little, but when he does, his words carry substance, weight, add value. In the end, when he has finished the project, everyone will say: we did it together!"

A good leader looks at the responsibilities of power rather than the privilege of the position and always seeks to develop the full potential of his followers. It is important that the person to occupy a leadership position be fully aware of the "power of power." Does he use it for his own aggrandizement or to serve? What does he want power for? Who will he serve?

A leader has many frustrations; people do not like to be directed and ordered around. However, if he uses his personal power and begins to serve others, he will have many followers and fewer frustrations.

Carpe diem --

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