Suzanne Mercier - Sunday, February 28, 2010
In my recent blogs, I've talked about the first two key principles of authenticity: being real and accepting just who we are, and understanding ourselves so we can develop an internal compass. In this blog, I'll talk about understanding power, stepping into our personal power and why personal power is a business issue.
Commonly, when we talk about power, most people think of power over someone else: command and control. After all, that's the most common power we're exposed to through our parents, caregivers, teachers, lecturers and finally our managers or CEO. In organisations, power is a reality and we are now recognising that the constructive use of power has an influence on the level of engagement an employee feels with his or her organisation.
When I talk of power in the context of personal authenticity, I'm talking about personal power, separate from any power that may come from position, knowledge, contacts or other sources.
Personal power does not involve power over anyone else. It means that we drive the bus that is our life. What we do with our life; what we hope for; how we find happiness is entirely up to us. Personal power simply involves domain over ourselves meaning that individually, we take responsibility for ourselves, the responses we have to circumstances, for the outcomes we create, as well as for the way we take and use the feedback those circumstances provide us with.
I've put this forward as the third key principle of Authenticity because I believe we need the other two at least on the radar before this one is feasible. We need to have recognition of our talents and skills, our successes, what is important to us and an understanding that how we perceive the world around us is unique to each of us, based on beliefs, values, past decisions and various other filters. We need that level of personal acceptance without judgement to see that we actually have power and are not helpless, victims to the whims of others.
Personal power, based on self awareness, brings with it both responsibility and choices. If we don't like what's going on around us, we can change it by changing our response to it, changing the environment, examining our beliefs, searching the situation for feedback that provides the opportunity to perceive or behave differently. We can set healthy boundaries rather than strong defenses. We can leave others to their own experiences without the need to control them, judge them or correct them. And if we do need to change something someone else is doing because it's not working and it's our responsibility to ensure it does, we can do so in a respectful manner without the need to belittle the other person.
How does personal power impact on work? People with personal power know what works for them and what doesn't. As mentioned earlier, they have healthy boundaries rather than strong defenses. This means they are better able to take feedback and use it to improve some aspect of their performance. They respect themselves and others and are able to actively participate in team building - the storming and norming phases. They are comfortable putting forward a different view than the one on the table, which breaks up group think. Their communication is clear - what they say is what they mean and what they will do. They don't engage in covert behaviour where they say one thing and do the opposite - such as agreeing to a course of action, then sabotaging it. They are capable of figuring out what gives their lives meaning and fulfillment and because of that, they can more readily see where they can make their contribution.
An employee who is self-aware, into personal improvement, takes responsibility for their own actions and reactions, has a strong internal compass and steps into their own power ... is an incredibly valuable and engaged employee. And that leads directly to improvements on the bottom line.
What do you think? I'd love to hear.
All the very best
Suzanne
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