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Status Equals Power ... or Does It? March 26, 2011

If you grow up believing that more is better; and you get more when when you earn more; and you earn more when you're the boss, then it's hard to understand when you get to be the boss, that you don't have to act like one!

Take it from Gregory Goose, who is a fictional character invented by our colleague Judith E. Glaser. Gregory is like any other young goose who was taught that in order to be a leader you have to demonstrate power over the other geese by flapping your wings, strutting around, pecking at the lower-level geese, and HONKing loudly. 

He practiced and practiced at doing all of those behaviors really well until he was promoted to lead goose, whose main job was to safely get the flock from here to there. He did his job by letting the others know he was the boss and they had to follow him or else! And follow him they did. Until one day, when the hunters came and started to shoot at the birds who were dutifully following their leader.

In the crisis, Gregory realized that if the flock stayed in formation behind him, they would certainly be killed. That's when he gave the signal for a few other geese to separate from the V-formation and lead their own part of the flock. Gregory was very proud when he realized that the hunters didn't kill one goose that day because the power of the flock working together toward the same goal (survival) kept them safe. That's when Gregory realized that a true leader recognizes and leverages the talents and skills of each member of the flock and doesn't hold all the power for himself!

So what type of leader are you? Do you power-over others by strutting and honking? Or do you power-with the others but letting them contribute ideas and take risks with your support?

If you're the power-over type of leader, ask yourself these questions:

  • What am I missing by not inviting others to speak up with different opinions than mine?
  • What am I doing to prepare others to take lead roles and eventually take over for me?
  • What would happen in a crisis if I could not lead or direct my team?

You might learn that you could have more power, respect, and success by choosing to power with others. Here are a few questions to ask others and invite them to contribute their ideas, engage in dialog, and create more possibilities for success:

  • If you had my job, what would you do about ...?
  • If you were in charge of ... how would you handle the ... situation?
  • If you could choose any thing to change around here, what would it be?

The best part of being a leader is that you already know how to ask great questions! Now, you just need to listen to the answers!

 


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