Is there a difference between leadership and power? Does power mean to influence others? Is it more about control than influence? Or, going even further, do you think of force and coercion when you think of power? In The Power Paradox, by Dacher Keltner, power is defined as “about making a difference in the world” and “about changing other people’s lives.” This definition frames many of the compelling conclusions that have flowed out of Keltner’s research at The Greater Good Science Center he founded at the University of California, Berkeley.
By using the definition of power as making a difference in the world, Keltner humanizes and universalizes power. Making a difference is something we would all like to do. This definition allows us to de-link from the Machiavellian idea – an idea that is still deeply embedded in popular thinking – that power is about control, force and coercion. At The Center for Compassionate Leadership, we are aligned with Keltner’s evidence-based conclusions.
When we think of power in terms of dictatorial leaders, we ignore the role power plays in our everyday lives, in every interaction between ourselves, our family, and our friends, in commercial transactions, and in random encounters. Every choice we make ripples out into the world and has a follow-on impact on more and more individuals.
The Power Paradox is structured in a deceptively simple manner. There are five sections – defining power, the source of power, traits that lead to power, the corrosive influence of power itself, and the cost of powerlessness – with each of the five sections organized around four power principles. The resulting twenty power principles provide a very convenient summary and review of the book.
The third and fourth sections of the book – traits that lead to power and the corrosive influence of power – make up the heart of the paradoxical nature of power itself. The main attributes that lead to the granting of power are empathy, giving, expression of gratitude, and telling stories that unite. Unfortunately, power leads to empathy deficits, self-serving impulsivity, incivility and disrespect, and stories of exceptionalism and differentiation. Lord Acton was right, “Power corrupts. Absolute power corrupts absolutely.” Once one is in power, unless intentional effort is directed towards maintaining empathy, giving, gratitude, and unity, power will undermine those positive characteristics, which are the precise things that led to the acquisition of power in the first place.
Martin Luther King, Jr. paraphrased and popularized the words of Theodore Parker in saying, “The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.” The Power Paradox only speaks of power that bends toward justice. History and current events are both full of power that has come at the point of a gun or using deception or manipulation. The Power Paradox does not explicitly address how to use empathy and generosity to resist coercive power. For that we can turn to the brilliant models of non-violent resistance: Gandhi, Mandela, and MLK. They show us that power can be wielded both compassionately and effectively. In The Power Paradox, we have a road map for becoming powerful in sustainable ways that will help us to make the greatest change in the world.