Leadership and Power: Making distinctions

I’ve been reading the Oct 15th issue of Newsweek whose feature story was on Women&Power. The first article has these headings:

Women & Leadership | Women & Power
In All Their Glory
Americans could elect our first female president in 2008.
What the most powerful women of the past can teach us about how the rule in the future.

What follows is a series of stories of women who have risen to leadership positions and roles. Underscored are common traits of having big dreams and facing obstacles, as well as their biggest fears. The stories are compelling, as good stories most often are, but I kept going back to the headline. I was stuck on the easy exchange of the words “power” and “leadership” as though they were one and the same. To me this indicates an understanding of the term leadership that is limiting, not to mention dangerous. I was also uncomfortable with the word “rule”. “Rule” implies command and control. Is that what we want from our leaders? If you think of a leader as one you would willingly follow or one who mobilizes you to want to struggle for shared aspirations, as authors Kouzes and Posner define it, then “rule” has no place in leadership. It undermines the essential ingredients of collaboration and trust. “Rule” is about power, “Leadership” is about service. So let’s leave the word “rule” out of conversations about leadership and focus on the power of vision, compassion, and courage. Then when we have conversations about women who lead, the role of power will refer to their ability to inspire and influence.

posted by Beth High

Comments

[N.Lowery]

Beth I couldn't agree more. focus on the power of vision, compassion, and courage

In the K&P model programs we offer - horses are the metaphor to illustrate power has nothing to do with leadership. To lead a horse you need to be a good follower and through the power of vision, compassion and for some true courage, complete a series of tasks with an individual who outweighs and easily out stengths us tenfold. The question of authority to lead through developing a trusting relationship is perfectly obvious, and rule, well we've tried to impose rule on horses in many ways, they will comply doesn't make them a willing partner.