‘Power corrupts!’ We often hear that about leaders, particularly in politics.
It brings to mind images of a cartoon villain. But there’s probably not a single moment when a leader suddenly becomes power crazy, when they lose their sense of right and wrong. And in many cases, this never actually happens.
What power actually does to a leader
What I do see happening though is that people develop positional privilege. As leaders rise up the hierarchy, people stop telling them the truth. They become a little bit quick to agree, or start to blindly follow instructions. This happens naturally. In many cultures, we are brought up to accept authority. And regardless, this person might be making decisions about your pay, or even your employment.
Most leaders wouldn’t admit to liking the influence leadership brings. But let’s face it, it often feels good. It’s nice to be respected. It’s good when people do what you ask them to without complaint. If people laugh at your bad jokes, it feels great.
But if it’s only surface level, it’s at best worthless, and at worst, damaging.
When a C-suite leader accumulates power, positional, reputational, financial, people around them start to make calculations about how to behave. Is it ok to disagree? Will challenging this person cost me my job? Is the relationship worth the risk?
Often, they decide, no, it isn’t. So they keep schtum and tell the leader what they think they want to hear. And leaders don’t notice it’s happening. They start making bad decisions that go unchallenged.
What to do about it
Leaders need to notice when challenge stops coming. This is data, and it’s giving a warning.
Leaders need to therefore ask for challenge proactively and directly. This is contracting, and it needs to be specific. We’ve all heard the leader who says “I’m always open to challenge”, but it’s too wishy washy. There needs to be direction about how and when, and on what the challenge is being asked for. If you think it’s not forthcoming, ask someone you trust what they’ve been holding back.
When pushback comes, treat it as the gift it is. It’s not something to manage or be defensive about. It’s evidence that people trust you and care about your success.
Staying human at the top requires effort. More efforts than most leaders realise.
Stay curious. Stay uncomfortable. Silence isn’t approval.
If you want a simple framework for asking the difficult questions and having the conversations that matter, download the free OI-3C Framework here.
