Power

We hosted a conversation this morning with respected and experienced leadership development experts. We were discussing pieces of the Emerging Leaders Summit when one asked, “how are you looking at the issue of power?”

Power is fundamental to leadership. And our research into leadership programs shows that it’s rarely made explicit to understand how we use it.

Paul Theriault, VP Human Resources at NB Power was there and started talking about the old TV show Dallas. During one classic scene, Jock Ewing, the head of the Ewing Oil company, loses it with his upstanding and ethical son Bobby when he tells him “you are never given power, you take power.”

There's a bit of time still open for a challenging conversation and we discussed what an exploration into power might look like at the Summit. For example, invite someone to join us who has had a rich life taking power and, importantly, having it taken away. Or maybe tools are developed to better understand how we exploit it -- or not.