The Shadow of Power and the Place of Influence
“It’s dangerous to live in the shadow of power, and even more dangerous to sit at his table.”
My wife Sherry and I, and our two sons lived in Prague, the Czech Republic for almost 20 years. We arrived shortly after the fall of communism. Back then, Prague was not as well-known in the United States as it is today. However, for centuries Prague was known as the seat of power. In centuries past Prague Castle was the seat of the Holy Roman Empire, home of the grand Kings of Bohemia, and remains to this day the depository of the Crown Jewels of Bohemia.
I will never forget the first time we saw Prague Castle. We were standing in the center of Charles Bridge looking up at St. Vitus Cathedral and the walled castle. It almost seemed like a dream, or that we had entered a time-warp taking us back to the middle ages.
The seat of power is a marvelous thing to behold. It draws people to it. It is said that in the time of the great kings, the distance one had to travel from the castle to their residence was in direct proportion to their status in society. To say that one lived in the shadow of the castle, was to say that one lived within the seat of power. Imagine having such status, that you receive royal invitations to sit at the king’s table. Who could turn down an invitation like that?
The Crown Jewels of Bohemia: The Crown of St. Wenceslas, the royal orb and scepter.
Living in the shadow of power and being invited to sit at the king’s table had its apparent advantages, but it also has its dangers. At any time the king could say, “I don’t like the way he looks, off with his head!” Ouch!
As my dad used to say, “it’s dangerous to live in the shadow of power, and even more dangerous to sit at his table.”
Those who lead in the middle of an organization are in a unique place in the organization. They live in the shadow of power and sometimes even get to sit at the table of power. It can be a rewarding and heady (no pun intended) experience.
At the same time, middle leaders are in a dangerous place in the organization. For middle leaders, the greatest danger comes with the notion that being near power is tantamount to having equal power. To date, I have not found a single organization where everyone has equal power. It’s not a question of having power, but one of understanding the limits of one’s power, and then knowing how to act when one faces that limit.
Consider this: the middle leader has a responsibility upward and downward in the organization. In consideration of downward responsibility, the organization usually allows for a middle leader to have a certain amount of positional power so they can do their job. A middle leader must solve problems and make decisions, neither of which can happen without some power. But in most organizations, the network through which the middle leader’s power flows is unidirectional. In this case, the power is needed downward in the network, so the middle leader’s power is permitted to flow downward freely.
Here’s where it gets a little tricky. The middle leader also has an upward responsibility to the organization; however, the impact of the middle leader’s power is restricted. The middle leader’s power can not flow upward. If a middle leader tries to apply their power to solve a problem or make a change up the line in the network, they might blow a circuit!
But this is no reason for tears, fears, or frights. By being placed right in the center of the organization, the middle leader has the gift of influence. Influence can flow bidirectionally. In fact, influence can flow in all directions across the network, making it, in some instances, more beneficial than power. We will talk more about influence in a coming post, but for now consider the words of Rabbi Johnathan Sacks:
Not all of us have power, but we all have influence. That is why we can each be leaders. The most important forms of leadership come not with position, title or robes of office, not with prestige and power, but with the willingness to work with others to achieve what we cannot do alone; to speak, to listen, to teach, to learn, to treat other people’s views with respect even if they disagree with us...; to encourage others, praise their best endeavors and challenge them to do better still. Always choose influence rather than power.