Why is this discussion of a leader’s power so important? Because power is possibly the greatest asset of leadership. It provides leaders with the potential to do good or bring harm. Power allows leaders to build trust and thus gain the voluntary and legitimate permission of people to influence them, or power can be used in such a way that it undermines trust and legitimacy. “Nothing is more useful than power, nothing more frightful.”[i] Since this is true, the way a leader uses power is the truest test of his or her character. It unveils how a leader views himself and his assumptions about why his leadership exists in the first place.
Some begin to believe they have the right to spend the asset of power on themselves. This is because they assume their power is the result of who they are—a product of their own competence, efforts, or aptitudes—rather than a gift on loan from God. Consequently, power may be used by leaders to bless others or to promote self. Read More
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