Today is January 20th, 2021. And in addition to being my sister Diane’s birthday and my sister-in-law Carole’s birthday—it’s Inauguration Day. This has been the day the United States swears in the new President since 1937, which is when the country swore in President Franklin Roosevelt for the second time. The transfer of power always happens at exactly 12 noon.

Power is a funny thing. Think about your power. Do you have power at work or at home? Do you remember when you were first given a position of power? It could have even been power as the captain of a team, but the truth is, power changes us. We often go to a different psychological space when we get power, because we think we are supposed to behave differently—more in-charge, more in control, but is that really true? Do we take our power to a place that it shouldn’t ever really go?

Let’s take a step back, forget about our power for a second, and ask ourselves: How are my working relationships? Do I have rock-solid relationships with my team and/or my family? Because here is what I believe to be the best truth we can learn about power: if we don’t have great relationships, it won’t matter how powerful we are. Go back to the basics. Build, develop, and fix ALL your relationships if you want to be a successful leader. Power is irrelevant if your relationships need work because it will simply allow bitterness and resentment to fester and grow.

With Gratitude,

Beth

P.S. Happy Birthday Diane and Carole!!