I was listening to a great audiobook yesterday, Power Moves, by Adam Grant. He was interviewing Stewart Butterfield, the CEO of Slack and they were talking about power as it pertains to leaders. Butterfield said money doesn’t make you an a$$hole, it simply makes you more of who you are, or something to that effect. I love that observation.

“Power Moves,” is only an audiobook because it was created out of Grant’s interviews of some of the most powerful people at the World Economic Forum in Davos. One of the more interesting findings from his research was that giving someone power amplifies either the “I” or the “We” that is naturally a part of their composition. What does power magnify in you? Are you a giver or a taker?

“Power,” as it pertains to leadership, has such a negative connotation, but I don’t think it should. The few—like the ones Butterfield called out as a$$holes—ruined it for the many. Grant also states some more upliftng statistics that pertain to female leaders: they are looking for power so they can affect positive change. I certainly like that in a powerful leader. Here’s the big takeaway: nobody likes an a$$hole, if you want to be a great leader, lead with “we” not “I”, and finally, do so in an effort to affect positive change. We will all line up to follow that person!

Let’s Go! WE GOT THIS!

Beth