The number of calls I am getting for help with organizational culture, change, and overall morale is jumping. I wish I could say I was surprised, but I’m not considering the environment we are in these days, locally and globally. There is so much change and uncertainty everywhere. Change and uncertainty create fear, and when that happens, OOOF, the armor goes up. Trust lessens, self-protection gets stronger, teamwork lessens, culture shifts to a more negative space, and more. Sounds so positive, huh? Ha. This isn’t about being negative. It’s about admitting, shit can be scary. Stop denying it. STOP giving your power away by creating a story that isn’t there. ”Huh? What are you talking about?”
When people become afraid (and yes we all do!), they start to self-protect. They also start saying things like, “I have no control, no power.” WRONG! You always have power, but it is up to you in how you utilize that power. You have a boat load of personal power in who you are, who you are connected to, in your learning and growth, and in how you learn…your information power. Do you see that? Do you see the power there?
Who you are: do you treat people with respect and dignity? Do you respect their strengths and try to learn from them? Do you try to learn about people so the team can be strong, or do you act like a selfish ass, only worried about yourself and your wins? Being kind, compassionate, and respectful has so much more power than you know.
Who are you connected to: Have you looked at your network lately? How do you treat your network? Do you build relationships, or do you use your network only when you want or need something? Do you know at least one personal thing about the people (humans!) in your network? Are you expanding who you know? Your connections can be so powerful. They can provide help, insight, support, and compassion when you least expect it.
Are you learning and growing: When was the last time you built upon your own expertise? When was the last time you took a course to learn more – doesn’t matter what kind, just learn, something new. Are you willing to listen and hear others to learn and grow? Or, are you the ultimate know-it-all who doesn’t think she needs to expand her expertise and skills (you’d be amazed at many think they don’t)? Learning should never stop for any of us. Knowledge gives us power.
How are you learning: Information power…you have a choice in what you read, what you know, and what is shared with you. Through good relationships people will trust you and information will flow to you. What do your social media feeds look like? Are you deleting messages? Are you versed in information literacy? Be cognizant and mindful of the information you choose to utilize to know and learn.
You. Have. Power. So much. Your power is key to know, harness, and use wisely in times of change and uncertainty. Your power is what will make you confident and optimistic instead of scared and negative. Your power is what will keep you from creating stories that aren’t there. Your power is what will make you successful, personally and professionally, when it feels like it will never happen. Your power is what will get you through to something amazing. It is my belief when change and uncertainty are at their worst, there is something incredible waiting on the other side.
Tell me what you will do to strengthen your personal power in the next month. I would love to know.
For more insight about power and leadership (which applies to each of you!), see the selected articles below.
Power and Leadership: An Influence Process
Re-Imagining Power in Leadership
Leadership and the Effective Use of Power
For more insight on information literacy using the CRAAP test, see the selected site below: