Power is not a dirty word

In our vernacular of today, and in education in particular-- I think-- the word power does not have terribly positive connotations. Some reading that we did for our leadership course invited me to change my thinking about this. In her book, On the Frontiers of Management, Kanter urges us to think about power in terms of connectedness and ability to delegate with confidence as opposed to a dictatorial hand to hold over employees.

People who possess political power know where to find information about getting a job done. And also, they know how to engage other people to do the work needs to be done. They are able to motivate people because of the connections that they have built in their communities which have resulted in a trust. They understand the importance of relieving the powerlessness that can arise from asking people to complete a task without the resources necessary to successfully complete it. When you look at power through this lens then you are much more open to listening well and making sure that you are making good decisions and maximizing the wisdom of your team.

Power is a good and virtuous when considered in this new (for me) way!