Insight #342:
Power corrupts. Or so we believe. And yet, it is feeling powerless, which truly corrupts. Why? Because people who feel powerless often become dysfunctional.
Most organizations operate according to the notion that some people are paid to think and others are paid to do as they are told. This approach empowers managers to demand that workers shut up and listen. And it empowers workers to stop thinking while on the job and to do nothing unless instructed.
(Workers? People like us. Also called employees in polite society.)
Don’t assume that it is up to the people in power to break this spell. Why would they? Unless it is in their best interests. History shows that most of the time, it is the powerless who ultimately break the spell.
But how? By being adults at work.
Yes, society expects responsible adults to help children improve their behavior. But workers are not children. They are not really powerless and they are equally responsible.
Workers are responsible adults away from work and are therefore quite capable of being responsible adults at work. As responsible adults, they can choose not to be drawn into dysfunctional behavior triggered by power-corrupted leaders and managers.
Surprisingly, that choice is open to all of us, the meek, the weak, and the powerful. Now that’s truly empowering!
(If you wish, you may substitute “voters” for “workers.”)
Welcome to my side of the nonsense divide.
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