“I don’t know what happened “ my brother was visibly worried , “My boss
was not like this earlier … He has become so rude and inconsiderate … Tell me , is it possible for a person to
change so drastically ?”
“Changed .. is that what you said
? “ I asked him.
“Yeah ! Changed ! “ He reiterated. “He was so kind
and understanding earlier !"
“Hmm .. Tell me … was he promoted
recently or have there been any other changes in his role ?”
“Yes. He was promoted about a
year back and about three months back he
has become the Project Manager of a very strategic assignment in our
organization. I too am a part of that project. Initially I was so happy and
excited to be under him as I had worked with him earlier. I had also told my
peers about my boss and his demeanor , but …. I don’t know what happened to him
… seems to be a different person
!’
“Well .. it happens ! “ I told
him coolly “It can happen to you too …. Once you assume a position of power and
you are not mindful about it !”
Actually, this is quite a common
phenomenon.
Power tends to corrupt and people
lose the very qualities which actually made them great leaders and rise to that position.
Qualities like openness, empathy,
collaboration, fairness fade away and they engage in absolutely the opposite
qualities like rudeness, favouritism and
sometimes in unethical behavior.
There have been several researches on this. I read in one Harvard
Business review article about an interesting experiment. Groups of 5 people – 4 team members and one
supervisor, were invited for a training.
A plate of cookies was kept in front of them during the session. It had
one cookie for each and one extra.
It was found out that 95% of the times, it was the supervisor who
ate the extra cookie, depriving the rest !
Most of the time, the organizational culture induces this effect.
For example, you might have noticed that
during any party or event, the seniors are offered food first. My husband works
for the Railways and there the culture is even more pronounced. The junior officers have to sweat it out in
rooms which has basic facilities and the Senior officers have 4 ACs fitted in
their huge offices !
I have advocated to many CEO’s that
during events, the leaders should eat the last .
It helps in building a strong
culture in the organization – at no cost !
So , I told my brother “ Yes, It
happens ! But remember that this might sound the death knell for his career and
sometime or the other he might lose the power which he has now … So dear bro,
it can happen to you too when you get power. So be careful ! “
“So how can we avoid this ? “
- Be
mindful : Whenever you are feeling heady
or very excited, take a deep breath and repeat in your mind that you have power
and you should respect it . Know your
emotions and try to control it.
- Practice
empathetic body language : Whenever someone comes to talk to you, lean forward
and smile. Listen. Yes, I know you have
lots of emails to respond to, your to do list is huge, but remember that
to the person who has come to you ,
this moment is very important for him.
Give your full attention, make notes.
- Small gestures
: Give your personal touch – both
literally and figuratively. A clap, a high
five, a huge smile at the appropriate moment will bring out the best for you
who are in power in the eyes of your subordinates. A small
handwritten note of appreciation,
a token gift, a thank you
email will make you look a big person
with a big heart !
- Self Checks : Do some self introspection and
try to look for patterns to take corrective actions. For example, are you
checking your whatsapp or messages on phone when someone is talking to you ?
Are you ridiculing anyone publicly ? Are you spending too much money which you
did not do earlier? Is your desk messy and you expect the peon to clean it up for you? Have you
recently tried some daring adventure contrary to earlier times ? These are some simple questions whose answer
will help you in evaluating yourself
whether power is making you a mean person or not. These are simply some indications . So check yourself and mend ways before it is
too late.
On the same note , I read a very
heartening news last week in the newspaper. The newly appointed Governor
of Haryana was perturbed to find that there were long queues of cars on the
road because a part of the road had been blocked for his security. The next day
, he made it clear that there should be minimal arrangements for his security
and that under no circumstances the public should be inconvenienced for his
movement.
That showed his humility, confidence, empathy and definitely his upbringing
as a scion of an erstwhile Royal family.
So dear leaders, be aware that
power can corrupt you.
Be as you were before and empower others more !
