Urvi Bhuwania 10: Who Should We Give Power To?
Urvi Bhuwania 10: Who Should We Give Power To?
Power, in some shape or form, is something that everyone craves and something that, at least to some extent, everyone has. But there are a few select people in the world who are chosen to have an especially large amount of power, for example, the leader of a country or a CEO of a Fortune 500 company. So, when given the choice, who should we choose to give such immense power to?
Although it seems counterintuitive, power is usually best given to those who don't really want it. This translates to the more commonly referenced idea that the best leaders are those who don't set out to be leaders, but why? If one had to choose between the shy kid in the back of the class who is always doing their own thing to a person who is always attempting to taking charge and speaking out to give power to, it seems like an easy choice to pick the most outgoing person. However, while communicative and assertive skills are important for a leader, probably the most important characteristic of a good leader is their unequivocal dedication to a cause, regardless of the status quo.
People who eventually become the most powerful and impactful leaders are usually just those who have a passion that they individually put a lot of work into. They don't necessarily set out to gain power, but instead, as they work towards their goal, people naturally gravitate towards those passionate and successful in their work. This kind of power is infinitely more appreciable than the power that has to be sought out, and it makes sense that these people would be the best leaders as they already have the unbiased respect and interest of their followers. These types of leaders typically have a less dominating approach when it comes to leadership and power which would lead people under their power to feel like equals instead of followers. This is crucial as one of the keys to maintaining a successful power dynamic is to reduce the explicit efforts made to establish power and refrain making those in a lower position aware of their inferiority in terms of power. It can be established then that those who deserve and would thrive with power are those who put the most effort in accomplishing their purpose as opposed to attaining a follower base.
Even then there are some people who naturally want to be a leader and can be trusted to not abuse their power. However, it is still always important to have a larger overarching goal than attaining power, and this issue is often seen in politics. Many politicians will make inordinately important decisions not based on their true beliefs and helping the country, but on appeasing their follower base into reelecting them or to maintain their fame. These are the types of leaders that are the most prone to corruption as when one's sole goal is to gain and then maintain one's power, it becomes extremely easy to cross the line of manipulating others. A well known example of an attempt to avoid corruption like this can be seen in the life long terms awarded to Supreme Court Justices. When deciding who deserves a position of great power, there are obviously a lot more factors to contemplate than the one mentioned above, but considering what drives a person beyond just power should still constitute a sizable part of decisions present in things like presidential elections.
It is kind of ironic you mention that people who do not seek out power are the best leaders because the whole point of presidency is voting for those that seek power by their running for office. The same goes with mayors, so it looks like we will not be able to apply that philosophy anytime soon in our society. Hopefully we can learn to vote for people who are these "natural born leaders" that as you said, "can be trusted to not abuse their power."
ReplyDeleteIn competitive environments such as school, I feel everyone is trying to be the leader and get others to listen to them. I admit that I do this at times, but I learned trusting your peers is crucial in getting the highest quality of work submitted. Suddenly, when you are not talking, you see how intelligent and robust your team is. Once you allow your teammates to do what they feel is the best, they will be more passionate and get their part done. However, if you don’t take a step back and you give orders, your group will have a hard time turning in its best work.
ReplyDeleteHello Urvi,
ReplyDeleteIt is interesting that those who would probably be better leaders are those who do not intentionally strive to lead. Often, we see successful leaders as someone who knows how to communicate and how to assert their ideas or presence onto others in order to accomplish a lot. We grow up seeing such people as our role models and compare how we act against how we see them act, forgetting that the purpose we have in our actions is more important. If you lead with a strong passion for what your team is doing, then you encourage others to find such passion as well.
Hey Urvi! I really like your takes on power. I entirely agree with the fact that the “natural born leaders” in this world are people who make the change without having power. They don’t necessarily care whether what they are doing is being appreciated, but they are doing it for the betterment of others and society. Although there are definitely some leaders who run for president for example that want to truly make a difference and have done so, the majority of those who run don’t really have a goal to accomplish a better society, but all they want is to be known for standing on that high pedestal. I hope that someday we learn to encourage people who truly want to make a difference and are “natural born leaders” to run for high positions in the government so we have a chance at bettering the USA.
ReplyDeleteHi Urvi! I remember once when I was younger, this girl was commended for being a great leader even though I have never seen her aggressively assert her ideas. As I got older, I realized that those who strive to make a change without having power are the true leaders. Also, I couldn't agree more with what you said about having a larger overarching goal rather than just seeking to attain power. I find it important for leaders to be able to look past the power that they hold.
ReplyDeleteHi Urvi! Giving power to someone who doesn't want it is something I've never thought of, but makes a lot of sense! I liked your analogy of choosing between a shy kid in class and a more outgoing person. I agree that the qualities of a leader are not only limited to assertiveness, and you make a good point about considering such factors in presidential elections. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteHi Urvi! I couldn't agree with you more on your post. It always seems like the best leaders aren't always necessarily those who are outgoing, commanding, and seeking power, but the ones that genuinely have a goal that they want to achieve. When choosing positions of power, we need to consider these types of qualities, whether one wants that position or whether they want to use that position to achieve a societally-beneficial goal. What's hard, however, is distinguishing these, as various politicians and leaders put of facades just to get into the position, and erase that "nice" persona once they have the position. I hope that our future doesn't have many of these, and rather has more leaders geniuinely passionate about making change with their resources.
ReplyDeleteHi Urvi, I really like your blog, and it makes a lot of sense. It is hard to gauge how genuine people are if they are constantly trying to take charge. It may not be obvious at first but it can become clear as time goes on. Maybe people just don’t have enough courage to take the power away from such a person. The person who is shy and quiet may actually be more serious and conscientious about power, and appreciate the power more because getting it was never expected in the first place. MLK is a great example of power given wisely and used wisely too.
ReplyDeleteHi Urvi, I think that even if someone is "naturally" born a leader, they can still be corrupted. Anyone can. The American political system is set up in a way that it is really easy for private individuals and companies to impact American thought through the influence of policymakers. With lobbying, stock trading, and other types of economic incentives, even the most moral and right-minded leaders can fall from their ethical height.
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