Definitions of “power”

Guy Kawasaki’s post Power 3.0: Kinder, Gentler, and Better discusses the idea of “power” in business.

Conventional business practice tends to promote the idea that power = aggression, founded on the myth that everyone is out to get you, that the fittest win. This is the sort of power that is based on fear - fear of punishment and deprivation. This sort of “power” leads to sociopathy.

Guy proposes another, and I would say more evolved, definition of power. That is the power of kindness and gentleness. Instead of threatening and forcing people to do something, this is where you use social and emotional intelligence, in the working WITH other people, to create benefits for all.

And here is the article Guy referenced in The Greater Good Magazine.

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