POWER is the ability to lead and get your work done. It is what makes others listen to you and surrender to your will. When you have power, people tend to believe you and are ready to follow your lead.
With power follows action. Instead of being a passive onlooker, one develops the ability to make a change. This is the energy that changes thoughts and beliefs into tangible deeds. Every human being is endowed with some or other kind of power. Your power depends on your natural talents and inclinations.
Power of Knowledge
In the information age, knowledge is a strong basis for power, influence and authority. If you can become a specialist in your sphere, you will knock the air out of your competitors by constantly staying ahead of them. You will impress people and become popular in the process. Mark Zuckerberg is the epitome of the power of knowledge in our times.
When you realise how empowering knowledge can be, you must start acquiring knowledge that’s relevant to the kind of power you wish to have. If you are aiming for social power, you can begin by educating yourself about social expertise. If you want to be powerful in your company, learn about things that others know nothing about.
Power of Charisma
Charisma is a gift that people are usually born with, but there are different ways in which you can become more charismatic. Building your self-confidence, developing assertiveness in your personality, fine-tuning your body language, modulating your voice tone, upgrading your dress sense and refining your first impression will all help you become charismatic. Salman Khan is a good example of this power of attraction.
Power of Love and Generosity
Be loving, kind and generous to those around you. These simple qualities endear you to people. If someone takes something from you, they will do almost anything for you in return. When you have their attention and gratitude, you will easily influence them with your thoughts. Like Mother Teresa who proved this with aplomb, what you contribute to the world becomes your power over the world.
Power of Self-Belief
You become what you think. If you are brimming with self-belief, others will have no choice but to surrender. Donald Trump proved this superbly in the US elections. Confident of yourself, you are able to make decisions based on your unique knowledge and experience. By using your innate intelligence, you are able to convince people to follow you.
Power of Vision
A visionary is one can see far ahead of others and perceive the outcome of an action from different angles. Such a person has weighed all the possible options, threats and results before he acts. Like our Prime Minister Narendra Modi, a leader is one who has the power of vision. He foresees things most people cannot. He has a clear idea about where the country is heading and will steer it there.
Power of Command
Instead of leading, a true leader is one who takes others along with him. Such a person makes subordinates feel as if they work “with the leader” and not “for the leader”. Rarely will you see such a person raise their voice or fist or resort to frustration or helplessness. The humble and soft spoken Anna Hazare showed these qualities when he mobilized millions of people in the country for his anti-corruption drive, making them participate in a movement that became a People’s Movement.
Why you give up your Power?
The essential difference between a powerful and a powerless person lies is in listening to yourself. Powerful people are centered within themselves in absolute self-respect and they honor their own opinions.
On the other hand, powerless people are dependent on the world because they don’t have faith in themselves. They reject themselves and have little self-respect. They constantly worry about the opinion and approval of others. Since they have not taken charge of their lives, they tend to worry about the future.
So how do you know whether you are powerless? If you say to yourself sentences such as below at times, know that you have given your power to others:
“So-and-so will never let me…”
“I have too many responsibilities.”
“I have to ask my family for this..”
“I have to seek the opinion of so and so for this.”
“If he does not help me, I am doomed.”
“I don’t have good support in my business.”
“I am not able to give my best because of this…”
“I don’t have good staff to help me.”
“I’m not ready yet.”
“People will laugh at me.”
“So-and-so will get mad at me.”
“I worry about the future”
How to Develop Power
When you allow others to control your actions, you give up your power. Don’t be dependent on others and don’t allow anyone including your family members, employees, customers and company to be dependent on you. To be powerful, you need to be self-sufficient and stand alone. Take all unions as partnerships where roles and responsibilities are clearly defined and executed. Do not feel powerless if today your house help did not report for work or your accountant took a long leave or your secretary left her job. Make a system that runs on Auto pilot and see that most of the important things are in your control or properly delegated to multiple people, where one will work in the absence of others.
To acquire power, it is important to follow a life of discipline. Develop self-respect, operate within the legal framework and follow the path of dharma. If you are addicted to certain habits and are not in control of yourself, you will lose your self-respect. Remember, respect is not demanded, it is commanded. A true leader knows he is worth emulating. He has no fear, no shame because he has nothing to hide.
Ultimately, being powerful is a process of self-discovery. A discovery that unfolds to you who or what is really holding you back. In the process, you may even discover the person that is yourself!
