Monday, April 15, 2013

The Power Dynamic - Fortunate from Afar

     In the third installment of my Personal Leadership blog, I will be discussing the power dynamic in my workplace.  I have a rather unique situation for this blog, let alone for this class.  I am the only employee for the program on the island of Maui.  To save the program money I do not work in an office, but rather from my own home.  So, to save you the boredom and me the self-invasion of privacy of sharing my family dynamics, I will explain the dynamics of my workplace from afar.
     I meet regularly with the staff on Oahu via Skype and have been to the main office on several different occasions.  I also communicate with a few of the folks via telephone quite frequently.  Although this type of interaction is not the most ideal for observing the power dynamics within a workplace, I still feel I have a good understanding of what does take place in terms of power dynamics.
     In our program, there are a couple of individuals who are in positions of power, yet they do not exert it over anyone.  In fact, one in particular is very good about delegating that power to others via empowering their strengths -- the very thing we are discussing in this class.  She uses the power of a positive attitude and a humble spirit to "give" the power to others.  She does this, though, by still being confident and strong in her direction of the program.  Yet, she is able to do this without controlling the program or others.
     There really isn't much, if any, negative power and control in our workplace.  How might I use this knowledge of the existing power in my workplace?  I suppose I can use the positive energy that does come from those in power to help motivate me to keep improving my strengths in my job.  Isn't this what we're trying to learn how to do by studying this very relevant material?  I am fortunate to be in the workplace I am in, working with such great leaders who value growing their colleagues and the mission we are all serving together.

     

1 comment:

  1. My dad used to work from home and his joke was always, "The traffic in the hall was grid locked today! The dog and the cat were having quite the disagreement over who should have the right of way."

    I am happy your job has such a positive atmosphere!

    ReplyDelete