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Leadership and Power.

Blessmore Mandevhana

In his essay "Leadership & power", John Gardener defines power as " the capacity to ensure the outcomes one wishes and to prevent those one does not wish."

The ability to bring about through others the consequences that we intend is power. In our complex modern world the sources of that power are widely varied.

Today we generally equate position with power. A delightful story illustrates positional power. A new factory owner went to lunch at a nearby restaurant which featured a "blue plate special" that allowed for no substitutions. When he asked for a second pat of better , the waitress refused. Irritated, he called for the manager, but she also refused him. "Do you know who l am?" He asked indignantly. "I am the new owner of the factory across the street." The woman smiled and said, "Do you know who l am , sweetie? I am the person who decides whether you get a second pat of butter!"

In addition to an position, there many other sources of power. Money can by access to an influential politician. Muscles can give us the strength to knock others down. "Power goes out of the barrel of gun."

Knowing how to work the system and understanding how to tap into people's beliefs are also sources of power. ...

NB information and knowledge are power. Visibility is power. A sense of timing is power. Trust and integrity are power. Personal energy is power, so self-confidence. Showmanship is power. Likability is power. Access to the inner sanctum is power. Obstruction and delay are power. Winning is power. Sometimes , the illusion of power is power?

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Not only does your business work matter right now, but it also affects eternity because it affects the lives of people who will live forever. If you do your best to participate in God's redemptive work in the world through your business efforts, some of your work will last into eternity for example ”Colgate is one of the best products in the world, Colgate was loyal to God through his business and he died many years ago but we still talk of his products.” So where there's brokenness, work to bring healing, where there's oppression, work to bring liberation, and where there's disenfranchisement, work to bring empowerment.

When you plan ahead and make your list, stick to it. Simba Nyamadzawo helped me that l have to stick to the planned program of the day, if its lunch do not allow anyone to disturb you. If you have an hour blocked away to finish an important business proposal, then a half-hour to answer emails, make sure you don’t answer any emails before finishing your allowed time for the proposal . Ralph Kadurira once said “do not to talk to anyone for no reason or reply some unnecessary messages for their waste your time or do not just give people your phone number for no reason”. There will be many times that a project goes over the block of time—say 10 minutes over the hour you allowed. This is fine, but try to stick to the base plan as closely as possible.

Don’t alter from the task at hand. The goal is to smoothly flow from one task to another throughout the day without disruption, which leads us to my next point.

There are increasing numbers of writers, gurus and now even a few business leaders who advocate greater love, compassion and spirituality in corporations.

There are also various interpretations of these ideas about love and ethics, about compassion and spirituality. This is fine. It's normal for any significant concept to have several interpretations, and these reflect the different ways of applying the concept in different situations.

Some interpretations have a compassionate or spiritual foundation; others are quite rightly incorporated within wider issues of corporate social responsibility and ethical business. Other ideas approach the concept from the environmental angle, or sustainability, or 'fair trade'.

The challenge for modern managers and leaders to develop an interpretation of love and spirituality that will work for your own organizational situation.

Here are some ideas about love in business and management, from different perspectives. They are two different interpretations. Hopefully they will help you see ways that love and compassion and spirituality, which are tricky to measure and describe in tangible specific terms, can be applied in a practical sense in work and organizations.

The first article is by Barbara Heyn, a Cincinnati-based consultant, who helps organizations develop relationships and capabilities among people and teams, particularly in response to challenges of globalization and cultural diversity.

The second is a piece by Sonia Stojanovic, a McKinsey consultant, which features in Solaria Green's book, 'The New Visionaries: Evolutionary Leadership for an Evolving World'.