“Some believe it is only great power that can hold evil in check. But that is not what I have found. It is the small everyday deeds of ordinary folk that keep the darkness at bay. Small acts of kindness and love.” ~ J.R.R. Tolkien
I’ve always hated authority and being told what to do. I like someone to explain how a course of action is better than the one I am pursuing. Give me a good enough reason, and I will happily follow along. However, if you tell me I must do something or stop doing something, without explanation apart from ‘it’s the rules’ or ‘just do as I say,’ that will get my hackles up. Deep down I have issues with certain types of power.
My favourite teachers and bosses were coaches and mentors, people who I could look up to. Those I disliked were authoritarian; the ‘do what I say, not what I do’ brigade.
The Problem I Have With My Power
This problem I have with power also manifests in the way that I have always shied away from exercising my own power. I don’t like telling people what to do, but I don’t mind if they follow my lead. I am really neither are a follower or leader, instead I’ve been a loner, ploughing my own furrow. As an employee, this led me into field sales very early on in my career. I had enough autonomy to satisfy my desire for freedom, but I always had the guidance of good Sales Managers to point me in the right direction. I’ve been lucky in that regard. I also didn’t need micromanaging. I knew what my targets were and did what I needed to do to succeed.
Recently I had a serious aha moment. These two things are linked, deep down in my psyche. So, I’ve tried to communicate my relationship with power, in this post. First though, what is power?
Definition of power
As always, I like to explore the etymology of the word. It comes from the Latin posse – to be able. Later it came to old French then middle English as poer and started to take on the meaning of the ability to act, exert will or influence others. More recently the word has come to mean political or social authority, or control, especially that exercised by a government. Going further, power is the authority that is given or delegated to a person or body. There you have it. There is my problem, who gives this authority?
Powerful people
In this context I am not talking about physical power, i.e. the rate at which work is done. No, this more like psychological power. Think of powerful people today, like those ‘in power.’ It is their position or station which gives them power. Hopefully by a democratic process they have been given their status. The electorate should be able to take it away, if required.
But this power is not necessarily inherent? There are many weak personalities in positions of power. You can tell they are weak by their eagerness to control and govern people -do what I say not what I do. The cultish collectivism of the post-nationalist elite, is nothing but a manifestation of weak people trying to control others. Our weak Governments are also so eager to tag along – you will own nothing and you will be happy. Says who?
We also don’t have to go that far back in our recent history to see this hypocrisy acting out in front of our eyes. This was when our supposed betters ‘locked us down’ and then did exactly as they pleased themselves. Not all of them did, though – I’m thinking of our late queen Elizabeth II, sat alone in Westminster Abbey, mourning her late husband. Here an example of a person with intrinsic power. Contrast that with the then Prime Minister and the then Leader of the Opposition. Both of them were caught flouting their own rules. Only one of these characters was brought to book, but that’s another story. ‘Nothing to see here’, said the police, but we all know what we saw.
The Power I Respect
So, what is the power I respect. Well, it certainly isn’t the type that is given or delegated. That can easily be corrupted. It certainly isn’t the type that conspires behind peoples backs to control them.
Reluctant power
One of the traits I admire in powerful people I admire, is that at first, they were reluctant to take that power. I often say that the very fact that someone pursues power should disqualify them from ever getting it. That said, I’m sure we can all think of those who had power thrust upon them, reluctantly.
George VI was the second in line to the British throne and was never expected to be crowned. His elder brother, Edward VIII abdicated in 1936, thereby propelling his younger brother to the monarchy. This stammering and unprepared young man grew into the role and 3 years later, as the world was plunged into war, he along with Churchill were the face of the stoic resistance to tyranny.
Certain characters in literature, also remind me of reluctant power; Those who had a position of great power and responsibility thrust on them. Frodo Baggins, in Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings, is given the One Ring of Power, as an heirloom; but it needed to be destroyed. The very fact that he didn’t want the ring or the task, meant he was the right person for the quest. Was Tolkien warning us of the pursuit of power for its own end? You can read my post the 6 Life Changing Virtues in the Lord of the Rings by JRR Tolkien in which I go into the lessons in his writings and how you can apply them.
Quiet power
Another trait of powerful people, who embody everything that is good in leadership, is quiet power. We’ve all met that person who, when they enter a room, everyone turns and looks. They are not loud or showy, they just exude a quiet calm energy. You never see these people ruffled or angry. In the words of Kipling, they treat the imposters triumph and disaster ‘just the same.’
Unfortunately, I can’t quite think of many famous people from public life today who personify this quiet power. By their very nature, the fact that they are quiet, means they aren’t in the limelight. If you want to find them, though, a good place is to check the King’s Honours list, where the recipients are Knighted and awarded CBEs etc. Look through the list and you will see the odd smattering of famous Sportspeople, Musicians and Businesspeople – household names. However, there will be a lot of names, on the list, that you will have never heard of. They are not household names. These people have been recognised for quietly living a life of excellence.
We also meet these quietly powerful people in our day to day lives and we know when we’ve met one.
Slowly Self-Made
Some people have meteoric rises to fame and riches and therefore seem to gain power quickly. Now that meteoric rise might be an illusion, as often we don’t see the years of work that goes behind someone’s success. But there are people who indeed are in positions of authority who really oughtn’t be. These people are clearly not ready. Hopefully, they grow into their ‘boots’ but usually they don’t and their whole edifice comes crashing down. I’m thinking of politicians with no world view; highfliers who have the gift of the gab, but no grasp of reality. There is no substance there. They don’t walk the walk. They haven’t lived a life and it doesn’t take much of a gust of wind to blow them away.
Alternatively, there are those who bear the scars, they’ve lived a life. Their power has been developed through years of toiling away. Like a blacksmith’s forearms their innate power has been honed because of work.
True power isn’t seized, it’s earned. It’s the quiet force behind consistency, humility, and lived experience. It doesn’t bark commands or cling to titles. It simply is; forged slowly and revealed through action.
In an age of noise and posturing, we need more reluctant leaders, more quiet power, more people willing to walk the walk without chasing the spotlight.
If this message resonates with you, if you’ve ever felt like a misfit in a world obsessed with status, then maybe it’s time to reclaim your own kind of power. Not the delegated kind. The real kind.
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