{"id":120,"date":"2014-04-25T10:41:00","date_gmt":"2014-04-25T10:41:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/archprofile.com\/archprofile_blog\/?p=120"},"modified":"2025-09-25T16:42:10","modified_gmt":"2025-09-25T16:42:10","slug":"power-used-vs-power-abused","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/archprofile.com\/archprofile_blog\/?p=120","title":{"rendered":"Power Used vs. Power Abused"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">History makes one thing clear: <strong>power is a double-edged sword.<\/strong> Being in a position of authority is a bit like eating broccoli\u2014in the right dose, it can be good for you (and everyone else). Overdo it, though, and the side effects can clear a room and leave you pretty unpopular.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Of course, not everyone lets authority go to their head. Some leaders\u2014 Nelson Mandela, Abraham Lincoln, Jacinda Ardern\u2014used power to drive progress and inspire generations. Others&#8230; well, they leaned into tyranny, wielding influence for personal gain and leaving wreckage in their wake.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">So why the split? Why do some people seem born knowing that with great power comes great responsibility, while others go full Henry VIII the moment they get a taste of authroity? Power itself is addictive: the respect, the influence, the ability to tell others what to do and what not to do. It&#8217;s no wonder it sometimes goes to people&#8217;s heads. That doesn&#8217;t mean power <em>always <\/em>corrupts\u2014but it does mean it reveals different sides of different people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Our research suggests that certain traits may predispose people to misuse authority if they&#8217;re put in charge:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Competitiveness<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>A need to control<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>A self-serving or selfish view of power<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This craving for power and control doesn&#8217;t come without fallout. &#8220;Power trippers&#8221; tend to have rocky professional and personal relationships. They&#8217;re also less satisfied in their jobs and often see power not as a tool, but as the very key to success.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In other words, the power-hungry often believe that climbing into a position of authority will finally give them the respect, status, and validation they crave. The question is: does it actually deliver?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Power is a mirror: it reflects what you value most. We found that people who treat it as a personal prize behave very differently from those who see it as a responsibility. And the contrast was eye-popping:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>98% of people who want power for selfish reasons see it as a way to improve their social status (compared to 8% of the responsible group).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>88% believe that doing their best is not good enough\u2014they need to <em>be <\/em>the best (compared to 26% of the responsible group).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>96% hate being outperformed by others (compared to 31% of the responsible group).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>81% believe that being in a position of power is the <em>only <\/em>way to gain respect (compared to 1% of the responsible group).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>96% believe that being in a position of power means that they are superior to others (compared to 1% of the responsible group).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>And of course, only 29% of people who want power for selfish reasons would put the needs of others ahead of their own, compared to 83% of the responsible group.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Holding a position of power doesn&#8217;t automatically make you a leader\u2014and it certainly doesn&#8217;t grant you charisma. In fact, the more you rely on &#8220;because I said so,&#8221; the faster your influence erodes. People might obey, but they&#8217;ll do it grudgingly, and resentment builds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Think of power like the Force\u2014use it wisely, keep it balanced, and don&#8217;t go full Darth Vader if you want people to actually follow you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Power trips are optional. Coaching helps you turn authority into real influence\u2014without the drama. <a href=\"https:\/\/calendly.com\/ilonajerabek\/20-min-discovery-call-360-with-dr-ilona-jerabek\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/calendly.com\/ilonajerabek\/20-min-discovery-call-360-with-dr-ilona-jerabek\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Book<\/a> a 20-minute free consulation to learn more about our coaching programs for leaders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Power reveals attitude. In the wrong hands, it turns managers into morale-killers, motivation-drainers, and employee-repellents.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":253,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-120","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-leadership-management"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/archprofile.com\/archprofile_blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/120","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/archprofile.com\/archprofile_blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/archprofile.com\/archprofile_blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/archprofile.com\/archprofile_blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/archprofile.com\/archprofile_blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=120"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/archprofile.com\/archprofile_blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/120\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":254,"href":"https:\/\/archprofile.com\/archprofile_blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/120\/revisions\/254"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/archprofile.com\/archprofile_blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/253"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/archprofile.com\/archprofile_blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=120"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/archprofile.com\/archprofile_blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=120"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/archprofile.com\/archprofile_blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=120"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}