Positional and personal power
Positional power surrounds us. Parents, supervisors, elected officials, siblings, reporters . . . they all have power to make choices for us, and sometimes about us. Yet it is our personal power that provides our quality of life. Personal power is knowing our strength and using it to balance and rebalance our thoughts and behaviors. We know we will fail. We know we will become entangled in difficult situations. We know we will lose sight of our best selves at times. Yet our power is sustained by the belief that we will regain our footing. We will overcome our challenges. We will persevere and regain our ultimate vibrancy. Those with personal power display their confidence and competence, but not at another’s expense. They know their strength and use it to continually strive for interpersonal satisfaction, connection, and meaning. What makes our personal power strong? It is the influence generated and exuded. This version of personal power is not necessarily influence over others; rather, it inspires others in ways that make them want to be better, do better. Think of the people you have met, perhaps even strangers who appear powerful. They seem comfortable in their own skin, awake to all that is around them. Our personal power is “our spiritual fingerprint”. It is magnificent in its subtlety and stability. When we acknowledge and use our personal power to its best intention, we see and feel its influence on us. Positional power ranks us according to our positions in the social, familial, administrative, or business- related milieu of our lives. The influence of positional power can vary greatly, and the extent to which people submit to positional power varies greatly. We forfeit an important part of ourselves when we sublimate personal power in favor of our own or another’s positional power. Have you noticed that some of the most influential teachers in schools may be those who are powerfully quiet and unassuming? Have you noticed that students can sometimes sense the power of a classmate who otherwise is not an obvious leader?