Power can sometimes make people feel as though they are untouchable. In this way of thinking, individuals will do things outside of their better judgment because who is going to stop them? These individuals will make outlandish comments, act disrespectful, and rule their empire in a way that only benefits them. In my profession, I have came into contact with a few individuals that were in for a rude awakening.
Take this male supervisor for example. Let’s call him Mr. Just-Do-It. Mr. Just-Do-It was well known in the restaurant business for being rude to his associates, especially his new hires. He did not believe in taking the time to explain certain responsibilities of the position, instead he yelled and screamed at his employees for not knowing how to do certain things. Well, Mr. Just-Do-It finally met his match when Mrs. I’m-Not-Taking-It-Anymore showed up. She allowed Mr. Just-Do-It to be disrespectful at least two times, before reporting him to upper management. Mrs. I’m-Not-Taking-It-Anymore wrote a formal letter to the company, provided examples, and gave suggestions to ways to fix the problem. Let’s just say that Mr. Just-Do-It will think twice before his next interactions with anyone.
Another example is of a female Store Manager. Let’s call her Ms. No-Professionalism-At-All. Ms. No-Professionalism-At-All was well known in the coffee business for saying and doing whatever she wanted. She made fun of people with disabilities, quoted many racial slurs, and fired anyone who questioned her motives. Mrs. No-Professionalism-At-All was finally reimbursed for her previous indiscretions. She was fired from her long time position for kicking an employee who she utterly disliked. Tell me, is inflicting pain or harm on someone ever worth being fired for? This really depends on who you are talking to about this matter. My response is NO!
Now, let’s look at another characteristic of power. Take Kanye West’s song Power for example. He discusses the power of a certain race being chosen and how “no one man should have all that power.” The song really makes you think about power and how it’s distributed. Power usually comes at the disadvantage of another, which has the ability of placing one person or group’s needs ahead of another. While the possessor of power should try to be fair when making decisions, his/her decisions are sometimes not as fair as they could be because they lack knowledge, do not care about the situation, or want to be controversial about the situation.
Individuals should display the following characteristics when in power:
1. Knowledge- Awareness of the subject matter and the many issues facing it.
2. Empathy- The ability to show understanding, sympathy, and compassion.
3. Reason- Skill in analyzing information and coming to a conclusion
~How have you exercised your power today?
No comments:
Post a Comment