Leadership and Power

Lord Acton's observation on power corrupting is arguably one of the best known and most often quoted (and misquoted) statements.  From a leadership perspective, it is a cautionary tale that merits discussion.  I offer the following points in light of Lord Acton's statement.

First, real leadership involves service and not power.  If someone aspires to a leadership position for the perceived power that they will receive, then they are missing the true nature of leadership.  The real irony is that most positions of leadership, while appearing to include a certain amount of power, really do not include all that much power.  It is a myth that the 'top dog' has all the power.  There are countless examples of people in positions of leadership who became lost in the perceived power of their position and they eventually failed.  Effective leaders approach their position as one of service and not one of power.

Second, note that the actual quote states that power tends to corrupt.  There is a qualifier.  Lord Acton is often misquoted with "power corrupts", not "power tends to corrupt".  The astute leader keeps this in mind and strives to not abuse their position.  Lord Acton's statement goes on to say "Great men are almost always bad men, even when they exercise influence and not authority...".  Again, note the qualifier.  We can learn so much from history regarding what to do and what not to do.  Whether is is in business, politics and governance, or the military, there are lessons of failed leaders who let their perceived power go to their head.  Effective leaders find ways to remain grounded and create built in safe guards to protect against corruption.

Finally, absolute power rarely exists and when it does, it does not last.  History is full of men and women who seemed to achieve absolute power and ultimately failed.  At this point let's not confuse power with responsibility.  The effective leader is responsible for, and assumes responsibility for, decisions.  As the saying goes 'someone has to be in charge'.  BUT... that is not a license to adopt an attitude of 'you do it because I am the leader and I say so...'.  Not only is this ineffective, it is counter productive.  The most effective leaders are humble, collaborative, and relational.  

Effective leaders use their positions to serve, not to control, dominate, or bully.  They view themselves as servants and not as rulers!