— To follow is a bullet of wisdom on leadership. It comes from Tom’s rifle, named Shot, who has seen it all. You’ll get the drift by clicking Blog in the menu at www.tomnewhouse.com. —
IT’S NOT HOCKEY THAT I SPEAK OF. You know, “up” a player or two. No, I mean raw power. I had some as a varmint rifle; my big friends had more.
Leaders have power. Oh, it varies, but leaders have it, and it usually is sized by the significance of one’s formal role. Use it wrongly and you’re a tyrant or a jerk, or both. But using power wisely is a responsibility of leaders. Here’s a tip of when to exercise your power: Exhaust collaboration and compromise first. Now, those things are automatically exhausted in emergencies, but force, otherwise should be cautiously deployed.