Power without love is reckless and abusive, and love without power is sentimental and anemic
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
I would like to see responsible leaders (RLs) have more impact in the world. Will you help me by being an interviewee for my next book – Power for Responsible Leaders?
Research by Harvard Professor Jim Sidanius, has shown that those who get to the top of our most powerful institutions are more likely to be ‘social dominants’. These are people who think of themselves as naturally superior to others and who regard the pursuit of their own self interest (particularly access to financial rewards, power and status) as natural and legitimate.
Despite this, there are many decent, values-led leaders around. Some of these ‘responsible leaders’ have been successful in navigating difficult organisational and institutional cultures in order to gain and retain power using ethical means.
However, responsible leaders often find it more difficult to get to the top, partly because they have a distaste for the power games that may be needed. Power is seen as a dirty word and the tactics used by many ambitious leaders can be unethical and even unlawful. As a result, many responsible leaders either withdraw from, or, in many cases, are expelled from the system by those who are more ruthless and unethical.
The questions this book seeks to address include:
How can we help responsible leaders gain positions of influence through the conscious and ethical use of power?
How can we help responsible leaders make a bigger impact in the world?
The answers lie with the few leaders who have managed to navigate this difficult problem.
I would love to interview you if you are, or aspiring to be, a responsible leader who has got to the top of a powerful organisation. I would love to find out how you regard power and how you gained it, retained it and used it ethically. I’d also like to know more about possible mistakes you made, what you learned and lessons you would pass on to the younger generation.
If you would like to help me in this project, please contact me on karen@karenblakeley.com. All interviews will be entirely confidential and all material will be anonymized.
