Tweet

Absolute Power

Written by: Rebel Brown

Article Overview: Sooner or later, we all start believing our own press.

Absolute Power

Power is an ugly drug, a drug that many of us crave, some of us capture and we all believe we can manage oh-so-well. We point to those who slip and fall on the slippery slope of power, ridicule them and make jokes, knowing that we would never follow in their footsteps. We behave as if those who slip and fall are the exception to the rules. Tiger is NOT the exception.

Gosh how I wish he was. But he's not, and maybe instead of cracking jokes about his mistakes and the poor women in his life - we should all look a little deeper into our own actions, and our culture.

Our culture is determined to set up those in power for ultimate failure. No one can live up to the onslaught of adoration and idol worship, the just plain 'bigger than life' spectacle that we create. All who are lifted up to those oh-so-high pedestals will slip and fall off, sooner or later, in some way.

We are, after all, human.

I've worked with powerful leaders for over twenty years now as a consultant. I can tell you, for sure, that even the most 'sainted' among them is changed by the power they are granted. Sooner or later, we start believing our own press.

We create our Titans - the men and women who power our businesses to huge success, lead our country through wars and economic upheaval, entertain us in our sporting, music and media worlds. We deify them, following their every move with awe and glory. Then we trash them when they fall short of our already unrealistic expectations.

We're all responsible.

You may disagree with me, but hear me out. We help to create the monsters these powerful folks often become. We promote them with our spending dollars, our votes, our fascination with their lives (and those tabloid sales). We accept their every direction in business, knowing they are the visionary to lead us to success. We don't question - we follow. We accept and promote their position above us, expect them to be perfect and beyond reproach, and then wonder why they fail to be the Gods we expect.

Sure, there are a few souls who don't let power affect them. I know some who haven't changed. A few hold their true selves separate from the public image that is so much larger than life. These are wise and valued souls.

They are the exceptions.

How sad is that?

_____________________________

This week I'm discussing Power and all that comes with it. Check back tomorrow for Absolute Corruption....

Related Articles
  Sometimes, price is an attitude
  Power 3.0: Kinder, Gentler, and Better
  Building Trust for Explosive Business Success
  “The Awesome Power of TO-DO Lists, According To Your Strategic Thinking Business Coach”
  Legitimate Power in Leadership

Article Tags: adoration, awe, economic upheaval, failure, fascination, footsteps, jokes, men and women, monsters, onslaught, pedestals, poor women, slippery slope, spectacle, tiger, titans, twenty years, unrealistic expectations, visionary, women in his life



Related Forum Posts
Women Entrepreneur Tips - Thank you LeoOliveros, I found #4 particularly true in my case: 4. The Enterprise Must Include the Power of Power Networks. As a conductor of your own enterprise, you can not see yourself as a one-woman-show. You must choose to utilize the power people in your life, by asking for help when you need it, and effectively delegating in order to capitalize on your strengths and that of your power network. When certain experts are not represented in your power network, you must actively seek advisors or mentors and develop a team of specialists, so the benefits are received by everyone involved in the power network - the true Power of Power Networks.
Pies & Vodka - It's a good point but I think it comes down to the experience of buying the pie. I think that if you had a story behind your pie business you'd be just as successful. People want to be part of something bigger when they are purchasing a product or service. An affiliation that makes them feel content. Wonder if the story makes the pie taste better... kinda how some people think more expensive wine tastes better than regular priced wine. 20/20 did a story last year on Vodka and did blind tests after they got peoples reactions to brands. Grey Goose came out on top of peoples lists but after they did the blind test the attendees couldn't tell the difference between Absolute (which was the bottom of the list) vs. Grey Goose.
Success Strategies - How to get the results you want now? Success Strategies and Action Steps I have used are: The Power of Choice Where you are at this present moment, is exactly perfect from the choices you have made. If you want to be somewhere else, you have to decide clearly what that is (your goal/outcome) and create action steps to achieve this. The Power of Focus The book "The Power of Focus" by Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen and Les Hewitt, is one of my treasures in my Entrepreneur Library. If you focus on what you want versus what you do not want, your conscious and sub-conscious mind will direct attention to this. The movie, What the Bleep, Down the Rabbit Hole, explains this in detail about quantum physics and what we create in our lives. The Power of Commitment This is not about commitment to others. The first step is the commitment, your word, you make to yourself. Accountability and responsibility are additional success strategies and ingredients to creating the success, defined by you, that you want. The commitment to others reflects your integrity, your word and the team you work with. Co-workers, clients, yoru family, friends and community. My Success Acronyn in Success Breakthroughs(c) is: S pecific & self-directed U nlimited opportunities & possibilities C reate powerful outcomes C onsistent measureable results E xperience pwoerful transformation S olution and action-oriented S uccessful habits and outcomes Break Through to Powerful LIfestyle & Performance Choices Moira
The Power of Ten - Do you want to save money and time? Make the most of your marketing efforts? The Power of Ten™ is about taking the concepts of repurposing and leveraging “to the max”. It allows you to innovate and discover new possibilities for any marketing you already have in place. Here’s how it works: Make a list of the most recent 10 marketing items you’ve created or paid to have created. If you don’t have any materials, you can simply list the pieces you plan on creating. Now pick one. It could be an article, ad, poster, anything you have used recently as a marketing tool. Take a fresh look at it. Brainstorm and free write until you find at least 10 different ways to use that piece. You can do this with as many pieces as you want, but for now start with just one. It’s amazing how much time, effort and money you can save using The Power of Ten™. Below is an example using The Power of Ten™ with this very article. Even a very short piece, such as this, can benefit from The Power of Ten™. Here are some ways I can use this tip: 1) It’s part of a new marketing program I’m creating that may be called Marketing Full Circle. 2) It’s on my blog. 3) I can tweet it (knowing that it will show up on LinkedIn and many other sites which display tweets). 4) I can go over to LinkedIn and post it to a group. 5) I can it to my ezine subscribers. 6) I will send it to my clients. 7) If it is a longer article, I can try submitting it to an Article Bank, or two, or three. It started out as part of an answer on Focus.com 9) Eventually it will be part of an eBook on marketing tips. 10) I mention the concept often at speaking engagements. (c)2010 Elevating Your Business What would you add to the list? How about your own? Give it a try and comment below.
Wills, Power of Attorneys personal, bank, health - These four items are important even if you don't have a business. You don't have to have a Will because the law has procedures that are in place just incase someone dies without a Will. It is call dieing intestate. However, it can be an expensive process for your beneficiaries and your estate may not go to who you want it to go to. A Will - helps you set up where you want your assets to go to and who they go to. They set out your wishes for the business as well. In Ontario, you do not have to have a Will prepared by a lawyer but sometimes it is in your best interest to do so. There is a lot of info on the internet and kits that are available but they key to this are the witnesses to your signature. You may want to write it yourself and then have a lawyer witness the signing of the Will. If you handwrite you’re Will then you don't need to have it witnessed. But the entire document must be in your handwriting no typing allowed. The Power of Attorneys - Personal or Health Personal - This gives someone consent to act on your behalf if you can't due to physical or mental disabilities. The Power of Attorney goes into effect only when you are incapacitated or you authorize it. So it can be signed and ready to be used but only takes effect when you are ready to use it. You don't need a lawyer to prepare these - there are kits on the internet, there are kits that the government have where you can fill in the blanks. But if you have an extensive estate I would take it to the lawyer because their could be other issues that need to be dealt with. Health – This Power of Attorney outlines what you want to happen in case of medical emergency, for example, do you want to be revived if there is no hope of recovery, is the most common reason, maybe the type of treatment that you want to receive for the particular illness you have. This Power of Attorney protects your health rights when you can't speak for yourself and it gives someone else the right to speak for you. In the Power of Attorney you would outline your request and designate someone to carry them out. Bank - This one designates someone to look after your finances if you aren't able to do them. The banks have special procedures and these forms are completed at the bank. So if you became ill then your designated person can take care of your finances until you are ready to resume doing them. The Power of Attorneys and the Wills are legal documents and they can be revoked or changed at any time. If your estate is very large then I would suggest that you have a lawyer prepare these documents to protect your interest. Again, the law does not have the same rules as a married spouse so this would protect the surviving partner in a common-law relationship. I realize that most of the subjects that are discussed on this site are concerning growing your business but I deal with the hidden aspect of the business as well and these could affect your business as much as if you can't find that next client. Happy and Prosperous New Year Everyone


Share this article with your friends. Fund someone's dream.

Leave a comment below or share on the left and you'll help support entrepreneurs in Africa through our partnership with Kiva. Over $50,000 raised and counting - Please keep sharing! Learn more.

Tweet

Newsletter

Get advice & tips from famous business
owners, new articles by entrepreneur
experts, my latest website updates, &
special sneak peaks at what's to come!

Name:
Email:

Popular Articles

Starting a Business with Bad Personal Credit

Is the iPad useful? One CEO tells all ....

Suggestions

Email us your ideas on how to make our
website more valuable! Thank you Sharon
from Toronto Salsa Lessons / Classes for
your suggestions to make the newsletter
look like the website and profile younger
entrepreneurs like Jennifer Lopez.