Power is a core attribute of leadership. We are social beings conditioned to accept society’s definition of power. Society confers power to certain individuals who have some privileges and formal authority over others. These categories of individuals control resources (humans and materials). Growing up, we internalize the understanding that power is what we should strive to access through selection, election, and validation. It turns out that most people never get to enjoy “positional power” because the space is for the few.
This article explores other opportunities we often overlook when accessing power. Unless butterflies realize that they have wings, they will not fly. Unless we are aware of the ability to choose our activities and responses in any given situation, self-actualization might remain a mirage.
There is a form of power that we can activate without seeking validation, selection or election. With this power, we have the locus of control to influence others. It is known as the “Power within”.
Power Within
If you ever remember anytime in your life when you responded to a task or difficult challenge without seeking approval before taking action, you have tapped into the power within. In any situation under limited resources where you draw on the power within, you demonstrate resourcefulness. The power within is your inner resource. Every other thing around you is an external resource. What you do with the external resources by exercising your inner resource (power within) is what makes you a resourceful person. Your power within is your capacity to figure out your self-worth and self-knowledge.
In a shrinking economy when an organization’s budget is fighting for survival, there is a high demand for resourcefulness as a highly-valued skill. At an individual level, you can increase your visibility in the workplace and also remain competitive in the marketplace. There are a few things we can do to explore the power within to exhibit resourcefulness.
- Develop an Intrapreneurial Mindset
An intrapreneur is an individual in a work environment who has developed the “power within” to initiate and work on projects that address gaps within the organization. An intrapreneur recognizes the inner resource (power within) and uses it to spot opportunities and drive positive change. An intrapreneur’s resourcefulness helps their organization stay ahead of the curve, come up with new ideas, and bring fresh energy to their workplaces.
2. Focus on intrinsic motivation
Resourcefulness is a gateway to autonomy and ownership. When individuals focus on intrinsic motivation, they activate their sense of resilience in the face of challenges. There is no such thing as an uninteresting task, what exists is an uninteresting person. Intrinsic motivation is a fuel that makes what others view as uninteresting tasks to become enjoyable activities because of the awareness of the power within (the inner resource) that drives resourcefulness.
3. Challenging the status quo
The power within is your inner resource. You have the locus of control to use it by questioning existing models and practices. Buckminster Fuller once advised us “never to change things by fighting existing models. But change something by building new models to make existing models obsolete.” Resourcefulness relies on our inborn creativity to improve existing processes and frameworks that we have always used. By asking questions, we generate and control conversations that might lead to new and innovative approaches to achieving the organization’s goals.
Call to Action
I wrote a book, “The Pathways of Highly Successful Global Teachers” which explored 20 different countries’ contexts where 23 intrapreneurs used their power within to transform their organizations. The book is available for purchase. You can reach out on Whatsapp at +2348039147549
