Power

With all the election coverage, one of my pet peeves has been coming at me from all sides; the ubiquitous description of nearly every politician as ‘powerful.’

The problem stems from the fact that it only works in one direction. In a discussion of someone being promoted or elected to a certain position, with an explanation of the scope of responsibilities, it makes sense to conclude in context that this is now a ‘powerful’ person, because ‘power’ has been defined; the power to make certain decisions within that organization. That much makes sense. However, a standalone description of that person as ‘powerful,’ without context, implies so much more than in the first case because ‘power’ retains all of its meanings. In a sense, A=B, but B not=A. The word ‘power’ is defined in the first case, but not in the second.

So the standalone is not a good description because it has connotations way beyond what is intended. So-and-so is a ‘powerful’ person…a mystical, magical power? A sorceror or wizard, with a magic wand? A giant, perhaps, like Samson himself, thundering through the hallways on the way to a conference room? Or maybe just someone in a position of power and responsibility? It’s a little vague, alright, but the media toss it around like confetti.

In the office setting, there’s a different take on power and position.

The common parlance refers to ‘superiors,’ and these people are considered and treated as if they are somehow superior. Actually, they are supervisors. They merely occupy a position of greater responsibility than others; no reason to bring a value judgment into the picture.

There is a business axiom that says, “The most important job is the one that isn’t done right.”

Any government or business is ideally a group of people working together toward the same end, and in that light they are all equally important… but have different responsibilities. The idea of ‘superiors’ within the group introduces psychological and interpersonal issues that can only harm the effort. A more positive and cooperative model is to say all employees are on the same team, with a division of labor that requires some to supervise the efforts of others.