Julie Diamond

Many leaders I have coached don’t feel comfortable asserting their positional power.

Fellow coaches and consultants have admitted that they feel awkward asserting their power of expertise.

Both prefer seeing themselves as partners, using personal power rather than positional or expert power. They try to lead by example. They use their relational and social skills to create cooperative and collaborative relationships.

And the current Zeitgeist supports them in this. The most popular leadership books and approaches right now advocate for leading with trust, empathy, and authenticity. Companies are focusing on culture and employee well-being. There is a clarion call for humanizing leadership and humanizing the workplace.

That’s a good thing. A very good thing.

But it’s not enough. In fact, it’s precisely only 50% of the leadership equation.

Building better humans for the role of leadership is necessary but not sufficient. What’s needed is the other half of the equation: training those humans how to responsibly occupy a role of authority and power.

What does it mean to occupy a role? And why is it important? Click the link below to read more now: https://diamondleadership.com/articles/missing-half-of-leadership/

Where do you rank? When it comes to power, relative rank gives absolute rank a run for its money. Here's why.

My research has found that when it comes to preventing the abuse of power, individual competencies are necessary but insufficient. Why?

Because self-awareness and the very best intentions often aren't enough to curtail people's self-interest and the temptations of power. They need to be supplemented by controls and guardrails.

Where the guardrails are weak, abuse of power is an inevitable outcome. So what are these guardrails? What beyond good intention can be done to curtail abusive power?

- Embrace Opposition

- Ensure Objective Oversight

- Maintain Transparency

Click here to read more about each of these guardrails (and specific ways we can put them in place): https://buff.ly/3vv1CXh

Most people I speak to want to feel more empowered in their lives.

Maybe it's a resolution you set for yourself in 2024.

Feeling confident. Standing up for your convictions. Using your voice. Empowering yourself and others.

These are ideals worthy of your attention and effort.

But these concepts can feel a little vague. And it can be hard to know where to start and how to apply what you learn in your own life.

Good news: if self-confidence, self-empowerment, resiliency, or followthrough are on your 2024 to-do list, I've just created a brand new ebook on the topic of Personal Power.

In this free PDF, you'll get some very simple steps you can take to start tapping into the most important power you have -- your own.

With quotes, tactics, and practical examples, this ebook can help you build momentum on all of your goals heading into the new year!

Develop Your Personal Power Today | Diamond Leadership Learn to recognize, develop, and skillfully use personal power with this free eight-week email course. Sign up now!

Gandalf was right to choose Frodo. He knew that if he slipped on that ring of power, he'd most likely fall into the trap of power.

In fact, it's all too easy to fall into one of the traps of power, undermining our effectiveness despite our best intentions.

Here are five of the most common traps of power that leaders should be aware of:

Using power before you earn it: This is a trap that many new leaders fall into. They may feel like they have to assert their authority right away, even if they don't have the experience or trust of their team members to back it up. This can lead to resentment and distrust, and it can make it difficult for the leader to build a successful team.

Sidestepping authority: This is another trap that can be easy for leaders to fall into. They want to be equals, and don't want to offend or come across as superior. However, sidestepping authority can undermine the leader's credibility and make it difficult to get things done.

Buying your own pitch: This is a trap that can befall even the most experienced leaders. It's when the leader starts to believe their own hype and becomes convinced that they are infallible. This can lead to arrogance and poor decision-making.

Satisfying self-interest: This is a trap that can be especially tempting for leaders who have worked their way up through the ranks. They may feel like they deserve to take advantage of their position, or they may be more interested in their own advancement than in the success of the organization. This can lead to unethical behavior and a loss of trust of the team.

Not holding yourself accountable: Perhaps the most important trap to avoid, leaders need to be willing to hold themselves accountable for their own actions, both good and bad. This means admitting when they make mistakes and taking steps to correct them. It also means being willing to listen to feedback from others and being open to change.

To read more about each of these traps of power and how to prevent them from tripping you up, check out my blog post here: https://buff.ly/3tPBGsB

5 Challenges to Effective Leadership (and How to Overcome Them) Effective leadership requires the ability to recognize and work with the common traps of power that accompany a leadership role. Read my post to learn more!