Julie Diamond

06/19/2024

Gandalf was right to choose Frodo. He knew that if he slipped on that ring of power himself, 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 in 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

05/06/2024

Every time we express an opinion, or voice our dissent in a meeting, there's a social cost.

For women and underrepresented minorities, that price is especially high. Yet it's vital for good decision-making that everyone has a voice.

While it takes time to build the trust needed for honest and robust debates, there are surprisingly small and simple things you can do as a leader to create more safety and trust and reduce the cost of speaking up.

1. Watch your nonverbal communication. It’s not what you say, but what you do. People in lower ranks are especially tuned into your non-verbal cues. So be sure to listen actively, make eye contact, and avoid looking distracted.

2. Be an active listener. Just because you’re hearing what the other says doesn’t tell the other person that you’re listening. Ask questions, nod, and make eye contact. Make it a habit to say, “I appreciate the perspective,” or, “Thank you, that’s helpful.”

3. Invite others to speak. Make it a practice to notice who has and who hasn’t spoken in meetings. Invite those who haven’t spoken to share their ideas. This doesn’t mean putting people on the spot — it’s not meant to challenge them to speak but to make sure you and others aren’t missing anything important.

4. Seek out other points of view — Ask, ""What am I missing?"" Remember, you need others to speak up because you really may be missing key information. The less often others speak around you, the likelier you and others are to believe in a false sense that the leader’s ideas are the best ideas.

Wielding power effectively is about understanding the dynamic context and consequences of your actions. Truly powerful leaders make it easy for those around them to speak up—and be heard!"

https://buff.ly/421u8yi

When voices are silenced, valuable information is lost. Effective leaders know there’s no single source of authority. Learn how to help others speak up.

03/26/2024

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/

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

03/21/2024

The adage is true: what gets measured, gets managed.

This is just as true for power as it is for anything else.

But the paradox of power is this: it’s almost impossible to assess or measure how well you’re using your power because your power influences your own and others’ perceptions, creates biases, and distorts feedback.

Anyone who has ever stepped into a position of power or influence for the first time can relate.

Want a clear picture of where things stand and a path to improving your use of power?

Download this free Power Audit tool and take the pulse of your power today: https://buff.ly/3TIHqhU

Power Audit Worksheet The paradox of power is this: it’s almost impossible to assess how well you’re using your power because your power influences your own and others’ perceptions, creates biases, and distorts feedback. Want a clear pathway to improving your or your client’s use of power? D...

03/14/2024

No one likes to admit it, but we as humans spend too much of our time ruminating, second-guessing, and being insecure. And it's a bigger problem than you might think...

When your personal power is sabotaged by low self-esteem in the form of insecurity, self-doubt, or imposter syndrome, it makes it difficult to recognize the value you bring to the table and thus leverage your best thinking.

It can even stifle advancement in your career.

Most of the time, we’re our own worst critics. All of us can probably think of at least one time when we were overly hard on ourselves.

And it isn't always easy to silence the critic in your head. We compare ourselves to others, doubt our own abilities, and make unhealthy assumptions about our self-worth.

Our personal power—the collection of talents, skills, and traits that allow us to be successful and navigate life’s challenges—depends on healthy self-esteem.

Here are 3 steps to boost your self-esteem and grow your personal power:

1. TURN YOUR GAZE INWARD – The more dependent you are on external sources—on what people say and think and do—chasing praise and avoiding criticism, the lower your self-esteem, and the more you find yourself chasing after it in the wrong place: outside yourself.

2. DON'T PLAY FAVORITES WITH YOURSELF – True self-esteem is an all-or-nothing deal. You can’t pick and choose which parts of yourself to like. Our traits, tendencies, and talents are like the raw materials of our personal power. No one trait is better, or more powerful than another. It depends entirely on how we cultivate and use them.

3. TAME YOUR TRIGGERS – The final step to building self-esteem and boosting personal power is cautionary: watch out for your reactivity, your triggers, and your emotions that derail you. When we’re emotionally unregulated we’re not in control. Our emotions are. And frequently we do or say something in this state that we later regret.

Read more about each of these self-esteem-boosting tactics and how to prevent insecurity from sabotaging your self-esteem.

https://buff.ly/3w8mfsn

03/01/2024

Baboons and humans are shockingly similar. And no place is this more evident than the modern workplace.

They both take their stress out on others, especially on those with lower rank.

In fact 84% of American workers say poorly trained people managers create unnecessary stress. And we know that bad bosses are also consistently rated as the #1 reason people quit their jobs.

But what about the boss?

If the boss is causing stress for others, doesn’t it stand to reason that they are just doing what baboons are doing? Venting their stress on others?

While power doesn’t cause bad behavior, it enables it. It enables managers who can’t handle stress to behave badly—and get away with it. This is especially true when someone in a leadership role feels under threat.

Read a unique take on how Fight, Flight, Freeze, and Fawn play out every day in the workplace and the things we can do to mitigate these toxic behaviors by clicking here:

https://buff.ly/3ZzI8hb

02/26/2024

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

01/24/2024

"My exploration of my own power is enriched by your newsletters. Perhaps the most valuable part for me is how you eliminate the moral conflicts around power, encouraging and enabling us to develop power and own our power with dignity and care for the whole."

This was sent to me by a newsletter subscriber recently.

What grabs me most about this feedback is "eliminating the moral conflicts around power."

This captures my mission, to change how we think about power, and by bringing power into focus growing our collective power intelligence.

If this speaks to you as well, subscribe to my newsletter, a monthly dose of reflection, research, and insight into power and leadership.

Another reader calls it the "slow food of newsletters" and it's designed to change how you think about and use your power. Join the 3,000 other subscribers and read past issues by clicking here:

https://buff.ly/2Q5sITq

01/22/2024

It's an election year.

Which means disappointment for many: disappointment in who's running for office, disappointment in the results, and even if 'your candidate' wins, I bet two years from now you'll be disappointed in the lack of followthrough on promises made by your candidate of choice.

There's evidence to support this too -- according to Pew Research, public trust in elected officials is at SIXTEEN percent.

Why is this? How did we end up here?

For starters, those most drawn to power are least likely to use it well. People scoring higher on the “dark triad of personality traits” of narcissism, Machiavellianism, and psychopathy are more attracted to leadership roles than the average person.

While that's depressing, what's worse, though, is that we humans routinely fall under their spell. We invariably fall for swagger even when there's nothing behind it:

- We routinely confuse confidence with competence and promote the wrong people, follow the wrong person, and elect the wrong leaders.

- We mistakenly applaud rudeness as courage and bullying as strength.

- We’re dazzled by impressions and status more than substance, which is why we fall for narcissists and are taken in by con artists.

- We’re swayed by charisma and hire and promote based on what we think looks like success rather than what is actually successful. It’s why we fall for Ponzi schemes and shady deals, which is why investors sunk millions into Theranos and FTX, forgoing their due diligence.

This isn’t something we can change very quickly. But, there are three things to look for the next time someone crows about their accomplishments, announces their candidacy, or looks for investors. Look for:

• Character over charisma. Charisma is the ability to charm and dazzle, but it fizzles out if it’s not based on anything substantial. Charisma may open the door, but over time, people will see through it. Character, on the other hand, goes the distance. Character is the inner strength to be accountable for your actions, to see your failings and mistakes as opportunities to learn, and to care for and respect others.

• Competence over confidence. Look behind the confidence to see if it’s actually backed up by ability and performance. One key way to find out if someone is truly competent and not just confident is to look at the people around them. Competent people surround themselves with smart people, elevate those around them, and build great teams.

• Context and culture. If someone is successful in one context, there is no guarantee they’ll be so in another context. Once the context changes—a new boss, a new team, a new strategy, and a new organizational culture—performance can plummet. If someone’s confidence is based on their past performance in one context, it’s still an open question whether they can maintain their success once the support structures they’ve been used to are taken away.

Confidence has its place—in life and in the workplace. And there are times when we need it.

But we need to view swagger through a discerning lens. Otherwise, we may mistake empty bluster for competent leadership—with dire consequences.

Read online and share your own thoughts here: https://buff.ly/3uRzCgw

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

01/17/2024

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!

Learn to recognize, develop, and skillfully use personal power with this free eight-week email course. Sign up now!

01/11/2024

Many leaders start the New Year off with big aspirations of change for their organizations.

While they are successful functional leaders and experts in their domains, when it comes to driving an agenda across the enterprise, they falter. They procrastinate. They don’t know how to make good on their aspirations, because the “how-tos” of being an effective political operator are frustratingly vague.

In my latest HBR article, Lisa Zigarmi, Lesli Mones, and I help leaders advance their strategic objectives through a practical framework of questions and considerations. May more good ideas become realities in 2024.

https://buff.ly/41MCXgH

You may be an expert at running your business unit or leading your team. But do you know how to advance your agenda across an organization, particularly if you have an idea that will impact its strategic direction? This article offers four key domains you can focus on to ensure you’ve prepared an ...

01/10/2024

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

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!