What is power? What does it mean to be empowered? In order to be powerful, do we need to have power oversomeone else? There are too many examples of people forcefully exerting dominance over others, but is this really power, or does it truly stem from a feeling of weakness? We should be striving for power steeped in strength and confidence and competence, not in domination.

I discuss Dr. Robert Firestone’s concept of personal power, which is grounded in mastery of one’s self, not mastery over others. It’s based on our own competence, our vision, our positive personal qualities, and our service. And to become empowered women we need to get clear on these things for ourselves. We also need to examine where we give away our own power, where we have “power leaks.”

Dr. Kim Cameron at The University of Michigan talks about energizers, the people in an organization who energize the group, and therefore who other people want to work with. These people create higher productivity in their team, and what’s so interesting is that the energizers aren’t always those with “higher” titles or job positions. True power is influence, influence from the best parts of ourselves, not power over people.

And as I often do, I end with a few Purpose Power Tools.

It would really mean a lot to me if you would go to iTunes and leave me a review (hopefully a great one!), leave a 5 star rating, subscribe to this podcast so you never miss an episode, and download the episodes! And please spread the word and help our community grow!

May you live purposefully, may you love yourself, and may you love life.

Bye for now!

The PurposeGirl Podcast Episode 012: What Is Power? 45:43 Share

The PurposeGirl Podcast: Empowering women to live their purpose with courage, joy, and fierce self-love.

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The PurposeGirl Podcast Episode 012: What Is Power?