Don’t let power corrupt you. (2016)

“Practical mindfulness exercises for resisting ‘the power paradox’ aka Hubris Syndrome.”

Prof. Dacher Keltner, University of California, Berkeley, faculty director of the Greater Good Science Center.
Harvard Business Review October 2016.

“…people usually gain power through traits and actions that advance the interests of others, such as empathy, collaboration, openness, fairness, and sharing.

“When they start to feel powerful or enjoy a position of privilege, those qualities begin to fade.

“The powerful are more likely than other people to engage in rude, selfish, and unethical behaviour. (As examples, studies have found that) whereas drivers of the least expensive vehicles..always ceded the right-of-way to pedestrians in a crosswalk, people driving luxury cars such as BMWs and Mercedes yielded only 54% of the time… wealthy individuals are more likely to say it’s acceptable to engage in unethical behavior. And … CEOs with MBAs are more likely … to engage in self-serving behavior that increases their personal compensation but causes their companies’ value to decline.

“I call this phenomenon ‘the power paradox.’ How can you avoid succumbing to the power paradox? Through awareness and action.

“A first step is developing greater self-awareness. When you take on a senior role, you need to be attentive to the feelings that accompany your newfound power and to any changes in your behavior…. It’s also important to reflect on your demeanor and actions…

“(Another step is) practicing graciousness.

“Whether you’ve already begun to succumb to the power paradox or not, you must work to remember and repeat the virtuous behaviors that helped you rise in the first place (specifically) empathy, gratitude, and generosity.”

Access Professor Keltner’s practical exercises for resisting ‘the power paradox’ in full here: Don’t let power corrupt you.