by Jamar Wright – Mind Food International
[KINGSTON, Jamaica] – As I sit to write this article I can hear in the distance a report on CNN that the Russian Army is now pushing towards Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine. Are we on the brink of World War III?
From the beginning of time leaders have been abusing power. We have read and seen the atrocities and terror it has created for humanity. These atrocities and terror has scarred and will scar the souls of many generations to come. Some generations will never get over the blunt force trauma of a leader who has abused his or her power which leaves trust of their people bruised and fragmented.
In 1887 Lord Acton wrote a letter to Bishop Mandell. In the letter he wrote, “Power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely.” What Lord Acton meant by that statement is whenever a person is given power or have power, it makes him or her corrupt. Power erodes the moral of leaders and fill them with pride and arrogance. The more power the person has the more corrupted that person will be. I disagree with Lord Acton’s statement that power corrupts.
Corruption
Power doesn’t corrupt people. People corrupt power. Power is pure and nebulous. Power takes on the character of the individual and multiply who the person is. Similar to money, money is neither good nor bad. But money in the hands of a drug addict or a drug lord and that money will be used to buy drugs, support prostitution, illegal guns which will all eventually destroy people lives and community. Put that money in the hands of a righteous person, it will build shelter for the homeless, send others to schools and colleges, that money will produce much good because it takes on the character of the one holding the money. It’s the same with power, power brings out what is in the heart of the leader.
Power and Character
Power takes on the character of the leader. Abraham Lincoln once said, “Nearly all men can stand the test of adversity, but if you really want to test a man’s character give him power.” Power will bring out what is already inside that person. If the leader was an arrogant person before power will expose and multiply that arrogance. Power in the hands of a humble and righteous leader will be put to good use.
Safe Guarding Against Abusing Power
Power is not bad, power is pure. Every single individual on earth is seeking power, they are seeking power over their circumstance. This is why people pray, you want power over sickness, this is why people go to work they want money in order to control their circumstance. A leader destroys others when they are seeking power over others. You should never ever seek power over others. This leads to abuse and manipulation. Leadership is about empowering and developing others to become their true selves. Leadership is also about moving others to a preferred future. It’s not about manipulating or controlling people.
- Love– The foundation of true leadership is love. A person should never be a leader if he or she does not love people. A leader who does not love others will use power to destroy followers, instead of using power to empower his followers. Love safeguards a leader from abusing power.
- Accountability– All leaders should be accountable to someone or be summitted to a board. Who can correct the leader, who advises the leader, who has the authority to tell a leader to step down if he or she is abusing their power. All leaders should be held accountable and should summit to another leader.
- Systems of Review– An appraisal system for leaders will help keep a check on leaders from abusing their power. These structures will help again with accountability but a more precise way to show where the leader is off track or making progress.
- Training and Development– All that a leader knows is not all there is to know. A leader should always remain teachable and coachable. A leader should never stop learning. In this manner a leader is easily corrected. A leader who makes his opinion an idol is not teachable, and this can lead to abuse of power.
Use power for its intended purpose, use it wisely and correctly. Use power to empower others, use it for the greater good of humanity. Leaders who abusing power will one day get a rude awakening, leaders who usually abuse power destroy their character and shatter the trust of others. For every action there is an opposite and equal reaction. Every decision you make will be followed by a consequence.
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