The future of power

Women and power. Those words don’t necessarily go together. A woman can never be too rich or too thin, but until recently, she could indeed be too powerful.

Woman have long been highly regarded while standing by their man or even excellent as second in command. And lets not forget that “Behind every good man is a great woman,” for goodness sake.

Although while there’s all this focus on how a woman “makes” a man, lets not forget their ability to “unmake” a man. In a first-century B.C. marriage contract, a bride promised to be faithful and affectionate. She also vowed not to add love potions to her husband’s food or drink. For the several thousands of years before they became firefighters and physicians, women were sirens, enchantresses, snares. It seems as if female powerlessness was really male self-preservation in disguise.

Now, we live in an age when what have traditionally been considered female traits (strong communication skills, a gift for multitasking, and an instinct to help others grow) are actually desirable leadership qualities. In the recent past, marriage was our calling, and mousiness our value. Over the last century however, we have gained a point of view, a vote, a playing field of our own.

Which now raises a question of the hour. Is it possible for a woman to demonstrate power without it being relative to being female or male? Can fierce women be respected without being caricatures of their male colleagues? Void of emotions, and no talk of lip gloss or shoes?

I prefer to think that women as well as men have begun to transform the whole idea of power.  Instead, it’s about separating success from purpose, focusing less on status and more on responsibility to ourselves and to others. Power is the ability to exercise it regardless if you’re at the playground or Pentagon. What’s at stake is self-esteem rather than vertical growth. So with that, I leave you with one (genderless) thought:  “As we look ahead into the next century, leaders will be those who empower others.” – Bill Gates

What does the future of power look like to you?

Tags | women and power future of power separating success from purpose