Unfortunately, I don’t know Beyoncé so I can’t ask her intended meaning of her quote, “Power’s not given to you. You have to take it.” I don’t get the sense this is a dictatorial play, driven by ego to control those around her.
The meaning I make is this… Stand up for what you believe in, communicate it loud and proud, have the confidence in your intellect and talents to drive for what you want, and then trust that when you push for it, others will recognize your awesomeness and want to follow.
When I define it this way, power becomes synonymous with leadership, which is the ability to motivate and influence people (including yourself) into action. Just like power, it has been true for me that leadership is not given. And just like Beyonce’s quote, you need to “take it”. I have found with leadership that you have to confidently step into the mindset of a leader as if you have already earned the trust and respect of your people.
The questions I have for you are:
1) What type of leader do you want to be?
2) What are the talents and behaviors you most need to display?
3) If you begin displaying those talents and behaviors who will follow you?
Another food for thought question I have for you is this… if you changed nothing about your behaviors and left your current gig to start up a new venture, who would follow you? If you struggle to come up with a list of names, check back in with question #2 above – what talents and behaviors do you most need to display? Then ask yourself, why aren’t you doing that already?
While leadership comes natural to some, it is a skill that can be learned and practiced. I invite you to take stock of your current and desired leadership traits and tinker with putting different traits into practice.
If you’re an entrepreneur or leader in a growing organization, you will likely need to adapt your leadership style for different stages of growth; BUT… don’t compromise your core personality, values or leadership principles.
Go step into your leadership power and own your awesomeness.
