3 Ways Power Changes People

How much does power go to your head? If it didn’t, then you’re the exception and you’re magnanimous and generous of spirit.

According to numerous studies, people put into power positions are prone to a couple of behavior changes:

1.    Power makes most people become more focused on their own needs and wants

2.    Power changes people to become less focused on what others need, want and do

3.    Power influences people to act as if rules others are expected to follow don’t apply to them

Consider this scenario. Three people are working together. A plate of five cookies is made available on the break. Social norms dictate that no one takes the last (fifth) cookie, but what about the fourth?

In an experiment for the research study, groups of individuals were placed into teams of three, to evaluate the output (the “boss”). During the break, the experimenter arrived with a plate of five cookies. This allowed each participant to take one cookie, and at least one participant to comfortably take a second cookie, thus leaving one cookie on the plate. No one was expected to take the fifth cookie and no one did. But what about the fourth, the one that could be taken without awkwardness, or negotiation?

The results of the study showed that the “boss” (the evaluator) was clearly more likely to take a second cookie.  (Videotapes of the interactions also showed them more likely to eat with their mouths open and scattering crumbs widely.)

The conclusion is that individuals in power are more “disinhibited” and prone to focus on their own needs to the exclusion of others.

This is just one study showing bad boss behaviors and how “power corrupts.” There are many others. Maybe you can think of a few examples in your experience when the boss ate the fourth cookie with his/her mouth open?

Leave a comment.

If you’re wondering if you’ve fallen into these power traps, you might benefit from some outside coaching. Give me a call.

Are you out of control with the daily drama of the Dow (DJI)?

Often fear originates in our mind because, as much as we try, we have little control over the future. And, the future is where we tend to look for our security, seeking the assurance that everything will be all right. The illusion is that we have control over many variables in our daily life and that seems to make us feel better, at least temporarily. However, we really have no control over anything, other than our next breath and our next thought.

I know of very few people who are not being severely affected by the economic roller coaster roaring through Wall Street and into our daily lives-it is, without doubt, a very frightening ride; the fear of loss and being out of control is palpable. Since the financial meltdown of 2008 I have been observing how the ups and downs of the stock market affect people’s sense of well-being. In some regards the Dow Jones Index (here in after, I’ll just call it Dow) is similar to a barometer that reports the amount of fear pulsating through the collective consciousness. In the financial industry they actually make a practice of measuring these pulsations using a gauge called the VIX (Volatility Index). It is often referred to as the fear index or the fear gauge because it represents one measure of the market's expectation of stock market volatility over the next 30 days. Talk about forecasting our future based on the energy of fear and expectation of loss. The result is, for many, the Dow is like a “reverse” biofeedback device that, rather than detecting how we are feeling, tells us how we should be feeling each day; when the Dow is up it gives us cause to feel good - when the Dow is down it gives us cause to feel a bit down as well. Metaphorically speaking this is like the tail wagging the dog. No wonder we feel so out of control.

If the drama of the Dow has got you feeling down... and up... and down, it is safe to say you are not alone. What is happening on the Wall Street (and in Washington DC, as well as around the world) stirs up our fears because it brings us to the very edge of not knowing what the future holds reminding us that we are not nearly as much in control of our lives we think we are. What I do know is this: While we may not have control over the dramatic events unfolding before our eyes, we have absolute control of what is going on behind our eyes. In other words, we can choose to either respond or react to the mystery of the moment and that choice will determine how we experience the roller coaster ride. The primary reason the drama of the Dow is so volatile is that the system is hardwired to operate reactively, triggered by the fear and the perception of loss rather than faith and expectation of increase. How do you perceive life in this moment? Self-inquiry is a sound spiritual practice you might want to employ as you take a look at how you approach life today. Are you mindlessly and fearfully reacting to or mindfully and faithfully responding to what you see and hear on the six-o’clock news? It’s never too late to change how you perceive what is. (You may want to read a couple of postings I made recently on my Facebook page – on 1. Perceptions – URL: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=254789771212592&set=a.158130517545185.36519.100000447132850&type=1&theater  and 2. Mindfullness - URL: https://www.facebook.com/notes/drsurya-m-ganduri/mindfulness/197322030327608.)

The primary difference between mindfully responding as opposed to mindlessly reacting is that by responding we create an intentional gap (or space) in time and mind where we can breathe and pull ourselves out of the future and anchor ourselves in the present moment long enough to become the detached observer of our own thoughts and feelings before we say or do anything. The “response gap” is a sacred space whereby hitting the emotional “pause button” we consciously create an opening for the presence of the Divine to be revealed within us. Will seeing the drama of the Dow through the eyes of Infinite Intelligence give us more control over the uncertainties of the stock market? Not necessarily, but it will absolutely give us control over our own thinking process in the present moment which is our only true point of power. When we are present in the moment we are led to make clear minded choices which can include the mindfulness practice of knowing what and when to let go of that which causes us to suffer.

Reconciling what we have control over and what we don’t have control over is the first step to making peace with what is. There always has been and shall continue to be the metaphoric roller coaster rides in life, be it the stock market, the weather, or any of the other millions of variables over which we really have no control. Perhaps there is greater wisdom than we know in the ancient saying, “This too shall pass.” It’s true - anything that has a beginning must also have an end, including the current cycle of economic uncertainty. That awareness may take a bit of the power away from those who worship the god of the VIX.

If the drama of the Dow has you feeling down and a bit out of control, gently guide yourself back to the remembrance of the Divine Essence from which you came, which  is also the ultimate source of all that is. You are one with the source of your good so focus on what you do have control over - your next breath and your next thought. May it be one that brings you peace in this moment... after all, it’s really all there is, so why not breathe and enjoy the ride.