Knowledge Is Power

"Knowledge is power, if you know it about the right person." -- Ethel Mumford

Well, having the dirt on someone is not exactly what I usually have in mind when I think "knowledge is power", althought that certainly could be useful. Here are some other circumstances when knowledge is power:

-- when you're not worried about touching water after ironing.

-- when you know it doesn't matter whether you eat cake with a dessert fork, or a dessert spoon.

-- when you don't know the latest scoop on the latest celebrity, and you're not even sure who the latest celebrity is.

-- when you realize that your abundance does not come at the expense of others', nor vice versa.

-- when you realize that what we think of as success is in the here and now; it's not a future destination.

-- when you know you can accept greater responsibility for your feelings.

Mixonian wishes all a wonderful Memorial Day. We appreciate the services of our soldiers to bring more peace into the world.

Powerful Communication for Introverts

After thinking a lot about what I posted yesterday, about what powerful communication looks like in an organization, I kept getting this image of a super pushy person. I don't accept that is the only model for flexing power in an organizational context. Quiet people, or those of use who are not super talkative, do not face a future of permanent subordination.

The main requirement to exude power in a situation is confidence. That comes from experience, doing your homework, knowing yourself, and knowing that any criticism to your idea or proposal is not a personal attack. If you go into a situation knowing you've prepared as well as you could given the constraints, there is no reason not to be confident. And confidence, maybe even more so the quiet kind, gives a powerful message to others.

It's not that your plan is absolutely bullet-proof, although it may well be. But you know it is a sound idea, an appropriate solution, and that someone may actually have a suggestion to make it even better, or more socially acceptable. It's also possible that a member of your audience doesn't quite get it, but with quiet confidence, you explain it again. There is no need to feel threatened.

It is said that attitude is 90% of communication. That means you don't have to be a flaming extrovert to get things done. After all, having power means getting things that you want. Be clear, not necessarily loquacious.

Power in Communication

I'm reading Power and Communication by Louisiana State University's Andrew King as part of my research on Hugo Chavez. I just found some research about how power is communicated in everyday interactions. In this particular area of power, King refers to earlier published research by Martin Remland.

In a given situation, the more powerful people are:

- more relaxed than their subordinates.
- less attentive to the others' communication.
- less vulnerable to space invasion.
- more expansive.
- more in control of floor space.
- less frequently interrupted.
- take more turns in conversation.
- talk more of the time.
- are touched less often.

"In summary, the measure of speaker power is the degree of control over the entire interactive process" (17).

Something to think about as you go through your day. Maybe you need to speak up.

Solve Problems through Wider Perspective

One thing I learned from reading many books by Kenneth Burke in my doctorate program is that to widen our perspective on life, we first need to realize that we do see and interpret events through our own particular paradigm. Stephen Covey says that the way we interpret situations forms our reality, so this subject is important enough to take some time to reflect upon it.

Think about the training of a surgeon. This person spends years learning how to operate on people. So it is no surprise that this "cut out the problem" paradigm spreads throughout the surgeon's personal life. That's the way he sees relationships, projects, challenges - looking for the part that needs surgical removal.

Similarly, someone who grows up in a fishing community sees life in terms of baits, traps, fishing spots, the "one that got away". The fisherman may see a situation as involving the wrong kind of bait, or wrong quantity, while the surgeon sees the same problem as one needing the scapel to resolve. A teacher would see it as something that needs to be taught, or reinforced conceptually.

Going back to the WAQ post, the life of a queen is definitely different from (and better than) the life of a commoner. And while most countries have no royalty apart from the celebrity-set, a woman who knows in her heart she is "as good as" any queen, feels more powerful than the woman who perceives in her heart she isn't good enough, that her life depends upon the whims of the fates.

Making the transition to the Queen paradigm begins in your imagination. What if you were a queen, how would you behave? Think about how this lady would dress, what would she think about, how would she spend her week-ends. Because the Queen has numerous infomers, her perspective on life is indeed wider than that of her subjects. And this wider perspective makes her wise. It's time to promote yourself to Queen of your domain.

Don't forget the post contest. Win $50. Contest ends April 30.