Quote by John W. Gardner, On Leadership,
Although leadership and the exercise of power are distinguishable activities, they overlap and interweave in important ways. Consider a corporate chief executive officer who has the gift for inspiring and motivating people, who has vision, who lifts the spirits of employees with a resulting rise in productivity and quality of product, and a drop in turnover and absenteeism. That is leadership. But evidence emerges that the company is falling behind in the technology race. One day with the stroke of a pen the CEO increases the funds available to the research division. That is the exercise of power. The stroke of a pen could have been made by an executive with none of the qualities one associates with leadership.
Summary
This quote emphasizes the distinction between leadership and the exercise of power, while also highlighting their interdependence. It gives an example of a CEO who possesses the qualities of leadership, such as inspiration and vision, which positively impacts the workforce. However, when the CEO makes a decision to increase funds for research, it exemplifies the exercise of power. This decision could have been made by someone lacking leadership qualities. The quote highlights that although leadership and power have distinguishable characteristics, they often intersect and influence each other in meaningful ways.
Topics
Leadership
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