As a leader you are in a position of power over others and…“with great power comes great responsibility”.  It’s known as the Peter Parker Principal.  Although the origins of this phrase pre-date Spiderman.

Origins…

The bible verse of Luke 12:48: “From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.”

Many great leaders throughout history have used similar phrases.

In 1817, British Member of Parliament William Lamb is recorded saying, “the possession of great power necessarily implies great responsibility.”

In 1899, U.S. President William McKinley used the following in his State of the Union address: “Presented to this Congress are great opportunities. With them come great responsibilities.”

In 1906, Winston Churchill, as Under-Secretary of the Colonial Office, said: “Where there is great power there is great responsibility,”

Though not the exact phrase, U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt wrote in a 1908 letter that “responsibility should go with power.”[16]

As a leader, it is important to understand you have been given a position of power.  And with that power, you can choose to use it to build people up or use it to destroy them.

Destructive Power

Anyone who has been a victim of workplace bullying or worked in a toxic workplace will know the damage that can be done. When power is used negligently.  It can ruin your confidence, cause anxiety, or even worse lead to severe mental health problems. When you are at work for most of your waking moments this constant stress can lead to physical manifestations and a breakdown in other significant relationships in your life.

There is a growing body of evidence showing that there is a significant correlation between bullying and low emotional intelligence. I believe that most leaders who lead through fear do this because they don’t know another way.

Having been the victim of bullying in my past. I personally understand the emotional and physical impact. It is this experience that continues to drive me to find another way to lead. I am a passionate believer that those in a position of leadership have a responsibility to manage and care for their team in a way that supports them. As a leader you have an obligation to show up, be present and do what you can.  So that your team can grow into great leaders themselves.

Understanding the negative aspects of power can be hard to grasp at first. When I first starting managing people I was terrible.  I used power rather than influence to get stuff done.  I didn’t understand the consequences.

Moving from Good to Great

You always have a choice and sometimes you just need to learn how to influence.  Learn to lead rather than manage.  Improving your emotional intelligence is the first step.

By increasing emotional intelligence you can transform a workplace. It improves wellbeing and motivation. Research is clear that emotional intelligence creates the difference between good leadership and great leadership.  Can you master the Peter Parker Principal?

We have a great resource emotional intelligence Book if you want to start learning.