Power vs. force as a startup leader
Influential leaders choose power over force to drive sustainable growth. Here's why
Building a startup is challenging. Amidst the complexity and ever-changing landscape of today’s business environment, our definitions of leadership, success, and market needs continue to change and evolve. So, how do we drive innovation, attract strong talent, and sustain growth when the target seems to keep moving? Perhaps we need an approach that transcends “target practice" and instead, focuses on empowerment regardless of change.
In David R. Hawkins' seminal work, Power vs. Force (1995), he thoughtfully distinguishes between two fundamental approaches to influence and action: power and force. Power operates through inspiration, alignment, and authenticity, while force relies on coercion, manipulation, and control. Translating these concepts into our work leading teams, we can learn to leverage power over force to drive sustainable growth, innovation, and success.
how DO you leverage power over force?
We can leverage power over force by examining our leadership. Below we’ll dig in further, illustrating the significance of power over force in how we react to, motivate, empower, and influence our teams.
Why This Works
Embracing power over force in our organizations fosters a culture of authenticity and empowerment, where individuals are encouraged to grow and evolve. By prioritizing collaboration and communication over coercion and control, we create an environment where creativity flourishes, innovation thrives, and team members continue to contribute because they feel valued and supported. This approach not only enhances employee morale and engagement but also drives productivity and fosters long-term organizational success.
Why Do This Now
In today's rapidly evolving landscape, the ability to adapt and thrive in the face of uncertainty is more critical today than ever before. By exhibiting power over force in our lives and organizations, we can cultivate resilience, agility, and innovation, positioning ourselves for sustained growth and market leadership. Furthermore, prioritizing values-driven leadership and collaborative decision-making prepares teams to navigate complex challenges and build a strong foundation for growth. In a world where change is increasingly rapid and unpredictable, the transformative power of authentic leadership and collective empowerment is a constant we can learn to rely on.
how We Do: four opportunities to leverage power over force
1. Reaction vs. Response
“You are what you do, not what you say you'll do.” ― Carl Gustav Jung
Reaction is an instinctive, often knee-jerk, response to stimuli, driven by emotion and habit while logic, regulated emotions, and perspective take a back seat. Reacting can project past experiences onto the present and lead to hasty decisions if we don’t recognize them. Conversely, a response involves all sources of information including thoughts, emotions, intuition, facts, and circumstances. It leads to thoughtful consideration and deliberate action. By being proactive rather than reactive, it allows for greater control over outcomes.
Why Response is More Effective:
Response allows for greater clarity and intentionality in decision-making. By pausing to assess a situation before acting, leaders can avoid costly mistakes and capitalize on opportunities more effectively. It is highly strategic, grounded, and clear in action.
Example:
Perhaps a new product feature receives negative feedback on social media. A reactive approach might involve immediately defending the decision, removing the content, or even addressing the critics directly. However, a responsive approach would entail taking a step back to understand the underlying concerns, gathering feedback from a broader audience, and iteratively refining the feature based on insights gained.
Putting it Into Action
Tools 🛠️
Introduce the use of tools that foster a culture of reflection and mindfulness within the team, encouraging individuals to pause and consider their responses before acting.
Sending feedback via Loom or email before a meeting provides space for reflection so that thoughtful responses can be formed.
Rules (Process) 📝
Implement an action-review framework such as the one used for SMART goals or this quick give it “A T.H.I.N.K.” exercise:
Aligned: Is what you’re responding to aligned with your values? Are you responding in a way that is aligned with your values?
True: Is what you’re responding to true? Is what you’re responding with true?
Helpful: Was what you are responding to helpful? Is how you are responding helpful?
Important: Is what you are responding to important? Is it important to respond?
Necessary: Was what you are responding to necessary? Is it necessary to respond?
Kind: Was what you are responding to kind? Are you responding kindly?
People 🫶
Emphasize active listening and empathy in team interactions, encouraging open dialogue and constructive feedback rather than reacting defensively to criticism.
One way to turn criticism into an opportunity for collaboration is to repeat the person’s sentiment back to them before responding.
This also gives us time to process all of our own information to respond thoughtfully.
For example, a response to a comment such as, “That was a stupid idea. Now I have so much more to do,” might be, “I am hearing you say that you didn’t like the decision that was made and that it’s impacting you. Is that correct?”
This engages the critique for the value it might contribute to the whole without appealing to a negative bias.
2. Goals vs. Opportunities
“I have always found that plans are useless, but planning is indispensable.” ― Dwight D. Eisenhower
Goals are predefined objectives that guide actions toward a specific outcome, whereas opportunities are emerging possibilities that may not have been initially anticipated but hold potential for value creation and growth.
Why Opportunities are More Effective:
While goals provide direction, opportunities allow for adaptability and innovation. By remaining open to unexpected possibilities, startups can capitalize on emerging trends, market shifts, and serendipitous encounters to drive growth and differentiation. The intention is not necessarily to replace goals with opportunities, as goals are imperative for team alignment. However, balancing them with opportunity actually broadens their potential impact.
Example:
Consider a startup aiming to launch a new product in a crowded market. While their initial goal may have been to capture a specific market share within a set timeframe, an unexpected partnership opportunity arises with a complementary technology provider. Rather than rigidly adhering to its original goals, the startup recognizes the potential for synergy and pivots its strategy to leverage the partnership, ultimately accelerating its market penetration and revenue growth.
Putting it Into Action
Tools 🛠️
Implementing agile methodologies such as Lean Startup or Design Thinking, which prioritize experimentation, iteration, and learning can exponentially improve the team’s awareness of opportunities.
Rules (Process) 📝
Link goals and values.
One way to balance the influence of your goals is to keep your values on equal footing in the goal review process.
As unexpected setbacks, opportunities or developments come to pass for your team, be sure to review your options against both your goals and your values.
If the decision aligns with your values but falls short in terms of goals, it could be presenting you with an opportunity.
People 🫶
Foster a culture of exploration and collaboration within the team, encouraging individuals to share insights, ideas, and market observations that may lead to the discovery of untapped opportunities.
Demonstrate leveraging values, intuition, and the creative process in your leadership to inspire your team to do the same.
3. Promoting vs. Encouraging
"A word of encouragement during a failure is worth more than an hour of praise after success." - Unknown
Encouraging involves providing support, guidance, and motivation to empower others to reach their full potential, whereas promoting focuses on persuading or incentivizing specific behaviors or outcomes.
Why Encouraging is More Effective:
Encouragement fosters intrinsic motivation and autonomy, empowering individuals to take ownership of their actions and pursue excellence willingly based on their values. In contrast, promotion can create dependency and short-term compliance since they are calibrating with something that may or may not align with their core values. This can lead to disengagement and resentment over time.
Example:
A startup leader is seeking to foster a culture of innovation within their team. Rather than resorting to monetary incentives or rigid performance targets to drive productivity, they might adopt a coaching approach, providing opportunities for mentorship, constructive feedback, and skill development. By encouraging growth through creativity and experimentation, the team is inspired to explore new ideas and approaches on their own. In addition to retaining this valuable talent, the leader is ultimately driving greater innovation and problem-solving that is compounding and self-sustaining.
Putting it Into Action
Tools 🛠️
Explore tools and resources such as Tandem: Coaching at scale for growth stage startups or Mattermore who is redesigning leadership development through AI.
Rules (Process) 📝
Establish peer-to-peer recognition programs that celebrate achievements, contributions, and growth, fostering a culture of encouragement and collaboration.
Awardco, Bonusly, and Kudos provide employee recognition solutions, allowing for peer-to-peer appreciation, rewards distribution, and performance tracking to boost employee engagement and cultivate a culture of recognition and appreciation.
People 🫶
Understand the individual values of your team members to connect their contributions with their personal growth.
Be conscious of where you might be creating dependency and short-term compliance based on “performance.”
Use positive reinforcement and affirming language in feedback and communication, highlighting strengths and progress while offering constructive guidance and support for improvement.
4. Insisting vs. Believing
"It's not what you believe that matters; it's how strongly you believe it." - Steve Backley
Believing entails having faith in oneself, others, and the vision of the organization, irrespective of other viewpoints. It is beyond “right” or “wrong,” and is instead seen as “true” or “not true.” Insisting involves the need to impose one's will or viewpoint without room for alternative perspectives or possibilities, It inherently requires another perspective to be “wrong” for it to be “right.”
Why Believing is More Effective:
Belief inspires trust, commitment, and collaboration, creating a shared sense of purpose and momentum within the organization. Insistence, on the other hand, can breed resistance, conflict, and stagnation, stifling creativity and innovation.
Example:
Consider a startup facing skepticism from potential investors regarding the viability of its business model. Rather than resorting to aggressive tactics or bending to external pressure, the startup founders maintain an unwavering belief in their vision and value proposition. By confidently articulating their vision, demonstrating market validation, and showcasing their team's expertise and passion, they inspire trust and confidence in investors, ultimately securing funding to fuel their growth trajectory.
Putting it Into Action
Tools 🛠️
Vision, Mission, and Values statements are the strongest tools we have for leading with inspiration.
By establishing and embedding these beliefs, we can turn to them over and over again to ensure that we are believing instead of insisting.
Rules (Process) 📝
Regularly foster a culture of transparency and collaboration within the organization through 1:1’s, team meetings, and all-hands.
Encourage open dialogue, facilitate constructive dissent, and offer shared ownership of goals and decisions.
People 🫶
Lead by example by demonstrating authenticity, integrity, and conviction in your team interactions.
Actively listen to and acknowledge the perspectives and contributions of others, fostering trust and alignment around shared goals and values.
Build bridges between conflicting ideas or beliefs to expose the values shared between them.
Actually Actionable
Nice article. Now what?
Reflect often: What this might mean for you and your leadership style? Review the four concepts above and conduct an honest inventory of where you may be letting force convince you of its strength over power.
Align at the top: Ensure your MVVs and Goals are regularly reviewed and are acted on with power instead of force.
Test it: Try applying these principles in your personal life before introducing them to your team as an experiment first. Perhaps you practice encouragement over promotion at home. Reflect on the changes it might initiate.
Empower your team: Adopt tools for coaching, leadership development, and peer recognition
Learn more: To more deeply understand these concepts, you may want to pick up a copy of Power vs. Force yourself.
Before you go
Embracing power over force can have a profound impact on your organization and the way you view the world. The journey away from force and toward true power is an ongoing practice that requires commitment, introspection, and resilience. It requires us to keep an open mind, embrace change, and remain steadfast in our dedication to building places where everyone can thrive. In the end, the rewards of cultivating a values-driven, empowered company are compounding, paving the way for sustainable growth, innovation, and success beyond our organizations.
Writer: Kelsey
Interested in working with Kelsey through of All Trades to transform your leadership operations? Email founder@weofalltrades.com for more on how to bring her in as an embedded operator in your startup.
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