Power is more than occupying a high-power position, or having status, wealth, or strength. Being powerful comes from having a broad base of powers that are available to you no matter what challenge you face. This broad base of power is built by discovering and developing all your different powers.
Though power is often described as a material and binary thing—either one has it or doesn’t—it is more like a complex system. Power is a collection of different capacities, traits, and skills that derive from many different sources: your personality, life experiences, knowledge, social status, physical and mental health, or sense of belonging to friends, community, or family. Even your birth order can be a source of power.
The broader your base of power, and the more varied, the better. Even if you occupy the highest role in your organisation, when your sense of power comes from a single source, such as your position or expertise, material wealth or personal sense of purpose, you simply limit your influence and potential.
The goal of the Power Imprint Activity is to identify as many sources of power as you can to develop your broad base of power. It also helps you identify liabilities—areas in which you feel a lack of power—so you can take measures to shore them up.
