We are what we pretend to be, so we must be careful about what we pretend to be.
–Kurt Vonnegut
You order the bartender to make you a drink,
She controls what goes in your mouth.
So who has the power?
It belongs to you both.
You say, “Make it again!”
She says, “Get the hell out of my bar.”
Power is a dance, not a throne.
Sometimes you swing, sometimes you’re swung.
Power is woven of alternating acts of service.
A co-created construct,
Like a hug or a handshake.
There’s no one-sided version.
You may resist the idea that anyone should lead,
But someone has to decide.
To lead is to know what you want.
To lead is to evangelize the impossible.
You may resist the idea that anyone should follow,
But to follow is to live your curiosity.
To be led isn’t weakness; it is being receptive.
It requires presence, and a belief in your worth.
There is a phenomenon called “force”
But that’s not what power is.
Force can seize the moment.
Power endures across time.
Should you choose to lead, you must become a servant.
Like a conductor serves an orchestra.
You keep the score, set aside your agenda,
So others can revel in flow.
Should you choose to follow, you must become a teacher.
Because you show the next person how to trust.
Without your assent, there is no truth.
Without your follow, there is no dance.
The bartender pours you a cocktail.
You sip with full trust.
Sante.
Neither wield the power alone.