“Absolute power corrupts absolutely”  – Lord Acton 

 

Here is a little history on this quote.  I thought it was pretty good.

“Absolute power corrupts absolutely” arose as part of a quotation by the expansively named and impressively hirsute John Emerich Edward Dalberg Acton, first Baron Acton (1834–1902). The historian and moralist, who was otherwise known simply as Lord Acton, expressed this opinion in a letter to Bishop Mandell Creighton in 1887:

“Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Great men are almost always bad men.”

Power is a funny concept.  Many leaders want it, few can handle it.  Power makes me think of dynamite.  A lot of leadership discussion is centered around power.  Dan Rockwell of LeadershipFreak has a post on Seven Powerful Ways to Enhance Your Power.  It can be found at:  https://leadershipfreak.blog/2011/06/16/seven-powerful-ways-to-enhance-your-power/

In the post, the idea is to give power away to become more powerful.  Seems the wrong way to go about it.  But… if we can use power as a strength for others, we are tied to that strength and the chain reaction begins…