Avoiding Power Failure

Exercising power is not primarily about virtue. Rather, it is about effectiveness - and how the two should be balanced. The twelve theses about power, trust, and betrayal represent essential thinking for any CEO - along with some initial ideas about how to think about these concepts. These theses are meant to provoke a strong, spirited, and realistic conversation, with a purpose. The first five theses are: 1. Honor and dignity matter. 2. Morals and ethics cannot be only a personal issue. 3. Power invariably isolates the CEO and can change the CEO's view of the world. 4. Power represents the ability - and creates the responsibility - to achieve purpose. 5. A CEO needs to project his power and intent into the company in order to set its direction, determine its style of leadership, and manage its reputation.