“In physics, the definition of power is the transfer of energy. The higher the wattage the more electricity is transferred into light and heat and the more powerful the bulb. Organizations and their leaders operate in exactly the same way. The more energy that is transferred to those actually doing the job, those who know more about what is going on on a daily basis, the more powerful the organization and the more powerful the leader.” – Leaders Eat Last.

After reading this passage from Simon Sinek I reflected on some of the leaders who I have admired most. All of them were people who had a firm yet loose grip. Kind of like how you would hold an egg: not so hard of a squeeze that you break it, but not so loose that you drop it.

The firm grasp showed that they took hiring, training, setting expectations, giving feedback, and building habits seriously. The dichotomy of firm yet loose represents that the leader understands that their teammates are paid to think, and enables them to do so and to take action.

The transfer of power is the goal. Yet, if the leader has a death grip on the reigns they will end up with “yes-men” who are compliant, not committed.

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Power by Sergey Krivoy from the Noun Project