Enterprise A-Z: Power
Naming What’s Already There
You’re invited to “bring your perspective,” but the real decision gets made between a CEO and a CFO over a call you’re not on. A carefully agreed plan gets undone after one side conversation between two senior leaders. A single person’s discomfort quietly outweighs months of stakeholder input.
That’s not an accident. That’s power.
Why power is hard to look at
Many sustainability leaders avoid thinking about power because it feels uncomfortable, political, or at odds with their values. The instinct is to believe that if the case is strong enough, the system will respond.
But power is already shaping what gets on agendas, who gets heard, whose risk counts, and which trade‑offs are acceptable. Refusing to look at it doesn’t make it go away. It just means you’re playing the game without seeing the board.
Working with power cleanly is not manipulation. It’s part of being an honest enterprise leader.
What power actually is
Power, in your context, is the ability to:
Say yes or no – to strategies, budgets, deals, people.
Shape what others see as “normal,” “urgent,” or “too hard.”
Influence outcomes without being in the formal decision seat.
It shows up in formal roles, of course – CEO, ExCo, board, key committee chairs. But it also shows up in:
The people others instinctively consult before making a move.
The colleagues who can slow something down just by raising an eyebrow.
The external stakeholders (investors, regulators, customers, unions) whose reactions leadership pre‑emptively manages.
Your job is not to tear that down. It’s to understand it well enough that you can place your effort where it might actually move something.
How to start
Map who can really say yes or no. For one important decision area – capital, strategy, a major programme – write down who ultimately has the power to approve or block, and who they listen to. Include informal influencers as well as formal roles.
Get curious about what they fear and value. For each of those people, ask: what are they protecting (reputation, numbers, relationships, time, identity)? What would count as a “win” or a “failure” from their seat? This helps you frame your asks in ways that acknowledge their reality, not just yours.
Practice one clean power move. That might be: asking a powerful ally to co‑sponsor a proposal; choosing to take a hard conversation into a small, quiet room rather than a big public forum; or deliberately sequencing who you speak to first so key decision‑makers aren’t blindsided. The test of “clean” is simple: it should feel aligned with your values and leave others with their dignity.
You are not here to pretend power doesn’t exist, or to use it carelessly. You are here to work with it in service of something larger than any one person’s comfort – including your own. Naming power clearly is the first step toward using it well.
