Power Intelligence:

Insights on Power and Leadership

Featured Posts

How to Introduce the DPI in 30 Seconds

How to Introduce the DPI in 30 Seconds

The Diamond Power Index® isn’t easy to introduce in a sentence.While it measures something very real and very consequential — how authority and influence actually operate in a leader’s world — the words used to describe it (“power,” “360,” “assessment”) closes doors before the conversation gets started. Add to that the fact that different clients come to this work with very different presenting problems, and there’s no single way to describe it that works for everyone.

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Is Your Leadership Assessment Telling You the Right Thing?

Is Your Leadership Assessment Telling You the Right Thing?

If you’ve supported leaders through any kind of development initiative, you’ve learned that the world of leadership assessments is vast, and crowded. DiSC. StrengthsFinder. MBTI. Hogan. EQ-i 2.0. The Leadership Circle. Maybe a 360. These are all good tools. So which one do you use? How do you decide?

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Additional Posts

Open Borders

Close the borders. Levy the tariffs. Protect the turf.  It’s a natural instinct to circle the wagons and guard yourself from threats beyond the boundary, whether those boundaries are national, organizational, or team-based.  It’s a natural instinct. Except it doesn’t work.

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The Roots Beneath You

We live in an era where we can craft our own identities, which is a uniquely modern phenomenon. With technology and social media, we can find communities based on anything from music preferences to diet. This freedom offers a sense of independence, but it comes at a cost.

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The Peak of Mt. Stupid

We’ve arrived at a moment where everyone’s an expert on everything. Epidemiology, international law, airplane safety, constitutional precedent, you name it. All you need is a web browser, a following, and enough chutzpah to voice your opinion.. But knowing a little, and believing you know it all, has always been a recipe for disaster.

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The Power of Timing

The “too hard basket” gets full awfully quickly. Tricky conflicts. Knotty problems. Longstanding feuds. Some things simply defy solutions, and it’s tempting to give up. 

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Power Hiding in Plain Sight

A few years back, I was designing a leadership program with a group of other consultants. We were discussing potential facilitators for the team. Maya’s name was on the list. “She’s great,” said my colleague, Raj. “She’s really smart, asks tough questions, and pushes people to think differently. Exactly the kind of person we need for this project.”

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No Joking Matter

The fools, the jester, the trickster, the clown. Throughout history, and across culture, there have always been entertainers whose job was to entertain and amuse with jokes, songs, storytelling, and magic tricks. But they did more than just amuse.

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Bringing Things to Light

In this age of instant information, anyone can broadcast their opinions to the world, or use AI to create buzz, whether true or not. The power to control and manipulate information has never been more available, nor more dangerous.

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Flying Your Freak Flag

Being liked. Being popular. Fitting in. It’s something we all crave—and those desires shape us, often more than we realize.

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No Title Required

The most common image of power? A pyramid or ladder, where those on the lower rungs look up, waiting to be asked, promoted, or invited. It’s easy to shrink in the face of someone else’s authority, hesitant to speak, unsure if we belong at the table.

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How to Lose Legitimacy

Years ago, I worked with a professional group that had thrived for years as an open community. Anyone could show up to the monthly meetings, share ideas, and contribute to discussions. It was messy sometimes, but that openness created real value for everyone.

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The Revenge Trap

It’s natural to want credit for your work—to be acknowledged, seen, celebrated, and respected.
But what if that visibility puts the very cause you care about at risk?

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From Privilege to Protest

It’s natural to want credit for your work—to be acknowledged, seen, celebrated, and respected.
But what if that visibility puts the very cause you care about at risk?

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The Man Behind the Curtain

It’s natural to want credit for your work—to be acknowledged, seen, celebrated, and respected.
But what if that visibility puts the very cause you care about at risk?

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Who’s Your Audience? 

In the 1980s, Tanzania faced a crisis: elephants were being hunted to the edge of extinction. In response, international conservation groups and government forces launched a sweeping anti-poaching initiative. They deployed militarized patrols, harsh legal penalties, and strict exclusion zones.

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Closing the Door Behind You

We like to think we live in a world of opportunity—where hard work pays off and anyone can rise. When someone breaks through a glass ceiling, they do it for us all. Sometimes. 

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