Since power in the workplace exists in so many forms, the question of the correct use of power is at the heart of any ethical approach to leadership.

Exercising power is an essential part of leadership, whether it’s formal power by virtue of position and authority; informal power derived from expertise, influence or personal charisma; the power that comes from expert knowledge; or the kind of power having the ear of the right people offers to anyone who can sway their viewpoint. Without power, formal or informal, leadership scarcely exists. Power is power and we all know it when we see it. How and when to use that power, for what purposes, and with what intentions, are decisions no leader can avoid.

Anyone who can compel, persuade or entice others to do what he or she wants exercises power over them. There’s the power to spend resources, the power to make decisions that are binding on others and the power to give employment or take it away. If you grant rewards or set punishments, you’re exercising power.

Power is everywhere in organizations, but it’s not allocated evenly.

People at the top have more formal power, plus the power of patronage and granting favors; but the most exalted executive still has to share that power with others, unless he or she is able to do everything unaided. And even the lowliest and humblest worker has some power: the power to do a good job or to waste time and slack off when the boss isn’t looking; or — in extreme cases — to sabotage some part of the work to be done.

This uneven allocation of power raises its own problems, of course. Too much power in too few hands leads to tyranny and the more arbitrary types of authoritarianism. Too little power leaves people feeling used or abused by those in authority. And since power is often seen as a reward, those who have it constantly want more.

How can we judge if the use of power is ethical?

If power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely, as Lord Acton claimed, perhaps we should focus on the four essential questions we need to ask in judging whether power is being used in ethical ways:

• Where does the power come from? Is it legitimate? Legitimate power includes all kinds of authority granted by the organization, as well as power arising from personal achievements, knowledge, expertise or character. Illegitimate or usurped power (deceit, blackmail, bribery, brute strength, threats, violence, corruption, trickery or dishonesty) can never be ethical.
• How is it being used? Openly or covertly? Are the means appropriate to the nature of the power: instruction or persuasion if the power is legitimate? Power deployed through violent force surely can’t be ethical in the working environment; and power that uses threats, blackmail, or bribery isn’t ethical anywhere. Bad means make for bad power. That rules out bullying, taking advantage of private knowledge, preying on the weak and granting favors in return for dishonest or unethical actions. It also precludes discrimination, sexual harassment, pay-offs and exploitation of others for whatever purpose.
• What is the power being used for? The ends may not be enough to justify the means, but bad ends will surely disqualify the use of power to further them. If the purpose for which the power is used is itself unethical (sharp practice, harming or exploiting others, dishonest gain, concealing immoral or illegal acts, personal advancement at another’s expense, financial chicanery), it doesn’t matter what kind of power we’re talking about, how it’s deployed or who benefits. It’s unethical, period. In a civilized society, the ends can never justify the means, nor the means justify the ends.
• What’s the intention behind the use of power? The intention behind the use of power must itself be ethical. Bad intentions corrupt, whatever means are used to bring them about. Workplace power cannot be ethical if it’s used to harm or belittle others, to cause embarrassment or spread deceit, or to further your own interests at the direct expense of the legitimate interests of other people. You can win, but the competition has to be fair. You can look out for your own interests, so long as you do so in open, honest and ethical ways. Winning by cheating, whether anyone finds out or not, isn’t acceptable. Civilized people don’t play with marked cards or loaded dice.

Power itself is ethically neutral. As George Bernard Shaw, the British playwright and political writer, said:

“Power does not corrupt men; but fools, if they get into a position of power, corrupt power.”

Like happiness, ethics come from what is within us, not from externals. If our use of power becomes abusive, it’s because of who we are — and how we choose to live our lives — not the nature of power itself.

You may wish to use these questions to look at your own use of power:

• What is the source of whatever power you have? If it was given to you openly, based on position or expertise, what have you done since that shows you deserve it? If it wasn’t given to you, how have you acquired it?
• How do you use your power: for your own ends or to meet common goals? How would those you exercise power over describe you and how you use your authority?
• What are you using your power to achieve? Are there ways you use your power that you wouldn’t like others to look at too closely?
• When you use power, what do you intend by it? Is it to further some purpose that others would approve; or to promote yourself at others’ expense? If people could read your mind, would they like what they see?
• What is the role of power in your life and career? Do you see it as a reward, to be sought out and amassed; or a responsibility, to be treated as a loan from others and used with scrupulous care?

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