More courage for power
Openly striving for power? At first glance, that sounds a bit strange, because up until now I’ve apparently associated power with something bad. But why is that, actually?
In March 2024, I had the honor of being portrayed and interviewed as one of twenty-nine women as part of the «Women in Leadership» project by Hamburg-based photographer and artist Tine Lipski. In addition to the artistic execution, I was particularly impressed at the time by Tine’s selection of women, whose diverse career paths offered exciting and varied perspectives on the topic of women in leadership positions. One statement in particular stood out—that of Tatjana Trömer–Gelbe, managing partner of Tüfa–Team GmbH and managing partner at Gelbe + Kollegen GbR: “My very personal message: Have the courage to embrace power!”
My initial reaction to this statement was unease. Openly striving for «power»? At first, I found that strange, because up until then I had apparently associated power with something bad. But why, exactly? Power in and of itself is neither good nor evil. It is a tool, a lever for shaping reality. So the problem isn’t power itself, but how we define it.
Power: A male domain since time immemorial
According to Duden, power means «the totality of the means and forces available to a person or a cause in relation to others.» That sounds neutral at first, but it’s not quite that simple. After all, power is not a law of nature. It has evolved historically, is socially constructed, shaped by culture, and has always been a male domain.
For millennia, it was men who ruled kingdoms, waged wars, ran businesses, and enacted laws. This was not without consequences: «The characteristics associated with power—assertiveness, competitiveness, rationality—are traits our culture has historically aligned with masculinity,» explains American sociologist Rosabeth Moss Kanter, thereby highlighting that the way we think about power is closely linked to masculine ideals and traits. Of course, these are precisely the traits that people socialized as female are denied or weaned off of. Assertiveness, rationality, dominance—all of these are considered to have masculine connotations.
But that’s not all. Studies show that, in a professional context, women are perceived as likable primarily when they behave in ways that conform to female stereotypes; however, they are then not perceived as competent leaders. If, on the other hand, they come across as assertive and determined, they are respected but not considered likable. Women in leadership positions must therefore decide whether they would rather be liked or respected. If they openly strive for influence, the outcome is clear. In my humble opinion: stressful and unnecessary.
Influence: a less loaded term for power
One thing has become clear to me: To truly bring about change and build new tables, we need influence—and influence is just a less loaded term for power. So we need to rethink power, decouple it from associations with «abuse of power» and «domination over others,» and, above all, give it a more positive connotation when it comes to women.
Aissu Diallo is Executive Director Digital Excellence at the Düsseldorf-based creative agency Butter. She is also Chairwoman of the GWA Young Board.
