Ever thought deeply about what it means to be a leader – either as a vocation or as you prepared to work for or elect someone. This is an important question today, for leaders in turbulent times make decisions that put us all on new paths into the future. Patricia McLagan’s The Shadow Side of Power: Lessons for Leaders (and Their Supporters) invites readers into a unique, yet profound, exploration of what it means to have leadership power today. A fictional guide, Peneth, takes us, along with the book’s aspiring executive, Adderley, on journey into the Leadership Inferno. As we navigate the Inferno’s seven circles, we learn about how people with formal power use, fail to use, misuse and abuse their power of position. The lessons stick because, although the characters and their punishments are “other-worldly,” they resonate. We have seen examples in our own life. As leaders we have succumbed to the temptations of power, and as followers, we have been seen or suffered from abuses.
Adderley’s tale is a reflective canvas for examining how people in authority fail to use, misuse, or abuse power in all realms. It is especially relevant today as elections near and we struggle to answer questions like, “How much power should leaders, institutions, and we – the people – have?” “What is its appropriate use? What do we do when power is misused or even abused?” Through her thought-provoking allegory, McLagan helps to unravel the intricate dynamics of this potent energy we call “power.” The echoes of Adderley’s missteps reverberate beyond the fictional realm, challenging us to dissect our own and others’ leadership behavior and impact. What lessons can we glean from the shadows of Adderley’s journey, and how can we fortify our own leadership against the temptations that lurk within?
McLagan’s work transcends Adderley’s story, pushing us to confront the essence of leadership in our rapidly changing world. The fading echoes of command-and-control authoritarianism pave the way for a demand for leaders who are not only competent but also courageous and principled. Adderley’s path becomes a microcosm of this evolution, urging us as leaders to adapt our leadership styles for impact in our highly networked and uncertain times. Simultaneously, the book urges us as followers, to hold our leaders’ accountable for the use of the power that we or others have given and allowed them to have.
Whatever your role, you are or support people in power. The seven lessons of McLagan’s Leadership Inferno beckon, inviting you to an introspective assessment of whether your leadership aligns with enduring principles. Are you contributing to the light or dark side of leadership?
Patricia McLagan’s The Shadow Side of Power: Lessons for Leaders (and Their Supporters) is a masterpiece in allegorical storytelling. It beckons readers to unravel the lessons on its pages and to craft their own narratives of principled and reflective leadership, as well as the followership that supports and enables both the shadow and the light.