Paths to Power is a bad name for a very good course about power and influence in organisations. It touches on the ethics of power, the dynamics of power, the mechanisms of influence, the dangers of power. Main learnings for me: (1) Power is necessary to get things done. It is better to have it than not to have it (because otherwise someone else will take it). (2) Having power necessarily means having to make difficult choices. Being naive about it does not help. (3) Power flows from the people that are around you in an organisation. So being powerful is pretty much about being very good at managing your relationships with people. Without their support, you can not have power. The course book is very interesting, although it will make you look a bit like a looser if you read it in the tube. Patxi says a bit more about it here.
Overall the term has gone well. For me it has been largely about deciding which job I want to do after my MBA, and finding it. I have been meeting about a dozen of companies, interviewed with about seven, of which 2 (possibly 3) have developed into very interesting conversations. There have also been a couple of disappointments, with a couple of companies showing commitment and then backing off. ah well!
The process of interviewing is all in all a highly stressful experience, but I guess on the upside it forced me to really clarify what I am really after and what my strengths are. Hopefully the new year will bring some proper closure on that front. For now I am looking forward to a nice break.
Happy Christmas everyone!
1 comment:
I took this elective too. Very interesting and it makes you think back how you could have handled situations differently.
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