The Essence of Girl Power

Rather than being uncomfortable with the word “power,” women in leadership roles should learn to use it effectively.

Joanne Eisenhart, Senior Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer at Northwestern Mutual, understands the hot topic of “women in the workplace.” While she was working in HR at Pfizer, Eisenhart, PhD, earned her next PhD—her second doctorate—in Human and Organizational Development from The Fielding Graduate University. The subject of her doctoral dissertation was the meaning and use of power among female executives. Her conclusion: women in leadership roles can be uncomfortable with the word “power,” and yet it is an essential part of their career. These leading ladies instead to prefer to think of it as “influence.”

“I asked executive women about their experiences in using power and influence,” Eisenhart explained. “A number of women had a visceral reaction to the word power because they thought of it as having power over. When I asked them about their influence, however, they had no difficulty in describing ways they had used it effectively.”

Based on her findings, Eisenhart offers the following tips about using power in the workplace:

1. Understand power. “Power and influence are two sides of the same coin. Through my research, three definitions of power emerged: 1) power to decide what to do, 2) power to influence a situation or person, and 3) power to get what I want done.”

2. Don’t fear power. “Every relationship has a power dynamic. This is a natural part of life. Rather than avoiding it, being aware of this dynamic can help you consider the effectiveness of different approaches you might take.”

3. Make power positive. “Power isn’t a bad thing. Used well—in a way that is for the good of the whole—it can be a very good thing. In fact, several of the women I interviewed felt the best about their power when they gave it away to others. Empowering others, in other words, is both good for the individual and good for business.”

Matt Alderton is a freelance writer for Forefront Magazine. Joanne Eisenhart is the SVP CHRO at Northwestern Mutual. She was featured in Issue 12 of Forefront Magazine.