Recognizing When Power Is More Than Meets The Eye

A Leadership Lesson On Choosing Empowerment Over Control

As a child of the 80s, I had the privilege of watching a film that captured one of the greatest wars between good and evil, the struggle to overcome self-doubt, and how the expression of power can be the difference between victory and defeat. Of course, I’m talking about Transformers: The Movie.

One of the songs on the amazing movie soundtrack is “The Touch” by Stan Bush. It is a classic 80s rock anthem with guitar riffs, harmonious vocals, and grandiose lyrics that matched the scale and awesomeness of the movie. The song opens with, “You got the touch, You got the Power, Yeah!” Even though we are talking about a kid's movie revolving around toys that transform into fighting robots, the idea of power is explored in a manner that I believe requires further analysis. And since I love the challenge of marrying concepts of leadership to nerdery, this entry will attempt to connect the two like the way the Space Bridge connected Earth to Cybertron.

I was recently exposed to the concept of “Power Over vs. Power To” from renowned psychotherapist Esther Perel. She explains that when people need something you can provide, withhold, or take away, you have power. Whether we realize it or not, our daily interactions provide numerous opportunities for power to be shaped across our relationships. Understanding the difference between “Power Over” and “Power To” can help you spot behavior that is constructive or detrimental to your team and should also point you towards the type of leader you want to be.

"Power Over" describes a relationship dynamic where one individual retains control and makes self-serving decisions, often disregarding the needs of others. This behavior reflects a degree of selfishness and can be damaging to the relationship, especially when that power is used to favor an individual over team success. For example, executing funding actions through secret agreements—instead of through established processes that include all the right stakeholders—is a way someone might exert “Power Over” their teammates. When one person takes clandestine actions to deliberately withhold resources for themselves, “Power Over” has been introduced into the relationship, and the erosion of trust will no doubt begin to negatively affect the team.

In contrast, when a person in a relationship wields "Power To," they use it to empower the other person, granting them agency and the ability to directly influence the outcome of a situation. This behavior reflects a degree of service to the relationship itself and an understanding that collaboration is a critical step toward team success. "Power To" is also generative, with the ability to multiply the existence of power across relationships. In a healthy dynamic, control should never be one-sided. Constantly seeking to empower one another fosters the highest degree of trust that truly defines a high-powered and successful team. How one chooses to wield power within a relationship has a direct effect on the outcome. Transformers: The Movie, for instance, gave us a classic example of how to use "Power To" to light our darkest hour.

During a critical scene in the movie, Ultra Magnus attempts to unlock the Matrix of Leadership and wield its power against the Decepticons. Prior to that moment, Ultra Magnus had admitted he was not worthy to carry on the mantle of leadership after Optimus Prime, planting a seed of doubt that left his psyche vulnerable. While he fully intended to use the power for good, the Matrix remained unavailable to him. I believe this was because Ultra Magnus was acting in panic, desperately wanting to eliminate his self-perceived shortcomings by using the Matrix to turn the tide of the battle. That intent can be seen as Ultra Magnus wanting to exert "Power Over" the Matrix, using it to achieve an immediate imbalance of power to overwhelm Galvatron. The Matrix sensed this erroneous application of power and refused to unlock itself. The same logic can be applied to Galvatron, who was also unable to unlock the Matrix for his own personal use against his master, Unicron. Both are examples of when "Power Over" is the wrong choice due to its selfish and controlling nature that benefits a single entity instead of the group at large.

In contrast, recall the scene where Galvatron was locked in battle with Hot Rod. Galvatron had the advantage and was choking Hot Rod, delivering the line, “First Prime, then Ultra Magnus, now you. It’s a pity you Autobots die so easily, or I might have a sense of satisfaction now.” In that moment, Hot Rod was fighting not only for his own life but for all of his fallen teammates and his fellow Autobots. It was no longer about him; it was about the forces of good against the forces of evil. It was about fighting for one another because that’s worth fighting for. I believe the Matrix sensed this intent and unlocked itself in Hot Rod’s time of need, giving him the "Power To" evolve into Rodimus Prime and defeat Galvatron once and for all. Rodimus Prime understood that he needed to beat Galvatron not for the singular glory of victory, but to achieve everlasting peace for all. The Matrix, in turn, embedded him with a generative power that enhanced the leadership qualities that already existed within him. The same generative power expanded to the rest of the Autobots as they worked together to ultimately defeat the Decepticons and Unicron. “Power To” delivers team wins in a manner that is unmatched and should be one of your favored tools in your leadership toolbox.

Who knew all these leadership lessons on power were integrated into a cartoon movie from the 80s? I came for the action in Transformers: The Movie but left with life lessons on how to be a better teammate. Power within a relationship should be shared and wielded for the good of the group, not for individual gain. Your individual progress should never be at the expense of a teammate, or else you are operating off of the wrong scoreboard and need to check yourself before you inadvertently become the reason for a team loss. One should never assume they are above learning lessons on being a good person, no matter where that lesson may be taught. Even if that lesson is coming from a classic movie from their childhood.

Till all are One.

-----------------------------------------TEAR LINE--------------------------------------------

• How you wield power defines the kind of leader you are. Power used to control others erodes trust, while power used to empower others strengthens teams.

  
  

• “Power Over” creates imbalance and fractures relationships. When individuals use influence for personal gain instead of team success, trust begins to deteriorate.

  
  

• “Power To” multiplies strength across the team. Leaders who empower others generate trust, collaboration, and the collective momentum needed to achieve lasting victories.