Power Struggles

I heard a quote that really resonated with me a while ago. Usually while listening to Back to Work, Merlin Mann and Dan Benjamin discuss their favorite comic books, talk about "the film" (Scorsese's biopic about Howard Hughes, The Aviator), and from time to time discuss workflow and productivity hacks. What can you get out of these two men during a two hour program full of comical sound-clips and staple radio sketches? Sometimes, just sometimes, Dan or Merlin throws out a gem of wisdom beyond workflow, something that sounds like it's been shaped into a perfect quotable.

"People with power don't yell, they just do stuff."

I forgot what the episode was really about or when it was, but this little nugget of wisdom stuff with me because I found it profound and true. Merlin framed it by trying to imagine people we view as powerful, CEOs, thinkers, truly powerful people: Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, President Obama, etc. These people are busy, they have problems to solve with not much time to do it; they simply don't have time to get on a conference call and yell at someone. In the high stakes game they play, they only have time to fix the problem. Sure, they get angry or have a bad day just like the rest of us, but while many of us allow ourselves to show our anger or be slowed by it, these truly powerful people innovate and create in order to fix what makes them so angry.

Merlin brought up another interesting point that not only reinforces this idea, but makes the quote applicable to the not-founders of Microsoft. The reason these people are powerful isn't simply because they're geniuses, or in the right place, right time. There is something inherent in the people we view as powerful that makes them innovate and create: they want to grow and prosper instead of getting bogged down by problems and set-backs. 

But how does that apply to us, how can it help me live my life? Next time you have that bad day and feel the weight of the world crushing you, take a moment. Ask yourself: how can I make this better, how can I turn this situation into something productive? Who knows, maybe you'll end up making the next great iOS app, the next great American novel, or just think of a new way to be seconds more productive. 

Links for further interest: 

The Forbes list of 71 most powerful people

I finally found the episode!

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