Power - Both for Males & Females, Tricky Business

 "The lawyers investigating Facebook operating chief Sheryl Sandberg’s use of corporate resources are examining behavior going back several years, said people familiar with the matter, focusing on the extent to which staffers worked on her personal projects." - The Wall Street Journal, June 10, 2022.

That kind of allegation isn't unheard of. However, some of us assumed Sandberg was too savvy a player to try to pull that off. After all, she had the money to contract with professionals to do sundry tasks. The alleged misuse of corporate resources range from operating her foundation to promoting her book on grief. 

If she gets nailed there could be paying the employees for the work done. But more serious could be settling with the SEC if she used corporate resources without making a proper disclosure.

How this investigation had been put in play has not been made public. But it is likely that as her power lessened internally that invited the sharks to circle her. 

Power is a complex phenomenon. It might be easier to grab it then to hold it and grow it. Among those who blew it has been Apollo co-founder Leon Black. He lost it in business and in cultural affairs. 

Usually a way to bypass that kind of implosion is to establish the kind of leadership which former head of Disney - Bob Iger - made iconic. It's not experienced as power. 

As a female, of course, Sandberg would attract special challenges to her power base. Some of us women avoided that by becoming self-employed, that is, not operating within someone else's organization. Navigating power within corporations had worn us out.

One of the most useful books on power is the classic "The Power Game" by Hedrick Smith. 

Connect with Editor-in-Chief Jane Genova at janegenova374@gmail.com. She helps businesses conjure up magic in their storytelling. One client said, "She makes shipping containers ‘sexy.’"

 

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