It’s a word that often carries a heavy charge. For some, it evokes authority, hierarchy, dominance. For others, it brings up discomfort, restraint, or memories of power misused. Yet at its root, power comes from the Latin posse — “to be able”. Capacity. Capability. The ability to act.
This is the kind of power I work with most closely in my work with senior leaders: inner power.
Inner power is not about control or force. It’s about grounding. It’s the quiet strength that allows you to remain steady in the face of uncertainty and change. It’s the resilience to meet constant pressure on your time and energy without becoming brittle or reactive. It’s the capacity to pause, think strategically, and choose your response — even when daily emergencies and crises are clamouring for attention.
So often, when leaders come to me feeling exhausted, overwhelmed, or stuck, it’s not because they lack capability or intelligence. It’s because their inner power has been eroded over time. By unconscious beliefs that say they must carry everything themselves. By habits of over-responsibility. By patterns of self-doubt or self-sacrifice that once served them, but now quietly drain them.
Rebuilding that inner power changes everything.
When you are grounded in your personal power, you take a stand more easily for what truly matters to you. Your values. Your calling. Your vision. Your legacy. Decisions become clearer. Boundaries firmer. Your presence steadier. And from that place, something interesting happens: you begin to attract others. Not through effort or persuasion, but through integrity. People are drawn to the strength of who you are being.
Of course, as a senior leader, inner power is not the only power you wield.
There is also the power of position — the authority afforded to you by your role, your title, your status. This is external power, supported by the cultural norms and expectations of your organisation. It can open doors, shape decisions, and influence outcomes at scale.
How this power is used makes all the difference.
When positional power is held by someone grounded in strong inner power, it can be a force for extraordinary good. It allows leaders to act responsibly and compassionately, to create environments where people feel seen, trusted, and able to do their best work. It enables real, positive impact: not just within an organisation, but across an industry.
When that grounding in personal power is missing, positional power is easily misused. It becomes power over rather than power with. It shows up as control, fear, silencing, and rigidity. We see it in toxic workplaces and authoritarian leadership cultures where the needs and voices of others are ignored or suppressed.
This is why inner power matters so deeply.
Not as an abstract concept, but as a daily practice. Strengthening it is not about becoming harder or more forceful. It’s about becoming more anchored, more conscious, more aligned. From that place, both your leadership and your impact change, often profoundly.
A simple reflection for today:
Where is your power currently coming from?
And what would shift if you invested just a little more in strengthening it from the inside out?
That is where lasting leadership begins.
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