Brief Report on Interview
- Describe two opposing (i.e., distinctively different) ″paths″ to social power.
Answer:
Different people in power take different routes to their powerful status. Some of these people prefer the “reputational path,” where such individuals act to be so kind, generous, and empathizing. In so doing, they gain respect from people by their character traits rather than by fear. The interview uses Doctors Without Border in the audio segment as an example. He mentions that these are not people to respect for any personal reason, but he argues that they have earned respect as an organization for what they are well-known and stand for. This type of power lasts longer and helps in building strong teams.
The alternative source to social power, according to Dacher, is the “coercer path.” This path is taken by Machiavellian idealists where they bully, intimidate, and apply pressure in their encounters. This type of gaining power is also listened to but not respect in the same degree as the reputational path to social power. The coercer path to power is just tolerated, and it is short lived.
- Describe how great managers and great leaders, such as Abraham Lincoln, can acquire and maintain power.
Answer:
In the interview, Dacher talks about the leadership of some of the most prominent leaders in history like Abraham Lincoln. He also talked about the traits of Lincoln that led to him being known as one of the greatest leaders in the history of the United States. Lincoln was described as someone who “saw and heard” every person who approached him regardless of their social status. Dacher describes Lincoln as a great leader who engaged everyone in the interest of all the people and not just those in powerful positions. Dacher further illustrated that such leadership traits and managerial skills build stronger and longer lasting terms of service in various teams. Those who lead with empathy and demonstrates interests in other people’s opinions help in building such strong teams. Although the presidency of Abraham was shorter, he remained focused on the overall good of the people. As a result, most people gravitated towards him for leadership.
- Describe at least three socially problematic tendencies that tend to be facilitated by high levels of power.
Answer:
- Self-focused and arrogant- Dacher explains various studies in this audio. He begins by explaining that during research, certain individuals are given power in a group. They became self-righteous, rude, and ate more vulgarly throughout the study. Elsewhere, other studies reveal that there is a likelihood that people with high tiered vehicles drive aggressively, and 46 percent less likely to stop for pedestrians in the right way. They feel they own the world and everything in it revolves around them, and also feel their businesses are the most important.
- Inability to read other people’s emotions and body languages- Studies show that people in power or those born in rich family backgrounds become less in tune with the needs to care for the other people’s feelings. They also have their empathetic capacities quieted.
- Less generous- The hunter-gatherer settings are used in the interview to explain the concept of generosity. In such settings, the person who shares most food is focused on and viewed as a leader. The same scenario works in the groups working in the social workplaces. The person contributing the most by sharing ideas, and getting engaged in other people’s opinions is seen as a leader. Such a person must also have some of the most valuable thoughts that can bail out an organization when required.