Beyond Survivor: Leadership Lessons For the Future
Question: What is it that fascinates us so much about Reality TV?
How does reality TV relate to the realities you face in your
student organizations? What are your pressing concerns?
We are fascinated with the theme of power. We have strong feelings about it: we love it and we have it. Perhaps that is why we enjoy watching shows like Survivor, which show the "real" impact of power. Even though the TV reality shows are contrived and condensed into a given time frame, when we watch ordinary people stressed to confront how they will deal with power, we get to release some of our frustrations.
In a matter of speaking, it is not much different than our fascination with sports such as football and boxing. It is not much different than the Roman's fascination with the gladiators. Given a real goal "a million dollars", and real stresses "power plays, voting someone off the island, athletic achievements and endurance events" what will people do.
In reality, we are bombarded with stress. We have real goals such as: buying a house, or a car, building up savings, retirement. We have real stresses: debt, finding a job, keeping a job, losing a job, relationships, health. Often it seems that we are being lived by forces beyond our control, rather than living the life we choose.
Much like the "Survivor" TV show, we will be going through some exercises. While we are going through them I would like for you to think about the issue of power and leadership.
- What are some of your personal values about power and conflict?
- How do they impact the way you relate to others in situations of power, conflict, and when you are forced to choose?
- Notice any emotions you have when certain things are happening. If there is conflict, are you quiet or do you speak up? Do you experience your emotions in your body? (ie. A rush of adrenaline, sinking feeling in your stomach, like you want to cry or like the blood is rushing up your neck.)
System power is the ability to act as if you can make happen
Whatever it is you want to have happen,
Knowing that you cannot, and being willing to live with and work
With whatever does happen.
—Barry Oshry, author of Leading Systems: Lessons from the Power Lab
We are not visitors to the system, we are part of it. It works us just as we work it. Our experiences are connected to the condition of the system and our relationship to it. Rather than fixing ourselves (or narcotizing ourselves against our feelings) we can change our relationship to the system. By changing our relationship to the system, we change that system, the effect can be large or small, but it will be changed. Understanding the dynamics of power, much like the dynamics of "Survivor" can improve your chances of success as a leader. Leading change involves harnessing the tension inherent in power plays and power systems and utilizing that energy to go propel the system forward towards the end goal.
