so good evening it is such a pleasure to
be standing here in front of you today
talking about something so powerful no
pun intended but pun intended obviously
because we’re speaking about power today
now I’m going to be speaking about power
from a social sciences lens and it may
be unconventional for many but I’m
hopeful that you’ll be open to exploring
this idea with me and connecting to the
way in which I define power so what’s
our starting point where do we begin
well we start with the literal
definition of power possession of
control Authority or influence over
others now when we think about power in
this way it can lead to many
misconceptions and fallacies it can have
us thinking about the struggle between
the haves and have-nots it can make us
feel as if power is a scarcity only
afford it to those in optimal position
but how does this leave us feeling where
does this take us well quite simply it’s
gonna have us feeling like this lamb
right in this picture hopeless helpless
in many instances we can feel like we
are a victim of our own circumstance or
the way in which others treat us when we
think about power in this way we feel as
if power can be taken from us now I know
what a lot of you are probably thinking
right now you’re saying well someone
feeling this way that that’s not common
that’s someone that’s weak strong minded
people don’t fall into this loophole but
that’s also not true powerlessness is
something that can happen to all of us
if we don’t keep ourselves aware it
takes me back to my own experience my
own misperception of powerlessness I was
about 20 to 23 years old I was working a
full-time job I didn’t complete my
bachelor’s degree at the time and I was
in no rush to finish my bachelors
degree at the time because I thought I
was making a lot of money I really
wasn’t making a lot of money okay but
keep going with me on this story I love
the job that I was working I loved what
I did I loved who I work with everything
was great about this job until it wasn’t
I ended up encountering an abusive
supervisor and she engaged in all of the
workplace bullying tactics known to man
she put me down she made me feel
devalued she told me I wasn’t good
enough
because I didn’t have my bachelor’s
degree at the time I felt victim to the
way that she treated me and the
unfairness of this entire situation and
because of that I spiraled out of
control I gained a lot of weight I sank
into a depression as a matter of fact I
was 75 pounds heavier than what you’re
looking at right now what was happening
in my nine-to-five life had now spilled
over into my 24/7 life and I attribute
many of the negative effects of that
experience to my own misperception of
powerlessness now I know you’re probably
thinking again well I mean Jen you were
a victim in that circumstance you didn’t
have control what else would you do or
how would you grapple with the
disappointments of betrayal or being let
down or someone mistreating you or any
other negative aspect of our lives that
we encounter at the hands of others well
my answer to those questions lie in the
work of dr. Julian Rappaport he’s one of
the pioneers of the empowerment theory
and he states that empowerment is viewed
as a process the mechanism by which
people gain mastery over their lives so
when we view power from this lens what
we’re going to realize is that power
comes from within
power is inside of us it’s always been
inside of us it can’t be taken we have
to understand that the view that
empowerment is not ours is not true
empowerment is about self-reliance
it’s about resiliency it’s about
pursuing your own happiness and
realizing that you are the master of
your own fate empowerment is about
choosing to be a victor and not a victim
of your circumstances now I want you to
listen to that sentence again pay
attention to the verb that I emphasize
in that sentence choosing to be a victor
essentially what I’m saying here is that
empowerment is a choice it’s a decision
that you make it’s a place that you come
to a defining moment when we have these
negative negative experiences when we go
through these situations when people
treat us unfairly I like to think of
those defining moments as the proverbial
fork in the road a place where we have
to make a choice will I choose
powerfulness or will I choose
powerlessness will I choose to be
empowered or will I choose to be
disempowered now I came to that
proverbial fork in the road and I can
remember it like it was yesterday that
same boss I was alluding to earlier I
ended up being fired by that boss I was
devastated
I sank even deeper into a depression my
own despondency being the lens from
which I operated with my world i
spiraled out of control and I continued
to go that way and I can remember my
boyfriend at the time coming to me and
he said Jen you need to get yourself
together
you can’t continue to go on like this
now my initial reaction was excuse me
how dare you don’t you know that I am
having the time of my life right now
rude right but when I got over my own
indignation what was left behind what
was myself who I had become my
reflection in the mirror and when I saw
that reflection it was almost like a
light bulb that went off Wow okay I do
need to get myself together I can’t
continue to go on like this I have to
get back on my feet and that was the
beginning of my own self empowerment a
decision that I made I chose to fight my
employer for wrongful termination which
meant standing face to face with the
very person I had perceived as wrong in
me at the time I chose to go back to
school and complete my bachelor’s degree
subsequently finishing my graduate
degree I said I wouldn’t let this
negative experience the unfairness of it
all stopped me from moving forward in my
life I chose to be empowered when we go
back to what the researchers say dr.
Julian Rappaport dr. mark Zimmerman
they’ve given empirical evidence that
validates the positive effects that
empowerment can have on your lives
they found that empowerment can not only
help people gain control over their life
but it can help them to be resilient to
the negative circumstances of life
empowerment can change your life so
alright we’re empowered right Jenn you
found your power that’s great I’m
feeling empowered that’s wonderful end
of story right end of the road
world peace that’s it let’s leave no
that’s not it
now some of you may be feeling like okay
listen I have this power now but I can’t
share this with you do you know how hard
I had to
to get here if I share this power with
you then that means I’m not as powerful
so we hold it to ourselves now I know
that our society can put so much
emphasis on being independent right we
only focus on our own well-being we
disregard the well-being of our others
but once we recognize our own light we
see our own flame that is empowerment
simply put it is our responsibility to
light someone else’s flame we share
power we share what we know we share how
we overcame our circumstance we share
how we were able to move past the
barriers that were in front of us that
is what makes us powerful again going
back to research dr. Julian Rapp before
I keep saying his name obviously I
really like him right in this instance
he’s done great work on group
empowerment he’s shown how it’s made a
difference in communities and society as
a whole as a matter of fact you can see
you can see empowerment used in
transformational and organizational
leadership and it’s shown to have a
great effect on organizations by way of
work productivity and team morale in
essence true power is sharing power now
if we can just take this concept with us
everywhere we go
let it show up in everything that we do
and let it conquer and override every
negative experience we’ve ever had or
will have we’ll come to see that
empowerment makes for better people it
can make for better teams empowerment
can make for a better community and over
all it can make for a better world
and society thank you [Applause]
be standing here in front of you today
talking about something so powerful no
pun intended but pun intended obviously
because we’re speaking about power today
now I’m going to be speaking about power
from a social sciences lens and it may
be unconventional for many but I’m
hopeful that you’ll be open to exploring
this idea with me and connecting to the
way in which I define power so what’s
our starting point where do we begin
well we start with the literal
definition of power possession of
control Authority or influence over
others now when we think about power in
this way it can lead to many
misconceptions and fallacies it can have
us thinking about the struggle between
the haves and have-nots it can make us
feel as if power is a scarcity only
afford it to those in optimal position
but how does this leave us feeling where
does this take us well quite simply it’s
gonna have us feeling like this lamb
right in this picture hopeless helpless
in many instances we can feel like we
are a victim of our own circumstance or
the way in which others treat us when we
think about power in this way we feel as
if power can be taken from us now I know
what a lot of you are probably thinking
right now you’re saying well someone
feeling this way that that’s not common
that’s someone that’s weak strong minded
people don’t fall into this loophole but
that’s also not true powerlessness is
something that can happen to all of us
if we don’t keep ourselves aware it
takes me back to my own experience my
own misperception of powerlessness I was
about 20 to 23 years old I was working a
full-time job I didn’t complete my
bachelor’s degree at the time and I was
in no rush to finish my bachelors
degree at the time because I thought I
was making a lot of money I really
wasn’t making a lot of money okay but
keep going with me on this story I love
the job that I was working I loved what
I did I loved who I work with everything
was great about this job until it wasn’t
I ended up encountering an abusive
supervisor and she engaged in all of the
workplace bullying tactics known to man
she put me down she made me feel
devalued she told me I wasn’t good
enough
because I didn’t have my bachelor’s
degree at the time I felt victim to the
way that she treated me and the
unfairness of this entire situation and
because of that I spiraled out of
control I gained a lot of weight I sank
into a depression as a matter of fact I
was 75 pounds heavier than what you’re
looking at right now what was happening
in my nine-to-five life had now spilled
over into my 24/7 life and I attribute
many of the negative effects of that
experience to my own misperception of
powerlessness now I know you’re probably
thinking again well I mean Jen you were
a victim in that circumstance you didn’t
have control what else would you do or
how would you grapple with the
disappointments of betrayal or being let
down or someone mistreating you or any
other negative aspect of our lives that
we encounter at the hands of others well
my answer to those questions lie in the
work of dr. Julian Rappaport he’s one of
the pioneers of the empowerment theory
and he states that empowerment is viewed
as a process the mechanism by which
people gain mastery over their lives so
when we view power from this lens what
we’re going to realize is that power
comes from within
power is inside of us it’s always been
inside of us it can’t be taken we have
to understand that the view that
empowerment is not ours is not true
empowerment is about self-reliance
it’s about resiliency it’s about
pursuing your own happiness and
realizing that you are the master of
your own fate empowerment is about
choosing to be a victor and not a victim
of your circumstances now I want you to
listen to that sentence again pay
attention to the verb that I emphasize
in that sentence choosing to be a victor
essentially what I’m saying here is that
empowerment is a choice it’s a decision
that you make it’s a place that you come
to a defining moment when we have these
negative negative experiences when we go
through these situations when people
treat us unfairly I like to think of
those defining moments as the proverbial
fork in the road a place where we have
to make a choice will I choose
powerfulness or will I choose
powerlessness will I choose to be
empowered or will I choose to be
disempowered now I came to that
proverbial fork in the road and I can
remember it like it was yesterday that
same boss I was alluding to earlier I
ended up being fired by that boss I was
devastated
I sank even deeper into a depression my
own despondency being the lens from
which I operated with my world i
spiraled out of control and I continued
to go that way and I can remember my
boyfriend at the time coming to me and
he said Jen you need to get yourself
together
you can’t continue to go on like this
now my initial reaction was excuse me
how dare you don’t you know that I am
having the time of my life right now
rude right but when I got over my own
indignation what was left behind what
was myself who I had become my
reflection in the mirror and when I saw
that reflection it was almost like a
light bulb that went off Wow okay I do
need to get myself together I can’t
continue to go on like this I have to
get back on my feet and that was the
beginning of my own self empowerment a
decision that I made I chose to fight my
employer for wrongful termination which
meant standing face to face with the
very person I had perceived as wrong in
me at the time I chose to go back to
school and complete my bachelor’s degree
subsequently finishing my graduate
degree I said I wouldn’t let this
negative experience the unfairness of it
all stopped me from moving forward in my
life I chose to be empowered when we go
back to what the researchers say dr.
Julian Rappaport dr. mark Zimmerman
they’ve given empirical evidence that
validates the positive effects that
empowerment can have on your lives
they found that empowerment can not only
help people gain control over their life
but it can help them to be resilient to
the negative circumstances of life
empowerment can change your life so
alright we’re empowered right Jenn you
found your power that’s great I’m
feeling empowered that’s wonderful end
of story right end of the road
world peace that’s it let’s leave no
that’s not it
now some of you may be feeling like okay
listen I have this power now but I can’t
share this with you do you know how hard
I had to
to get here if I share this power with
you then that means I’m not as powerful
so we hold it to ourselves now I know
that our society can put so much
emphasis on being independent right we
only focus on our own well-being we
disregard the well-being of our others
but once we recognize our own light we
see our own flame that is empowerment
simply put it is our responsibility to
light someone else’s flame we share
power we share what we know we share how
we overcame our circumstance we share
how we were able to move past the
barriers that were in front of us that
is what makes us powerful again going
back to research dr. Julian Rapp before
I keep saying his name obviously I
really like him right in this instance
he’s done great work on group
empowerment he’s shown how it’s made a
difference in communities and society as
a whole as a matter of fact you can see
you can see empowerment used in
transformational and organizational
leadership and it’s shown to have a
great effect on organizations by way of
work productivity and team morale in
essence true power is sharing power now
if we can just take this concept with us
everywhere we go
let it show up in everything that we do
and let it conquer and override every
negative experience we’ve ever had or
will have we’ll come to see that
empowerment makes for better people it
can make for better teams empowerment
can make for a better community and over
all it can make for a better world
and society thank you [Applause]
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