CM 048: Dacher Keltner on the Power Paradox - a podcast by Gayle Allen

Is there a secret to lasting power? Yes, and Dacher Keltner has been teaching leaders about it for decades. And the secret is not the ruthless, manipulative approach associated with 15th-century politician and writer Niccolo Machiavelli. It is actually the opposite.

As a University of California, Berkeley, Professor of Psychology, and Founder and Director of the Greater Good Science Center, Dacher Keltner shares research-based insights he has gained. And in his latest book, The Power Paradox: How We Gain and Lose Influence, he discusses a new science of power and 20 guiding power principles.In this interview, we talk about:

How the legacy of Niccolo Machiavelli continues to inform powerWhy power is about so much more than dominance, manipulation, and ruthlessness
Why we need to question a coercive model of powerThe short- versus long-term impact of different kinds of power
Why power is about lifting others upWhy lasting power is given, not grabbed
The important role that reputation, gossip and esteem play in who gains powerHow, within days, group members already know who holds the power
What makes for enduring powerHow our body language and words speak volumes about power
Why Abraham Lincoln is a fascinating study of empathetic powerThe fact that great and powerful leaders are incredible storytellers
How feeling powerful makes us less aware of riskHow feeling powerful makes us less empathetic, attentive and responsive to others
How feeling powerful actually overrides the part of our brain that signals empathyHow drivers of more expensive cars (46 percent) tend to ignore pedestrians
How powerful people often tell themselves stories to justify hierarchiesThe price we pay for powerlessness
Concrete ways we can cultivate enduring, empathetic powerGender and power
Why the key to parenting is to empower children to have a voice in the worldEpisode Links

Dacher KeltnerGreater Good Science Center

Frans de WaalThe Prince by Niccolo Machiavelli

Thomas Clarkson and the abolition movementWhy Civil Resistance Works by Erica Chenoweth and Maria J. Stephan

House of CardsThe 100-Year Life by Lynda Gratton and Andrew Scott

What Works by Iris BohnetArturo Behar and Facebook

Greater Good in ActionScience of Happiness course on edX

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