傳統智慧告訴我們，權力具有誘惑性。越來越多的心理學研究也證實了這一點。權力會改變大腦處理信息的方式。在我的職業生涯中，我注意到，一旦大權在握，人們就會更加審慎地監控他們自己的行為，而不大重視其他人的行為和反應。他們會變得不太關心別人的言行。另外，他們常常會想方設法地獲得一些能彰顯和強化自我身份的東西，比如稱心如意的伴侶、昂貴的房子、稀罕的飾物等等。

很多心理學家仍然不能從進化的角度給出“權力改變意識”這種現象的成因。但權力對于人類意識的影響，顯然是根深蒂固，而且很難改變的。或許在人類更注重生存（而不是進步）的年代，權力對領導者意識的這種影響是有益的。但在當代社會，這種影響已經失去了意義。對于領導者來說，灌輸一種真實的宗旨和使命感，要比單純強調主宰權更加重要。

在當今時代，大多數領導者獲得成功的原因在于，他們能夠對其他人，即員工、消費者、客戶、投資人甚至供應商，產生正面的影響。而他們之所以能產生這種影響，則是因為他們能夠成功地搞好與這些人的關系，并且能夠不斷改善大企業復雜的組織架構。這表明，在某種程度上，21世紀的領導者要想取得成功，就需要向你身邊的人投入大量的關注，關注他們的所思、所感、所說。同時這也意味著，你要經常舍棄你自身的欲望和需求，以換取更大的目標。

舉一個簡單但重要的例子：領導者應該怎樣安排他們的時間。在當今時代，一旦你在企業或組織中擔當了重要的領導職位，你就不會像過去那樣，能充分掌控自己的時間了。就我個人而言，自從我早些年擔任紐約大學一名院長開始，我已經有12年不能完全“控制”我自己的時間了。這些日子，我基本上是一個會接一個會地開，有時還會擠占掉吃飯的時間。當然，每天還會難以避免地出現各種重要的問題和會談，這些都會額外地占用你的時間。

要把這樣滿滿當當的，而且不固定的日程組織和協調好，就需要很多的支持。（事實上，這也就是我的助理的全職工作。）這也意味著，我總是難以自行決定在什么時候、去哪里、與哪些人會面（或者吃飯），我甚至經常難以決定應該解決什么樣的問題或任務，或者按照什么樣的順序去攻克它們。同樣的情況也發生在我認識的每一位院長、校長和CEO身上。這種生活是非常疲勞的。成為一名領導者之后，你必須在團隊需要你的時候，出現在你需要出現的地方，不管你個人那時是否方便。

因此，在我看來，領導者面臨的最大挑戰，就是如何應對伴隨權力而來的永不停歇的各種需求。這些需求是不是使你變得更加關注自我，更加在乎榮譽，而不善于自省了？面臨權力衍生的特殊待遇、資格和薪酬時，領導者是否讓腦中“我工作得很努力，這是我應得的”和“我的時間非常寶貴”這種誘惑性的想法左右了自己的選擇？他們是否警醒自己，領導力是一種特權，而權力必然帶有引誘性？他們是否深入思考了每一個選擇，并對企業和利益相關方產生了積極的影響？

幾年前，我曾聽一位銀行家說道：“私人飛機就是一劑毒品，一旦嘗試后，就很難戒掉這個習慣。”坐過幾次私人飛機后，我也明白了他的意思。這番話一直提醒著我，領導者面臨的真正挑戰在于如何抵制內心的欲望，不讓你自己、你的舒適程度和你自身的看法在你的眼中變得越來越重要。

優秀的領導者需要克服權力對認知的扭曲，包括克服在會議中說大量廢話的傾向。在你張口說話的時候，不要急于發表你自己的觀點和見解，而是要先問一些問題，了解其他人的觀點和經驗。另外，領導者們還要避免一種傾向：花費時間和公款做一些旨在彰顯和強化自身地位，而不是影響力的事情。簡言之，衡量一個領導者是否成功，要看員工和企業的績效怎樣，而不是看你拿多少薪水、說了什么話或坐什么飛機。（財富中文網）

譯者：樸成奎

審校：任文科

Power is seductive–folk wisdom tells us so, as does a growing body of psychological research. The experience of having power changes how the brain processes information. Over the course of my career I’ve noticed when people are in positions of power, they tend to monitor their own behavior more closely and become less vigilant to the behavior and reactions of others; they listen less carefully and consider less deeply what other people think and say. They also often look to acquire things that convey and reinforce their status (i.e. desirable mates, expensive homes, and rare baubles).

Many psychologists don’t yet understand from an evolutionary perspective why this cognitive “power shift” occurs. But it’s pretty clear that the shift is hardwired and difficult to counter. It may be that when our needs were more about human survival–and less about human progress–the shift worked well for leaders. But it doesn’t serve us well in the modern world, where instilling a sense of authentic purpose and mission is more important than asserting dominance.

Today, most leaders excel when they generate positive impact for others–be it employees, customers, clients, investors, or even suppliers. They do this by successfully navigating relationships and the constantly evolving politics of large, complex organizational structures. This means that at some level, leadership in the 21st century requires paying a lot of attention to the people around you — what they are thinking, feeling, and saying. It also often means surrendering your own desires and needs for the greater good.

Consider just one simple, but important example: how leaders spend their time. When you accept a significant leadership role in today’s organizations, you no longer have the same control over your calendar that you had earlier in your career. Personally, I haven’t fully “owned” my calendar for 12 years, ever since I first became a dean at NYU. These days I generally have back-to-back meetings scheduled, often through lunch and dinner. And then of course there are always the important issues and conversations you can’t plan that inevitably come up each day as well.

Keeping such a packed, fluid schedule organized and coordinated requires a lot of support. (In fact, it’s my assistant’s full time job.) And making it work means that I don’t always get to decide when, what, and with whom I meet (or eat) or even which problems or tasks I work on or in what order I attack them. The same is true for every dean, president, and CEO whom I know. It can be exhausting. But when you are a leader, you have to be where and when your team needs you, whether it’s highly convenient for you personally or not.

So, in my mind, the biggest challenge of leadership lies in how leaders react to the never-ending demands of having power. Do they go with the hard-wiring of the power shift and become more self-focused, entitled, and less reflective? Do they allow the seductive “I deserve it because I work so hard” and “my time is so valuable” voices in their heads to guide their choices as they readily gather the perks, access, and pay that often accrue with power? Or do they remind themselves that leadership is a privilege and that power can be seductive? Do they constantly push themselves to be thoughtful about their choices and impact on their organization and stakeholders?

A couple years ago, I heard a banker say that “private jets are a drug; once you try them, it’s a hard habit to kick.” Having had the privilege of flying in one a few times, I get it. But, the private jet comment always reminds me that the true challenge of leadership lies in resisting the urge to let yourself, your comfort, your status, and your ideas become increasingly important in your own eyes.

Great leadership requires overcoming the power shift–overcoming the hardwired tendency to take up disproportionate amounts of airtime in meetings. And when you do talk, it means resisting the urge to offer your views and opinions first rather than asking questions to probe and better understand the perspectives and experiences of the other people in the conversation. It means overcoming the compulsion to spend your time and your organization’s money in ways that convey or reinforce your status, rather than your impact. In short, it means measuring your success by how your people and your organization performs, not by your pay, your words, or how you fly.