Who Holds The Real Power?

My question for today is: who holds the real power in your company?

Most people's first answer is that the Vice Presidents, Upper Management and Board of Directors hold the real power in the company. They are the ones to make the big decisions. They are the ones that set policy for the lowly minions beneath them. They are the ones who determine the direction of the company and they dictate the broad culture of the organisation. Certainly they are the ones with the real power.

But then you think to yourself, well, this must be a trick question because everyone knows that the big-wigs are the decision makers. So let's think for a second - who are the ones with REAL power in the company? Ahh, it must be the exact opposite of what you originally thought.

The secretaries, mail-room staff, security personnel and the warehouse staff - they are the ones with REAL power. Why? What happens if you want to order something - who gets it for you? What about if you are going to travel somewhere and you want a really good seat, or a day lay-over in Hawaii - who is going to arrange that for you? What about that really, really, really important report that absolutely has to be finished on time - who is going to drop everything to get it done? That's right. It's the (seemingly) lowly staff who hold the real power. They are the ones you have to get on-side in order to succeed in a company. The secretary who can make or break you by getting the report typed on time. Or the warehouse guy who will see if he can pull a few strings to get you the 19" flat panel monitor instead of the standard 17". Or the girl at the travel desk who can arrange your flights so that you just happen to have a day or two in sunny Hawaii. They are the ones with real power.

You think you have found a clever answer to the question.

Think again. Who are these people in the grand scheme of things? Who are they when it comes to promotions and salary reviews? They might help you out on a day-to-day basis - and are certainly worthy of being your allies, but where does the REAL power lie? There can only be one answer - the top brass. Yep. I've come to the conclusion that the mail-guy is important - but can he fire me? Perhaps the secretary can help me complete a task on time - but can she authorise a bonus? It is definitely the big kahunas who hold the real power in the company.

So if you want to effect change; if you want to make an impact, you have to aspire to the upper echelons of the organisation. But then again, you probably won't be able to get in the building if the guy controlling the boom-gate isn't on your side. So you might just decide not to become the Chairman, but instead to become the doorman...

In any case, who ever heard of a company Chairman earning a salary plus 50% in tips. Hmmm? Whose the smart one now?