Does Institutional Power Press Heavy on the Heart - Lindsey Graham and More

 In that classic on power by journalist Hedrick Smith "The Power Game" there's a comprehensive explanation of how many versions of that there are. 

One is institutional power, that is, it's established by your title in a major organization such as the US Congress. The world clamors for access to you. And that's the kind the late Lindsey Graham had. 

It is reported Graham died of cardiac arrest at age 71. 

The rumor is that Mitch McConnell, also with plenty of institutional power, suffered a cardiac event. 

Back in January 2025, then chair of elite law firm Paul, Weiss Brad Karp experienced a major heart attack in his 60s. He survived that, for now. 

So, you got to wonder if there's some kind of correlation between the dynamics of institutional power and heavy pressure on the heart. Perhaps human beings, at least so far, can't process a mega dose of institutional power. 

Of course, there are other kinds of power. They're the individualistic type. 

Smith hammers, for example, that confidence is a source of power. Harvard Business School professor Rosabeth Kanter devoted a whole book to that - " Confidence: How Winning Streaks and Losing Streaks Begin and End." In addition, there's the power of the pen, which has been hailed as mightier than the sword. Since age 11, when I had my first article published, that has been the source of my individual power. And, as ever toddler knows well, there's the power to disrupt. 

Should those contemplating their life's work consider the possible risk entailed in the big title? What could shape that thinking is this reality: Graham can't transfer that power to another dimension. 

In coaching, I guide risk-assessment about what the ambitious take on as they strategically plan how to accomplish their professional dreams.

Career Paths? So Over. It’s about Earning a Good Living. No matter what.

Complimentary consultation. No Pressure. Street-smart Guidance. Contact Jane Genova janegenova374@gmail.com.


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

America Not Hiring in 2026: Back to Golden Age of Solopreneurs?

 For hiring, 2025 was a brutal year to search for a job. The Wall Street Journal reports that 2026 could be worse: "At a gathering of CEOs in Midtown Manhattan this month organized by the Yale School of Management, 66% of leaders surveyed said they planned to either fire workers or maintain the size of their existing teams next year. Only a third indicated they planned to hire." The WSJ adds that pullback from adding manpower could be temporary. But given shareholders' demand for cost-efficiency and the continual improvements in AI, chronic unemployment could become standard. However, there is a solution. An old-fashioned one. That's becoming a solopreneur, that is setting up your own business without partners or employees. The model dates back to ancient times.  The golden age of the solo business owner in America had been from the late 1800s to about the mid 1920s.  There had been a wave of immigrants, discrimination against them and few jobs. They drove pushcarts ...
Read more

An Equity Partner in Big Law, But Not a Star: Expect a Pay Cut This Year

It's nothing new. Law firms chase star talent and pay premium compensation for those twinklers. Way back in 2021, Paul, Weiss' Brad Karp hammered in Bloomberg Law  the critical importance of that star power. Law firms which don't have the financial resources to recruit, hold and motivate them could stop growing, going out of business.  What is new are these current realities: the current frenzy of the chase and annual compensation reaching $40 million.  Well, equity partners who aren't stars will help pay for that payout. Law.com  predicts haircuts for some of them this year. There always had been a caste system in Big Law, a niche in which prestige is an embedded value. Never were all equity partners equal. It had been standard to de-equitize those not cutting it or even force them out. A strategy of shaming usually was effective to get them to exit.  Now, it's more brutal. Already the number of equity partners is being reduced. That's to ensure top dollar fo...
Read more

Newly Minted PhDs in Economics Face Unwelcoming Job Market: Of Course, I Left My PhD in Humanities Off the Resume

Monitor postings on Reddit subunits focused on careers and it's no longer news that PhDs, both newly minted and those already in the labor market, generally are finding the credential an obstacle in the search for a job or even contract assignments. No, not an asset.  Let's cut to the chase. The highly educated have to get smart about this, fast. With some exceptions, I advise those I coach to leave the PhD off job-search materials. The negative assumptions among those hiring range from that you expect too much money to you'll be a know-it-all.  When my boutique collapsed post-9/11 and I had to land a survival job I lopped off everything but the BA. At the interview I dumbed-down my vocabulary. Sure Harvard was started in 1636 but America remains anti-intellectual. In addition, the integration of AI into strategy and operations makes knowledge work in general less and less marketable.  That's the narrative of our times: Advanced degrees having low or no ROI. The result,...
Read more