The unspoken rules of power

How understanding power dynamics can make you a smarter player

Author

Utpal Vaishnav
August 01, 2025

Today’s #DhandheKaFunda: "Power isn’t just held … it’s exchanged, perceived, and played. Understand the game or risk being played by it."

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Power Dynamics refer to how power is distributed and exercised within relationships, teams, or organizations.

It’s not just about who has authority … but who influences decisions, controls resources, or shapes perception.

If you’re building, leading, or negotiating … understanding power dynamics is not optional. It’s survival.

What Are Power Dynamics, Really?

Power dynamics shape how people behave around each other. They define:

  • Who speaks first.

  • Who gets heard.

  • Who takes credit.

  • Who feels safe.

  • Who feels invisible.

  • Sometimes power is explicit (a title).

Often, it’s subtle (access, influence, charisma, control of information).

Where Power Dynamics Show Up in Business

  • Leadership: A leader who overuses power creates fear. One who ignores it loses authority.

  • Teams: Unequal dynamics can silence ideas, foster resentment, and sabotage collaboration.

  • Negotiations: Whoever controls leverage, information, or urgency usually controls the outcome.

  • Client Relationships: The one who frames the conversation usually holds the power.

  • Company Culture: Invisible hierarchies (seniority, favoritism, social cliques) shape how freely people express themselves.

Common Mistakes with Power

  1. Ignoring It: Thinking “we’re all equals here” when people clearly aren’t treated equally.

  2. Overusing It: Leading with dominance instead of influence.

  3. Misreading It: Confusing positional power with actual influence.

  4. Fearing It: Avoiding hard conversations because you assume power only corrupts.

How to Work with Power Intelligently

  • Acknowledge It: Power exists in every system. Don’t pretend it doesn’t.

  • Use Power as a Tool, Not a Weapon: Power can uplift or oppress. Choose wisely.

  • Redistribute Where You Can: Share information, delegate authority, and give others voice and space.

  • Watch for Power Drains: A leader who hoards decision-making creates bottlenecks. A teammate who’s always cut off may be quietly disengaging.

  • Understand the Unspoken: Who influences decisions without being in the room? Who’s afraid to speak up? That’s where real power lives.

  • Conclusion: Power is Neutral. Use it Wisely.

Power dynamics aren’t good or bad … they’re ever-present.

Great leaders read the room, respect the current, and know when to step forward and when to pull back.

Understand power not to manipulate, but to lead better.

Because if you don’t understand power, someone else will use it better than you.

For sharper leadership thinking and systems awareness, stay tuned.

Until the next,

Br, UV

UV is the founder of Upsquare → Its culture breeds Radical Rainmakers! ✌🏻

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P.S. Read more of UV’s #DhandheKaFunda on LinkedIn.