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All Things Human with Adele WangStay human in a tech-driven world Author: Adele Wang
All Things Human is where AI and a changing world meet the human experience. Hosted by Adele Wang, this podcast explores how AI, societal shifts, and evolving human awareness are reshaping life, leadership, and loveand what it means to stay grounded, conscious, and connected in an era of unprecedented change. With soulful conversations and sharp insight, Adele brings together voices from tech, psychology, and cultureas well as her own experience as a top leadership coachto help you think more clearly, feel more fully, and lead with intention. Whether you're a curious professional, a reflective leader, or just trying to stay human in an age of algorithms, this show is for you. Join the conversation and get more exclusive insights at https://adelewang.substack.com Language: en Genres: Education, Relationships, Self-Improvement, Society & Culture Contact email: Get it Feed URL: Get it iTunes ID: Get it |
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Why Good People Become Bad Bosses: The "Power vs Empowerment" Trap
Thursday, 25 December, 2025
What is the one word that makes corporate leaders more squeamish than "taxes" or "sex"?Power.In the coaching and development world, people are allergic to the word. It sounds dirty. It sounds like corruption. So, the word got rebranded to "Empowerment" because that feels safe. It feels internal. It feels like yoga.But in this episode, I argue that this semantic shift is actually dangerous. By confusing the feeling of empowerment with the physics of power, we are accidentally training a generation of leaders to be abrasive, isolated, and blind to their own impact.We cover:The Semantic Trap: Why we love "Empowerment" but hate "Power"—and why the distinction matters.The "Jerks" Paradox: How standard coaching advice ("Don't care what people think") can turn a well-meaning leader into a toxic boss.The Two Types of Power: The critical difference between Internal Agency (Self-Empowerment) and External Physics (Power Over resources and people).The AI Factor: Why Artificial Intelligence is about to make this power dynamic even more volatile.If you’ve ever wondered why so many "empowered" leaders seem to lack basic empathy, this episode unpacks the mechanism behind the behavior. Note: My use of the term “brain damage” in the epsidoe was as a metaphor, not a literal sense of physical brain damage.Key Quote: "We have a generation of leaders who think they are 'empowered,' but they are actually just abrasive because they don't understand the tool they are holding." #PowerDynamics #LeadershipPsychology #CorporateCulture #ExecutiveCoaching #AbrasiveLeadership #ThePowerTrap #NeuroscienceOfLeadership #EmpowermentTrap #FutureOfWork #AILeadershipConnect with Adele:https://www.linkedin.com/in/adele-wang/https://substack.com/@adelewang
