I am a runner. To anyone who has known me for more than a week, this is not new information. Those moments when I pause to think about being a runner, I am a bit surprised by it all. Years ago, when I was first convinced to train for and run a 10K race, I never imagined running would become such an integral part of my life. Yet, here I am, a runner. When I first started long-distance running, my approach was the same as when I had run as a child - I put on my sneakers and headed out. However, as I logged more miles than the 10-year-old Rumbi had ever imagined possible (the longest cross country race I had ever run was a 5K and that felt like the limits of what regular humans should run), I realized that, if I wanted to keep on running, I would have to change a few things. I have added a few steps to my running routine, sometimes through trial and error, that have made a positive difference. For instance, I stretch more (still not enough, I admit), I use my asthma inhaler before runs, and (if I am running a new route) write instructions a piece of paper so I don't get lost (in pencil so sweat won't smudge them). All of these things I do so that all I feel at the end of a run is tired.
There are steps that I also take to minimize, as much as in my power to do so, the impact of outside forces. Where I can, I try to make sure that I am not sharing my route with cars and fast-moving bicycles; where it is not possible, I try to make sure that I can see oncoming traffic. Like many other women, as I try to be smart about my safety, I also take time to consider when and where I go on my runs. Although there is no magical safe hour that exists, I have found that I tend to have fewer unwelcome adventures when I run in the morning, so that is when I tend to run. Even though it should not be on me to change my habits in order to feel safe, I still do change my habits because it is easier to run with one less thing weighing on my mind. Unfortunately, we live in a world where at times people are held responsible for the power and actions others have over them and we too often do this without being cognizant of it. As empowering as it is to embrace and be proactive about our lives and our destinies, it is also imperative to be aware of, and not waste our energies fighting, what we do not have power over: we cannot fight gravity.
Within our workplaces, understanding these power dynamics is very important. Take a moment to think about:
- What do you have power over? This could be taking classes or other training to improve your skills and help you advance in your career. It could also be analyzing and reframing your approaches so you are working with what is truly within your power.
- What is a gravity problem? An example in the book Designing Your Life is trying to be part of a C-Suite in a family-owned business that has only ever had family members in the C-Suite. Instead of trying to fight a get-into-the-C-suite battle you won't win, knowing and accepting that this is how this organization does business can help you reframe how you look at that situation.
- Who do you have power over? You might be, or have the potential to be, the gravity problem that others are encountering. If, using the gravity example above, you are the CEO of a fifth generation family business and you have decided that regardless of whatever talent resides outside your family, only those of your bloodline can hold C-suite positions in your business you are the creating the gravity problem. When you think about what of other people you have control over how are you handling this responsibility? How are you being accountable?
Without her knowledge, Lilly Ledbetter faced gender-based pay discrimination in her job for 19 years. The gatekeepers of her access to equitable pay and advancement in her career kept her out. When this was brought to light, the Supreme Court did not hold the gatekeepers accountable. Perhaps those at Goodyear did not intentionally discriminate against Lilly Ledbetter but, because no one including themselves held them accountable, they never had to examine what and why they operated in the manner that they did.
We should always be aware of and take steps to mitigate the impact of our biases, and this is all the more imperative when we are the gatekeepers. I am not a superhero aficionado, but in my very limited experiences I have seen how a character can use their superpowers for constructive or destructive purposes. Even with them, they often have those moments of introspection where a circumstance tempts them to act as they wish, taking advantage of the ability to act without impunity. Just about everyone of us will find ourselves in situations where we have the relative superpower (some of us more often than others). When you find yourself in that situation, how will you choose to wield your power?