Live Your Legacy: Principle 13 - Navigating Power with Integrity

“Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man’s character, give him power.” — Abraham Lincoln

Power is not control. True power is rooted in clarity, self-respect, and alignment with values.

In our culture, power is often associated with dominance, hierarchy, or performance. But rooted leadership invites us to rethink what power really means. It invites us to lead not through control or force, but through grounded presence and unwavering integrity.

What Does It Mean to Navigate Power with Integrity?

To navigate power with integrity means to lead from your values, not your ego. It means you can hold authority without becoming authoritarian. You can take up space without shrinking others. You can speak truth without needing to overpower or impress.

This kind of leadership:

• Honors boundaries—yours and others’

• Stays centered in difficult conversations

• Uses influence to empower, not manipulate

• Knows when to speak up, and when to walk away

• Does not mistake silence for submission, or volume for leadership

Navigating power with integrity is about staying rooted when power dynamics become murky. It’s about embodying strength without armor—and knowing that real authority doesn’t require dominance to be felt.

T

he Importance of Integrity in Leadership Power

Power and integrity are often seen as opposites in traditional leadership models. But rooted leadership understands that when power is grounded in integrity, it becomes a source of safety, clarity, and transformation.

Here are four reasons why this principle matters:

1. Integrity Creates Safety

When leaders hold power without ego, they create spaces where others can speak up, make mistakes, and grow. Integrity in leadership makes people feel seen and respected—not controlled. It sets the emotional tone of the environment.

Why it matters: People do their best work—and grow the most—when they feel safe. Leaders who model integrity create cultures of psychological safety and high accountability.

2. Power Without Integrity Breeds Fear

Unconscious or misused power—whether through micromanagement, passive aggression, or even silence—creates fear. It teaches people to perform rather than contribute. Rooted leaders are not afraid to have power—but they know its impact and wield it with care.

Why it matters: Unchecked power causes teams to shut down. Rooted leaders use power responsibly, cultivating respect over fear.

3. Boundaries Are a Form of Integrity

Knowing how to say no, how to hold your ground, and how to walk away from dynamics that dishonor your values is a vital part of rooted leadership. This kind of power doesn’t scream—it simply does not compromise what matters.

Why it matters: You teach people how to treat you by the boundaries you hold. Modeling healthy power invites others to do the same.

4. You Don’t Need to Play Small to Be Kind

One of the biggest myths is that integrity means being “nice.” Rooted leaders know that kindness and clarity can—and must—coexist. You can be both strong and compassionate, direct and respectful. You do not need to diminish yourself to create belonging.

Why it matters: Your power, when rooted in integrity, becomes a permission slip for others to rise—not shrink.

Practical Ways to Navigate Power with Integrity

1. Practice Internal Alignment Before External Action

Before big conversations or decisions, check in: Am I reacting from fear, proving something, or leading from clarity?

Action tip: Use breath and body awareness to ground yourself before responding. Root your energy in your values.

2. Say What You Mean Without Needing to Be Mean

You can communicate truthfully without harshness. You can hold others accountable without humiliation. Clear is kind.

Action tip: Practice “truth with grace.” Speak from your core, not from your triggers. Edit for clarity, not impact.

3. Know Your Non-Negotiables

Rooted leaders have internal codes. They know what they will and will not tolerate—not from a place of moral superiority, but from deep self-respect.

Action tip: Write down your top 3 leadership values. Revisit them weekly. Make decisions that reflect them.

4. Let Silence Be a Power, Not a Weapon

Sometimes silence is avoidance. Sometimes it’s wisdom. Rooted leaders know the difference. They don’t fill space to appease. They allow space when space is needed.

Action tip: Before responding, pause. Ask: What is the most aligned response, not the fastest one?

5. Be Willing to Walk Away With Dignity

Integrity sometimes means stepping away—from roles, clients, or dynamics that do not align. Rooted power walks, not begs.

Action tip: If you find yourself overexplaining, apologizing for your standards, or compromising your values—pause. Ask: Is this truly aligned with who I am becoming?

Navigating Power is a Daily Practice

Power, in rooted leadership, is not a position—it is a way of being. It’s how we sit in meetings. It’s how we handle disagreement. It’s how we lead when no one is watching.

Navigating power with integrity is not about perfection. It’s about awareness. It’s about recalibrating when we go off-center. It’s about knowing we can be both strong and soft—and that those two things together are the mark of true leadership.

Rooted leadership is not about dominating—it’s about embodying. Navigating power with integrity means using your influence to create trust, clarity, and positive impact. It is about leading from your values, not your ego.

Power is not something we need to prove. It is something we carry. When it’s grounded in integrity, it becomes a gift—not just to ourselves, but to everyone around us.