I know I’m late to the party, but I have started watching the television series Suits. In one of the episodes, a major change occurs with the name partners and a new person is in charge.
One of his first moves is to grant a senior partnership to someone, and soon after he offers a name partnership to a friend if he will join the firm and bring a major client with him. Both promotions were granted after they were requested by the people involved — and both had merit when taken individually — but, as he later learns, were inappropriate given the larger context. As a result, he must rescind both offers and negotiate a different title to appease them.
When someone first gains more power than they had — whether that be from heading a law firm, leading a project at work, or even babysitting a younger sibling — the natural tendency is to go crazy with it, doing all kinds of things that they always wanted to but were unable to do. The problem comes in when the actions are viewed as part of a system and considered in the long term, not just at the moment. In that context, restraint is often required, and as the new-to-power person gains an understanding of the whole, often realizes why the situation existed as they inherited it.
If you find yourself with more authority, use it first to listen before acting. Saying yes is easy but recanting is a hard way to establish respect.
