Back in Chapter 3, Brainstorming, we talked about bestowed and earned power. Bestowed power being that influence we have because of our position or role within the organization. Earned power is related to the influence we have as an individual.

When it comes to strategic planning, bestowed and earned power play a significant role. Our job title or responsibilities (that is, bestowed power) might factor into whether we are invited to participate in the strategic planning session. Equally true could be that our lack of a particular title could exclude us from the meeting. Example being "vice president level and above attend the meeting." If I'm a senior director, I might not get an invitation.

This gets complicated if your organization likes to get creative with job titles. I've seen organizations promote someone to senior director (instead of vice president) even though they are doing the same work as a vice president. I'm not saying it's right. It...