By Joe Byerly
Why do people chase power?
Many of us fool ourselves into thinking our pursuit of power is noble. We want to make a difference. We want to bring about change. We want to make things better.
But lurking just beneath those reasons is something much harder to admit: we want power because it offers something we struggle to give ourselves, security and validation.
Power lets us project strength when we feel weak inside. It lets us cover over insecurity with status, authority, and attention.
And because we stay busy, often jumping from one task to the next and climbing the ladder from one position to the next, it’s easy to avoid asking the uncomfortable question: Why am I really chasing this?
If we don’t know who we are at our core, power stops being a tool and becomes the goal. When leaders lack awareness of their insecurities, they run the risk of crossing a dangerous line and stop leading.
Instead, they start controlling.
They become tyrants.
Tyrants have been studied throughout history because they lack moderation and self-awareness. As Jakub Grygiel observed in Classics and Strategy, “Tyrants are perennially insecure… The mere fact that the tyrant’s primary, and ultimately only, preoccupation is to keep power continually triumphs all other considerations.”
Power, to the insecure, becomes like putty. They try to patch cracks, cover flaws, and hold everything together. But the hole they’re trying to fill is bottomless. No matter how much power they apply, the cracks keep showing. That internal weakness won’t get stronger without deliberate attention to it.
As I came to better understand myself, I realized that, while I told myself I wanted power for altruistic reasons, deep down I was trying to use it to fix an insecurity. Thankfully, I caught myself. Instead of focusing on external pursuits, I began to focus my attention on shoring up what was inside of me.
Now, whenever I’m faced with an opportunity that involves power, I pause and ask: Why am I doing this? Is it for my ego, or am I genuinely trying to serve?
When we pursue power for the right reasons, we develop a healthy respect for it. We see it not as an entitlement, but as a responsibility. The endstate is more service, not more power.
But what if you ask yourself that question and don’t like the answer? What if you realize you’re chasing power to be respected, liked, loved—or even feared?
Walk away. You’re not ready.
Because power doesn’t soothe insecurity. It amplifies it. And eventually, it destroys.
History is full of leaders who weren’t ready for power and became casualties of their own need to be validated. From Nero to Nixon, their reigns unraveled not because of external threats, but because of an unchecked ego and a desperate pursuit of approval that clouded their judgment.
If you’re chasing power to feel whole, to feel enough, power will never satisfy you. If you’re not careful, power will turn you into the worst version of yourself, a tyrant.
Because until you’re secure without it, you’ll never be safe with it.
Joe Byerly is a retired U.S. Army Lieutenant Colonel with 20 years of service, including tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, and command of a cavalry squadron in Europe. He earned numerous prestigious awards, including multiple Legion of Merits, Bronze Stars, the Purple Heart, and General Douglas MacArthur Leadership Award. In 2013, Joe founded From the Green Notebook.
A passionate advocate for self-knowledge through reading and reflection, he authored The Leader’s 90-Day Notebook and co-authored My Green Notebook: “Know Thyself” Before Changing Jobs, a resource for leaders seeking greater self-awareness. If this post resonated with you or sparked any questions, feel free to reach out to him at Joe@fromthegreennotebook.com.
