What is Power, Really?

Donald Trump thinks power is domination -- being the biggest bully on the playground.

But there is another kind of power which can surprise and defy domination— standing for something you believe in and being inner-directed.

Tony Schwartz, author of Trump: The Art of the Deal, spent a year with Trump watching him very closely.

Talking to Ari Melber, on MSNBC, about a confrontation between President Trump and Nancy Pelosi, Tony Schwartz says Trump is “cowed'“ by a person who is “tough with civility” and “tough with decorum.”

He said all this:

"But really the issue here is—underneath this is—are you someone who is outer-directed or are you inner-directed?

So outer-directed means you are looking outside yourself for what the response is going to be and you're making all your choices expediently based on that feedback you're getting from the outside world.

Inner-directed means you have a true North inside. You have actually a set of values that are immutable that you stand by.

And I do think that Pelosi has a consistent record of suggesting that she does stand for something.

And she knows that when she wants to make a choice, she can look inside, she can sense what she feels and act on it.

Trump has no idea. He's like a tree blowing in the wind with no roots. So the wind comes this way, and Trump goes this way. The wind comes this way and he goes this way.

He knows he's up against one tall tree with a lot of roots. She may be short in height but she is tall in stature."

Boom. He said it perfectly. I have nothing to add.