power vampires

Photographer: luigi diamanti

They lurk in the halls of every business and office feeding on the unwary and helpful. They are voracious in their ambition and relentless in their pursuit of their own driving need to achieve. They use relationships to operate with their own currency of power. They are competitive and need to win at all costs, even to the point of defeating and destroying. Yes folks, these are the power vampires, who gain power by taking it from others.

Survival Techniques

So far the only techniques I have found, none of which are satisfactory, for surviving these people are:

• De-self. Give in and let them dominate. You will survive them, but can you survive the internal conflict with yourself?
• Try to reason with them. You may think you are succeeding for a while, but in the long run, it proves to be a waste of time.
• Accept them, but try to be yourself too. Doing this only leads to conflict which escalates as the need for competition and win-and-defeat kicks in.
• Remove yourself from the relationship. Look after yourself and leave them to their own devices.

Doing good while doing well

Dr Elias Porter, Ph.D, stated his aim in relationships was to “Do good while doing well.” This represents for me a value to aspire to. To aim that in my relationships I achieve goals whilst treating others with respect and dignity. If I thrive and want the same for others, this is prosperity in its widest form. And beware of the power vampires!

If you have survived an experience with a power vampire, click on comment below and tell me your survival technique.