[bjornsing]

> I think the desire for power is manufactured.

I don’t. I think it has very deep evolutionary roots: more status / power has historically translated into better access to resources, especially in times of scarcity.

But I agree it’s a miswant. In modern society nobody has much power over anybody (compared to how it was in ancient/evolutionary time). I think of it as a primitive drive that can lead some of us astray, like the sex drive can make some preoccupied with pornography.

I also think good managers should have a healthy distance to their desire for power. If they don’t they can waste a lot of company money on scratching that itch endlessly.