Aladdin
Power of Empowering Others
Cut to the Chase:
Shift from Control to Connection: Let those closest to the work make key decisions, revealing hidden leaders and fostering innovation.
Build Resilient Leadership Networks: Prepare and trust others so leadership thrives even in your absence.
Measure Success by Independence: Aim to create teams that don’t just rely on you but flourish because of the skills, clarity, and confidence you’ve helped them develop.
It is a common theme in film, “power doesn’t make the hero”. Whether it is through the story of a high schooler who gets bitten by a radioactive spider or a lowly ‘street rat’ who rubs a magic lamp we instead learn that power provides an opportunity for them to become the hero they are meant to be.
There is an invisible current that runs through every school district. The way that that current flows often makes the difference between success and failure, order and chaos. Some people have power and don’t use it and some people don’t have power but think that they do. More often than not, I find that the more invisible this current becomes, the more dysfunctional the district seems. Leaders who become frustrated when people do not ‘step up’ or ‘do their job’ are typically the same leaders who haven’t found ways to empower their people to do so.
Aladdin is the story of a street rat who has to beg, borrow and steal for a living. Along with his pet monkey, he is tasked with retrieving a magical lamp. After being double-crossed by the ruthless Jafar he is buried in the Cave of Wonders where he rubs the lamp and meets the Genie. The Genie grants him three wishes which leads Aladdin on an adventure and discovery of what real power means.
Similarly, the way we look at power can be adjusted. A couple of years ago, I read a book by Matthew Barzun titled, The Power of Giving Power Away and it changed the way I advised school and district leaders. The Power of Giving Away Power challenges the familiar “pyramid” model of leadership where power is concentrated at the top and offers a different vision: the “constellation” model. In a constellation, each star has its own light, but the magic happens when those points of light connect to form something bigger than themselves. Power is not hoarded at the center but shared across a network, allowing new strengths, voices, and leaders to emerge.
But I have found that adopting this leadership style is not easy. How do people step up if they aren’t prepared to? How can we prepare them? And when they do, how do we make peace with the fact that success may look different than how we imagined?
The movie Aladdin is a classic, in Disney’s golden age of the 1990s and it captures this exploration of power through each passing song. Let’s track how the soundtrack of Aladdin can help us map out the way we empower our people.
STAGE 1 - NO POWER
At first, Aladdin has no power. The song follows him through the bazaar as he is chased by the guards. His lack of power leads him to do some reckless and dangerous things. He jumps off of buildings and trusts creepy old tomb raiders (Jafar ad Iago).
When people aren’t given any power, they stop seeing themselves as capable of shaping outcomes and start seeing themselves as mere cogs in a machine. Initiative fades, creativity dries up, and trust erodes because decisions always come from “somewhere else.” In schools, this can mean talented teachers disengage, students become passive participants in their own learning, and leaders spend more time enforcing compliance than cultivating growth. Without power, people may comply but they rarely commit. I see this all of the time.
STAGE 2 - DISCOVER POWER
After getting trapped in the Cave of Wonders, Aladdin accidentally awakens the Genie and is bestowed with three (semi-limited) wishes. Through the song Friend Like Me, the Genie guides him to the potential that he now possesses. Aladdin naturally thinks of it as a mistake and becomes overwhelmed.
When people are suddenly given power without preparation or support, it can feel less like empowerment and more like being tossed into deep water without a life jacket. The initial excitement is quickly replaced by uncertainty, fear of making the wrong choice, and a tendency to either freeze or cling to old habits. In schools, this might look like teacher leaders who avoid making decisions, committees that stall out, or principals who default back to top-down control because no one feels ready to take the reins. Power without clarity, skills, and trust doesn’t unlock potential it amplifies anxiety.
STAGE 3 - MISGUIDED CONFIDENCE
Starting to come to terms with his power he seeks the Genie’s help to turn him into a prince. After all, if he becomes a prince he can marry Princess Jasmine. Now armed with the pomp and frills of a prince he marches towards the palace to ‘woo’ her. Except we quickly realize that his wish is in vain. He was misguided in his pursuit. He misunderstood what she liked about him in the first place. Aladdin became like everyone else.
When people have power but are misdirected in how to use it, their energy and effort can be poured into the wrong priorities, creating frustration and wasted momentum. Instead of driving toward the shared vision, teams may chase conflicting goals, duplicate work, or unintentionally undermine one another. In schools, this might mean well-intentioned teacher leaders investing time in initiatives that don’t align with student needs, or school committees focusing on low-impact projects because no one clarified what “success” looks like. Misdirected power doesn’t just stall progress, it can erode trust in the very idea of shared leadership.
STAGE 4 - FINALLY STARTING TO GET IT
In the iconic love song Part of Your World, Aladdin takes Jasmine on a magic carpet ride. For the first time, Aladdin is able to perfectly blend who he is with the power he now possesses. But the moment is short lived and his lie is ultimately exposed. It isn’t until Aladdin confronts who he truly is that he understands how to yield his power. He does this by ensnaring Jafar and freeing the Genie.
Check out these two closing scenes and the difference between how Jafar and Aladdin approach to power. Jafar continues down the misguided ‘pyramid’ style path while Aladdin recognizes what his contribution must be and sees the value in those around him.
When we yield our power in a healthy way, we create the space for others to step forward, bring their strengths, and take true ownership of the work. Decision-making becomes more agile because it’s closer to the action, and solutions are richer because they draw on diverse perspectives. In schools, this looks like teachers designing and leading professional learning that other educators can’t wait to attend, students launching initiatives that reshape school culture, and principals freeing their time to focus on vision and support rather than micromanagement. Healthy power-sharing doesn’t diminish the leader it multiplies leadership across the system, creating a network of capable, confident change makers.
Post-Credit Scene:
What decisions am I still making that someone closer to the work could make better than I can?
If I stepped away for a month, what leadership would naturally emerge in my absence and would I be proud of it?
Am I building a team that depends on me, or a team that thrives without me?