Maturity Is Knowing When to Let Go of Power

A note to young leaders.

If you’re looking for a reliable, modern-day test of character – look no further than your TV remote control.

The Wedding Singer is a delightfully silly comedy – but the best moment isn’t in the plot. It’s a throwaway line buried in the final song.

Standing at the front of a plane, Adam Sandler sings a series of grand romantic promises to Drew Barrymore. Then, as a casual aside, he drops the nuke:

“I’ll even let you hold the remote control.”

The audience laughs because everyone knows exactly what he means.

Love is easy in poetry. But handing over the remote when you’re sixteen clicks deep in a channel-surfing trance? That’s advanced spirituality.

Tolkien spent 1,200 pages dramatising the problem of relinquishing power. Sandler nailed it in a single lyric.

So before you say ‘I do’ – in marriage or in business partnership – ask your partner to hand over the remote. Then watch what they do.

Mastery is holding on to power. Maturity is in the letting go.