The More Power You Have…

More is better!

The more power you have, the more able and prepared you are to direct, advise, and influence people.

Effective leaders use their power to help individuals, teams, and organizations achieve success. Conversely, ineffective leaders squander their power, hoarding it for personal gain.

There are three types of power.

1. Position Power

Your position on the org chart gives you power over the people below you.

Position power allows you to:

• Assign tasks, schedule meetings, and establish the agenda
• Evaluate employees’ performance and approve pay increases and promotions
• Coach employees and reward people for making positive contributions
• Discipline and fire people

But wait…

Do you really have all that power? Maybe not. It depends on your boss. He or she may limit your power. “You can recommend pay increases, but I need to approve them.” “Before you take any disciplinary action, you need to review it with me.”

Your boss determines how much “position power” you really have.

Even when some leaders have positional power, they don’t fully utilize it.

• They never reward people or administer discipline when they should.
• They don’t address the elephant in the room or provide negative feedback because they fear having difficult conversations.

Actions you can take to increase your position power:

a) Consistently deliver high-quality work and exceed expectations. It leads to promotions and more position power.

b) Help your boss succeed. That often opens the door to bigger opportunities for you.

What would you add to my list? 

2. Expert Power

You listen to your doctor, accountant, and lawyer because of their expertise.

In a similar way, you can become an expert in some aspect of business such as strategic planning, appreciative inquiry, online marketing, team-building, and business analytics. Select a topic that interests you and study it in depth.

• Take classes, read books, attend seminars, and conferences
• Acquire degrees, certifications, and other credentials that reinforce your expertise.
• Work with mentors and other experts who can provide valuable insights.

You also need to promote yourself as an expert by writing articles and books, conducting seminars, and building your reputation. Become the “go-to” person in your area of expertise.

Expert power becomes ineffective when you don’t keep your knowledge and skills up to date.

Actions you can take to increase your expert power:

a) Build relationships with other experts in your field.

b) Take on high-profile projects that showcase your expertise and increase your visibility within the organization.

c) Remain humble and open-minded. Even if you’re an expert, there is always more to learn.

What one action will you take to increase your expert power? 

3. Personal Power

The third type of power is often described as having charisma.

People with charisma are optimistic and upbeat. They project both strength and warmth.

• Strength—they have a deep understanding of their beliefs and values. They have excellent communication skills and can clearly and succinctly articulate their views. In addition, they are decisive and project a high level of confidence.
• Warmth—they are friendly, social, and interested in people’s ideas and insights. They are good at telling stories and making people feel valued.

They develop connections with influential people both inside and outside the organization. They use their network to acquire resources, gain support, and get things done.

Personal power becomes ineffective when you become over-confident, arrogant, and act superior to others.

Actions you can take to increase your personal power:

a) Increase your executive presence. Learn to eliminate distractions and be fully present in the current moment.

b) Work on improving your emotional intelligence and active listening skills.

c) Find the right balance of being confident and humble.

What will you work on to become more charismatic? 

Summary

Increasing your power is a worthwhile goal. The more power you have, the more prepared you are to get things done and help people succeed.

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Paul B. Thornton has written 30 books and numerous articles on management and leadership. His latest book, What Would You Have Done, has received 48 five-star reviews on Amazon. He has also created several short YouTube videos covering key management and leadership topics. Connect with him on LinkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paul-thornton-5061216/

 

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