Power in the Organization

In reality, Power and leadership are linked in every organization. A person can exhibit some power without being a leader; however, no person can be a leader without having some type of authority.

Trends in Leadership & Power

The Center for Creative Leadership conducted a research study in 2019 to better understand how leaders use Power. They also examined how individuals and organizations can improve their leadership through the effective use of Power. The data they found demonstrated tensions around leadership and the distribution of Power.

Approximately 60% of participants reported they believed their organizations actively work to empower their people at all levels.

Also, 53% of those surveyed agreed that their organization rewards leaders for empowering people.

However, more than 50% stated that Power was concentrated among a few select individuals in their organization.

Also, 28% of participants agreed that top leaders misuse Power within their organizations.

Finally, only 29% believed that their organizations teach their leaders how to leverage their full Power effectively.

The data above makes it difficult for trainers and training organizations to teach practical views and use of Power within the company. With flatter organizational structures and self-directed work teams becoming more available to employees, it will increase the level of empowerment that employees must be allowed to experience in future years.

While some companies may reward leaders who empower their people, encouraging overall employee empowerment; however, fewer organizations provide opportunities to teach leaders how to effectively use their Power for the greater good of the organization.

Fortunately, or unfortunately, this leaves the definition of appropriate and effective use of Power primarily up to individual leaders.

Where can Power Originate

When you think about Power, you generally think about the control senior leaders exert from their positions atop the organizational hierarchy. However, Power extends far beyond the formal authority that comes from a title. All Stakeholders have access to some Power, but that Power often goes unrecognized or underutilized.

My research has found a sampling of the Power bases that leaders may leverage:

1. Power of Title is the formal authority allocated to a person’s title or position in a group or an organization. However, it may or may not be tied to an earned status based on experience.
2. Power of Influence is the aura generated by a leader’s style or persona, often explained as high energy or mystical presence.
3. Relationship Power is the influence leaders gain through their formal and informal networks inside and outside their organizations.
4. Information Power is the control that’s generated through the use of generated data, evidence, and logic used to make an argument.
5. Knowledge Power is the influence that comes from developing and communicating actual or perceived specialized knowledge in a particular niche or industry.
6. The Power of Threat is the ability to threaten or punish individuals for failure to conform to some set of standards or expectations that may or may not be sanctioned within the organization.
7. The Power of Positivity is the ability to recognize or reward individuals who perform and adhere to standards or expectations that may or may not be sanctioned within the organization.

Learning to Manage Power

My experience and observations indicate that leaders can be more effective when they emphasize the Relationship Power and Information Power and then expand on their other available bases of Power.

Here are some ideas to enhance Power effectiveness in the organization:

1. Relationships FIRST. Understanding connecting and building relationships is critical for improving the use of Power in ways that will benefit the organization. While some relationships may have more benefits to a leader, one must be able to respect and build relationships with all stakeholders.

Relationships require time, effort, and energy, so one must be prudent in how they invest but do it in a way that respect for individuals is maintained. Always seek to understand others better and learn to connect. Acknowledge others’ needs so the organization can encourage social interaction required to influence others.

Repairing damaged relationships and the possible image others may have of you should be a vital part of a leader’s growth. Begin by finding ways to reestablish trust with others through face-to-face interaction and sharing authentic discussions.

Self-awareness allows a leader to be cognizant of how others perceive them and look for ways to influence those perceptions by soliciting feedback from trusted others while remaining true to oneself. Avoid quid pro quo relationships because they will often cost more than effective negotiations.

2. Always Listen & Communicate. Who are the people you communicate with the most and why? Do they provide you with unique information or redundant information? Is the communication transparent, valuable, honest, and timely? Are you, as a leader, truly listening? Be open to expanding your network as a leader to find people who may be untapped sources of information.

3. Promote the vision and avoid personal agendas. Relationship Power can become an effective method for promoting a personal agenda, but it can have others perceive one as self-serving and arrogant. Leaders must be aware of these negative perceptions to leverage Relationship Power effectively. Advancing one’s agenda can often be viewed as a misuse of Power.

4. Generously & genuinely share information. Too many leaders look at the possession of knowledge as a POWER that is not to be shared. However, when you do share, amazing things can happen. Always share data, ideas, and thoughts, broadly and with integrity, within the confines of respect for confidentiality and trust. Don’t give the perception of hoarding information for personal gain.

5. Always give positive feedback. A general rule of thumb for feedback is that one should provide four positive inputs to every negative feedback given to people, regardless of position. This ratio usually lets the receiver believe that the input has been fair. The key is ensuring the positives are real, not trivial or contrived, and a coverup for delivering a negative message.

When a member fails to live up to expectations, it is essential to communicate and reiterate your standards and expectations but also provide support so people can improve. Being explicit about consequences for behavior or results that don’t meet expectations requires the ability for forgiveness, second chances, and practical, consistent follow-through without micromanaging. Trust can build rock-solid foundations.

6. Diversify Rewards. Today, many leaders assume that rewarding means giving people more money. Often many employees feel this is the only reward also. This option sounds easy, but it’s not always possible. Expand your mindset and consider recognizing and incentivizing your team members in other ways.

There is NO simple answer to offering rewards to employees. It is not a one-size fits all type of process. I find asking people to contribute ideas to the reward bucket can be stimulating and fun. The list can be extensive if one’s staff is creative and open with communications and trust.

7. Be Authentic. Being authentic is critical to the beneficial use of Power within any organization. Always keep the positive characteristics that make you who you are but try to identify 2 or 3 behaviors that might improve your ability to connect with others at all levels. Practice those new behaviors, enlisting help from a coach or mentor if needed.

8. Knowledge makes an expert. One of the fascinating facts surrounding Power that we often miss is that it’s generally in the eyes of the beholder. Sometimes this is conveyed with advanced degrees, demonstrated experience, or other references provided by an individual, which may or may not be authentic.

Power conveyed as an honor has no tangible backing and can be misleading. One can try to claim Power when not given, but it will result in a challenging situation for all. The perception of expertise can be fleeting.

However, if you are in a position because of some expert knowledge, find ways to benefit all organizational stakeholders by expanding that knowledge and expertise.

9. Always be willing to teach others. Having Power does no good if the goal is to hoard it. Power should be shared with stakeholders so that the organization can grow and become sustainable in the future.

Leaders must be willing to empower the people they lead. They also need to teach them how to use their available Power. Within the organization, some stakeholders are using their Power effectively. However, many are missing their potential, costing the company many ways. The willingness to teach others about Power is challenging for many leaders. There is much confusion surrounding leadership roles in the market today.

10. Strive for Unity, not Uniformity — In many organizations the goal is to get uniformity of attitude, action, voice, and thoughts however the real Power of an organization begins to blossom when they embrace diversity, inclusion, and participation.

While uniformity may provide economy of scale and reduce costs, it always destroys creativity and innovation in the process.

Allowing people to provide diverse thoughts, ideas, and recommendations will make the entire organization stronger but it means that everyone must allow for that diversity.

Every stakeholder is responsible for respecting the input and ideas of others within the organization but with the understanding that eventually an idea must be executed to be successful, so it requires collaboration and some concession on personal and individual ideas in preference to the greater good. If these attitudes are not shared within the organization, then someone will try to dominate with results being mixed. This is the most difficult of the ideas to grasp and execute.

For leaders and all stakeholders, the choices made regarding how power is utilized and shared are critical to the long-term success and growth of any company.