The term Power can be perceived as intimidating to some, but I think it should be revered. In fact, I feel at peace with the module seven (2015) commentary where it opined, “…power is a function of the leader, the followers, and the situation” (PSU, Module 7, p.2). Power is a necessary and reciprocated component that unleashes the potential energy of the leader. Every action requires some degree of power (or energy). Hand tools require human strength; wind requires solar heating; iPod’s require electricity; human life requires a heartbeat. Power is a good thing, and a leader requires power to function.
Imagine yourself stranded, alone, on a desert island in the middle of nowhere. The only thing you have on that isolated rock surrounded by an infinity of waves is a satellite phone that can reach anywhere in the world for rescue. The phone is the most valuable asset imaginable in this situation, obviously, but the battery seems to be dead. Though the phone is the most ideal thing, the perfect solution for this situation, it is useless without power. The leader, without power, is just another face in the crowd and as useless as the phone with a dead battery.
The high-performance sports car rested neatly upon ready asphalt is, by the sum of all its parts, capable of displaying extraordinary power once unleashed. That same car, however, requires a spark to ignite the fuel to ultimately unleash that power. Therefore, in the absence of the spark, the energy that the car possesses is only potential. Power is required to generate the spark that unleashes the potential power and transform it to real power. A leader is someone who possesses the potential, waiting for the spark.
Leaders whose potential is limitless surround us, but without giving them the power to influence others they are just a phone without a battery, or a car without a spark. If “power is the capacity to cause change and influence is the degree of actual change in attitudes, values, beliefs, or behaviors,” then how do we define capacity? (PSU, Module 7, p.2).
Capacity and potential may be closely related, but they are not the same. Where potential is more predictive, capacity may be more situational. If a leader has the capacity, then they have the position, function, or role of leader. What is most important for a leader to emerge is that they are identified as a leader by others, and then given the function of leader among them. This process may begin amongst peers, subordinates, or granted by seniors. If peers see the potential of another as a leader, then they begin to submit to the peer as a leader. In this scenario, peers gave the leader the ability to lead.
The subject of power related to leadership, and the various kinds of power, has interested me for about the last ten years. I first learned of the bases of power from a seven-week professional military education course that I attended, and it captivated me to the point of pursing the study of leadership. I have since used my continuing education on these various powers to influence the behavior of my subordinate leaders in training seminars, in an effort to make a more effective leadership team within my unit.
Since the military, my only point of reference, is a structured hierarchy, expert power is assumed among varying ranks and by virtue of their positions within an assigned occupational field. It is assumed, though not always factually based, that technical and tactical proficiency grow with each subsequent promotion, and therefore expert power exists among the ranks.
Unlike the assumption that is expert power in the military, legitimate power is granted by United States code title 10, and the promotion warrants issued with each respective promotion. In fact, our promotion warrants literally read “all personnel of lesser grade will render obedience to appropriate orders,” which pays compliment to the assumption of the civilian population that military members simply respond to orders (MCO P1400.32D, 2010).
Reward power is also inherent with promotions at certain levels, where the ability to award and punish are maintained (usually Officers in the grade of O-3 [Captain] and above). However, there are also tangible, non-career advancing awards and lesser forms of punishment that do not require title 10 authorities that can be exercised by enlisted members.
Coercive power is the socially perceived power that the military leverages within its ranks, although it is ironically the least encouraged type of power to use after the initial training cycle. Stanley Kubrick’s Vietnam classic Full Metal Jacket (1987) follows a platoon of Marines from boot camp through Vietnam, and highlights both the coercive and legitimate power that is retained among leaders in the military (in historically accurate, if not brutal depiction). Many mistakenly believe this vivid depiction to be accurate throughout tenure in the military.
Often, social perception of the military is that every day is like Hollywood’s scewed version of our day, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. Aspiring leaders in the military try regularly to exercise referent power by inspiring and influencing their subordinates in what we commonly refer to as “buy in.” This is important, if not critical, because no amount of coercive or legitimate power alone will compel someone to run toward the sound of gunfire and chaos; they need to believe in the cause and have confidence in the leadership.
Power is the capacity to produce effects on others (House, 1984), or the potential to influence others (Bass, 1990) (Northouse, 2013). Leaders exist to produce effects on others, or influence others. I have committed to enduring twenty-two years of a demanding career simply because my sphere of influence has continued to grow. That sphere of influence has allowed me to positively impact many lives, and until I am rendered irrelevant as a leader than I have an obligation to lead. Without the aforementioned types of power at my disposal, my sphere of influence would not exist and I may not have been recognized as a leader. Rather, I would be another face in the crowd. Though I believe a leader should not self-identify as a leader before their subordinates declare them one, I believe we should all seek the power to test our potential as a leader.
References
Northouse, P.G. (2013). Leadership: Theory and Practice. Los Angeles: Sage Publications.
Pennsylvania State University World Campus (2015, January). PSYCH 485 Module 7: Power and Influence.
United States (2006). United States Marine Corps Promotion Manual. MCO P1400.32D. May 11, 2006. Print.
Chandra Leah Allyn says
I think you did an amazing job using examples to demonstrate your point. Power is a needed component of leadership, however, the ability to influence others is the “spark” that ultimately shows the strength and potential of the leader. “Power is the capacity to cause change and influence is the degree of actual change in attitudes…” (PSYCH 485, 2015). I believe influence is the most important duty of any leader, to create a vision that others can work towards, and even more importantly, getting subordinates to where they feel enabled to work on their own visions.
References:
PSYCH 485 (2015). Lesson 7: Power and Influence. Retrieved on March 19, 2015 from: http://sites.psu.edu/leadership/2015/03/18/power-hungry-the-emergence-of-a-leader/