Power and Influence

Power and influence are intangible and ephemeral concepts but at the same time very real and important in any leadership/followership role. As indicated in Yukl's text "Leadership in Organization" power stems from many sources such as legitimate power, reward power, coercive power, referent power, expert power, information power, ecological power, lastly position and personal power. This is a lot of different types of power and, while it is strictly my opinion, I don't see leaders sitting around picking a type of power and then applying it to a situation. I do think that good leaders use different types of influence when called for, and a good leader may understand that referent power can be lost if the target loses affection for the agent. Good leaders may also know that coercive power may breed resentment. Other types of power such as expert and information stem from more technical prowess and information knowledge. These types of power are very handy but they may not be enough to gain promotion or additional responsibility. I believe that referent power coupled with expert power would be a winning combination for any leader. Add in a dash of charisma and I think one could be a great leader.


Power is used for many reasons such as achieving a unit goal or pursuing a strategic direction and it is expressed in many different ways. Power, in and of itself, is neutral it is how it is used that determines the "good" or "bad" of power. However, no matter what the end result of an application of power is; theory says that power is expressed through channels such as rational persuasion, apprising, and pressure. There are others and the underlying point of this post isn't to list them all but to illustrate that power has a type and a channel. The target of power will react to the type of power used, and also the channel through which it is channeled. Leaders need to be aware of the affects both can have.


As both leader and a follower I have experienced and used power and influence. As a non-commissioned officer I had positional and legitimate power but as a subject matter expert I also used expert power. However, as younger NCO I wasn't always the best at using power and as I grew as a leader I became better and gained more referent power. I had much better success with that type of power and I wish I had learned a few lessons faster than I had. Now I have clients that count on my expert power to help them get over barriers to employment. I have to say that I am a bit intimidated at times at the trust some of them place in me and I assure anyone reading this that I do not meant that in an egotistical way. It is actually quite humbling. I don't have any sort of legitimate power over the clients and in a way this is worse I have to rely only my skill and ability to persuade. You might say that I use rational persuasion quite a bit as a coach....and you would be incorrect. Many of my clients are immune to logic. Instead I have to find other motivational techniques to encourage them to reach goals.


Power and influence work two ways as well. I influence my boss to a certain extent as she trusts my work product as well as my knowledge. My clients also influence me in that I try to learn from each one of them and I often find myself learning new ways to approach the next client. I listen and change my approach based on what they are telling me. It is challenging and rewarding work.