In today's episode, joining Michelle and Maria is Keith, who brings up a topic that impacts a broad spectrum of people: influential versus authority power. Together, they look at how we spend a lot of time discussing how leadership is not a position and how anybody can be a leader. But when it comes down to day-to-day operations, sometimes people are fearful about stepping outside the parameters of what's always been done.
They go on to review that one important thing for people moving up their ladder in their career is to remember that the most potent power they're going to have is the power of influence. If somebody is given power based on a title, they don't have to exert much influence on the people reporting to them. Positional or authority power is only going to maintain the status quo. It's not going to help anything grow. So even for those in positions of authority, our panel today clearly advises that the more you develop and flex those skills of influential power, the more impact you will have on your career.
The Finer Details of This Episode:
Quotes:
"The stronger your ability to influence others is, the less you will have to rely on the power of authority."
"If somebody is challenging your power as an authority figure, there's a problem with your influential power because that means people are not willingly following."
"The only time that you're going to be followed for your authoritarian or positional power is when you're being followed out of fear, when people are fearing losing their position, when they're fearful of being reprimanded."
"Influential power leaves the choice up to the employee whether or not they're going to follow you, whereas authoritarian power is you are not giving them any choice; you're giving them an ultimatum."
"If the only tool in your bag is a hammer, you will treat everything like a nail."
"My style is more of an influential style, where I want people to follow me because they believe in the message. They believe in the value of our organization."
"The best leaders can positively influence the thoughts, feelings, and actions of others that promote growth. If you were to look up a psychological definition of love, it is thoughts, feelings, and actions that promote growth."
"The influential leader genuinely cares about the people following them."
Show Links & Resources:
REL Talent: HR Consulting
Email REL Talent
REL Talent on LinkedIn
Start with Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action
How to Win Friends and Influence People
How to Lead When You're Not in Charge: Leveraging Influence When You Lack
AuthorityLeaders Eat Last: Why Some Teams Pull Together and Others Don't
