In surveys of executives, influence is usually cited as one of the most important skill sets for leaders. Leaders are encouraged to learn effective communication and influence skills and use them in a conscious and tactical way to achieve specific objectives. However, in some organizations, the open use of influence is seldom seen and rarely encouraged. Instead, leaders attempt to achieve results either through the direct use of power or through manipulation…
These days, I’m troubled by the way power and influence is understood. Polls and recent election results from several countries suggest that many people are attracted to the idea of a “strong leader” – i.e., an authoritarian. In fact, there are many kinds of power – positional power, referent power (derived from one’s closeness to a source of power), relationship power, information power, moral authority. and many other names for the “ability to cause change,” as an old teacher of mine defined it. Personal power is based on a set of resources, tangible or intangible, that one controls, including personal properties such as beauty, intelligence, celebrity, and charisma. It is responded to or respected by those who need or want something from the person in power. It can be used for good or evil; to save or to destroy. Authoritarianism in families, governments, or organizations means a concentration of power in the hands of the few with the absence of individual freedom to make important choices.
Reading today’s headlines, one might think that power and influence derive only from being feared. And indeed, military and police power, authoritarian rule, and the ability to hire and fire, for example, have in common the resource of being able to hurt, punish, or extract concessions in exchange for compliance with the wishes of the person or group in authority. This kind of power, however, is not influential. Minds are not changed. Actions are often taken under duress, and the results are frequently of poor quality. People at the receiving end of authoritarian power do what they think they must do to avoid reprisal.
Influence is about putting power to work…
B. Kim Barnes (from “The Influence Guru”) As a long-time student of interpersonal influence, a frequent speaker and author of a book on the topic,[1] I’m inclined to assume that a failure to influence (mine or anyone else’s) is a …
By B. Kim Barnes Originally published on LinkedIn, May 15, 2023 A recent study by psychologist, Celeste Kidd and her collaborators at UC, Berkeley[1], showed that even a simple noun such as this could elicit dozens of different concepts in …
B. Kim Barnes (reprinted from “The Influence Guru”)
You’ve thought through how to approach your boss, your colleague, your partner. You have put together a solid and logical case that should meet their decision criteria. You have made an effort to understand their needs and believe you can show them that your idea will meet those needs beautifully. Somehow, though, your case falls flat. They give you a polite excuse, a rational-sounding rebuttal, an angry dismissal, or simply avoid responding at all. You’re puzzled and disappointed. It’s tempting to assume that they are simply resistant to change or to believe that they are being unreasonable. Of course, that often leads to a sense of futility, to giving up on that idea or that person’s potential support.