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 …
As a leader, you will often be called upon to intervene in conflict situations. Here are a few things NOT to do under those circumstances:
Don’t accept the ownership of the conflict situation if you have not been directly involved. In many conflict situations, the parties are able to and should be encouraged to resolve it themselves.
Don’t decide and communicate who is right and who is wrong or impose a solution…
B. Kim Barnes Norms for productive conflict resolution Establishing some explicit norms and demonstrating these approaches publicly can help create an environment in which productive conflict behaviors are seen as desirable and are practiced. Some “rules of the road,” if …
Establishing Conditions for Productive Conflict Management, Part 2: Norms and Practices Read more »