SPEND LESS TIME EXERTING CONTROL AND MORE TIME MOBILIZING ENERGY AND COMMITMENT.
As most leaders discover sooner or later, effectively wielding power is rarely straightforward. Simply exercising control over others — the traditional concept of power — is often not the best strategy; it may not even be an option. When the path ahead or the very need for change is in dispute, when looking to seize an opportunity rather than put out a fire, when working across silos where claims to authority may be ambiguous and contested, leaders should take a different approach.
Based on decades of research and consulting with executives and managers, we have developed an approach to power that goes beyond exerting control and mobilizes others’ energy and commitment. Our model of power focuses on its three core dimensions: situational, relational and dynamic. The degree to which you draw on all three will determine how effectively you get things done.
POWER IS SITUATIONAL
Leaders often view power as a purely personal quality, derived from their formal roles and titles, accreditations, skills and experience; from the information they control and the reputation they’ve built; and from their charisma, resilience and energy. But power also arises from and depends on situational factors such as your objectives, the environment and bases of power. Stanford professor Jeffrey Pfeffer has observed that one of the primary ways leaders limit their own power is by failing to search for and cultivate sources of influence beyond formal authority and personal charisma.
THINK EXPANSIVELY ABOUT THE CHANGE YOU SEEK. Begin by considering the nature of your goal. Then think about how you might engage others’ energy and commitment to achieve that goal. Ask yourself not just why the goal is important to you but also why it might be important to your colleagues, your company and society. By drilling down into these questions, you can capture the emotions needed to win the hearts and minds of others while accumulating resilience and energy for the work ahead.
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IDENTIFY HIDDEN ROADBLOCKS AND TURN THEM TO YOUR ADVANTAGE. Most people believe in a just world — one in which credit and rewards accrue in accordance with performance. But Massachusetts Institute of Technology professor Emilio Castilla’s research on the so-called meritocracy paradox finds that bias is higher in contexts that focus exclusively on who is most deserving. Situational power, then, starts with the recognition that working harder and smarter often fails to achieve the “earned” outcome. To get results, leaders should instead work with trusted colleagues and stakeholders to assess the lay of the land and identify blind spots.
LOOK BEYOND TITLES AND CREDENTIALS. Titles and credentials can secure a place at the table — but they are not always sufficient for the effective exercise of power. When considering a new position, leaders should think not only about what titles and resources the job confers but also about whether the culture is one in which they can thrive.
POWER IS RELATIONAL
Beyond your personal attributes and the situational factors in your organization, your power is also enabled and constrained by your interactions with others. The relationships and coalitions you forge can be a major source of support, advice, information and resources; those you overlook or ignore can loom as potential points of resistance.
SCOPE OUT THE LANDSCAPE. Consider who could help you advance your ideas and then map the array of allies, resisters and others who might affect your efforts. This will help you understand people’s positions and priorities, actual and possible points of resistance and potential blocking and supporting coalitions. Then ask yourself, What sources of influence can I deploy to engage others?
ELICIT INSIGHTS FROM KEY PARTIES AND INVITE THEM TO CO-CREATE SOLUTIONS. A pediatrician at a large New England hospital learned the value of this approach. “Usually I would develop what I thought was a good idea and then worry about getting others to adopt it,” she says. “But nothing would happen: People resisted, either openly or passively. Finally, I began to take time upfront — engaging in empathic inquiry and inviting others to co-create a solution with me — and the results have been incredible.”
ATTEND TO RECIPROCITY AND DEPENDENCY. When assessing their power, Pfeffer says, leaders need to map their dependencies. Your position in the flow of resources may be as important as your formal title; you can accrue power by controlling and creating resources that others need. The fewer substitutes for the resources you command, the more power you have.
LEVERAGE RELATIONSHIPS AMONG OTHERS. As the sociologist Ron Burt has noted, relational power often comes from brokering connections among others — which may require some finesse. While leaders can often extract information and value by keeping people strategically isolated, that approach may undermine trust and commitment.
MAKE SMART TRADE-OFFS. Because relationships require investment and nurturing, you need to make choices about whom you will interact with, how often and on what terms.
POWER IS DYNAMIC
Our research suggests that to maintain power, leaders must continually adapt to changes in organizational and social systems.
PAUSE, REFLECT AND PIVOT. As entrepreneurs and innovators know, bringing a product or service to market is rarely a linear process. The same is true of the exercise of power: At points it is best to defer decisions, reflect on new information or how your efforts fit within a changing context and revise the path ahead. Other times it is wise to step away and recharge. In such instances, it’s important to think creatively about new ways to engage your target.
USE EXPERIMENTS TO YOUR ADVANTAGE. Each new stage in a career, each new assignment, brings a new power landscape and the opportunity to design a new influence approach. Many of the successful leaders we’ve studied engage in formal and informal experimentation, trying different approaches in similar settings and observing others’ approaches.
GIVE RESISTERS TIME TO COME ON BOARD. People grow accustomed to the way power is distributed in their organizations, and they are more comfortable lending energy and commitment to those they know. Those dynamics can fuel resistance to new leaders. It can help to examine how others before you have fared. New leaders should understand that it may take time for people to transfer their allegiance.
THE APPROPRIATE USE of power is one of the most fundamental and contentious questions of the human condition. Leaders can mobilize energy for personal gain or for collective interests; to enhance potential or destroy it. A thoughtful approach to power requires a nuanced analysis of the intended and unintended effects of influence and close attention to the means as well as the ends.
Elizabeth Long Lingo is an assistant professor of innovative leadership and creative enterprise at Worcester Polytechnic Institute. Kathleen L. McGinn is the Cahners-Rabb professor of business administration and the senior associate dean for faculty strategy and recruiting at Harvard Business School.
