Do You Have the Power
Do You Have the Power
Let’s take a look at an example that might help clear up the distinction. Consider a large tax preparation firm with 10 clerks and a supervisor. The supervisor is responsible for overseeing the work of the clerks, answering questions, monitoring productivity, etc. Yet, among the clerks, there is one person whom everyone else goes to when they have a question. That person gets more work done with more accuracy than the others. It’s the person that the other clerks want to go to lunch with, the person that is the “unofficial” spokesperson for the department.
The supervisor, because of the position, is the head of the department. While he does have a leadership role, it is due solely to the position. The supervisor has authority but little power. The employee has an ability to influence peers in the department. They look up to her and respond to her directives. They see what she is capable of doing and strive to meet those standards. The employee has power but little authority.
Power is the ability or capacity to act in ways which influence the behavior of others. It has little to do with the position you hold inside or outside of an organization. Power is a measure of your effectiveness, your ability to achieve results and to motivate others. Power is something you are granted by those over whom you have influence. You must earn it; power can’t be taken.
Authority, on the other hand, results from position. In an attempt to manage and control the organization, authority to make decisions and resolve disputes is assigned to individuals. Authority is not always assigned to those who have power. Often it is assigned for very different reasons.
Successful leaders possess a great deal of power, whether or not they have much authority. Simply holding a position of authority is little assurance that you wield much power.
Dysfunctional leadership is most often found among managers with little power who depend upon their position to exercise authority. The unfortunate result is the deterioration of what ever power they had. When people are subjected to the constant abuse of authority as a way to achieve results, they develop all sorts of defense mechanisms to protect themselves. The harder the authoritative leader pushes, the more determined the employee is to push back. The symptoms one sees when authority is abused is high turnover, grievances, absenteeism, and a lack of cooperation. Authority diminishes rather than enhances productivity and creativity.
Formal leaders who have both power and authority are effective because they use authority only a last resort. They’ve developed an atmosphere of mutual trust and cooperation where everyone knows what’s at stake and wants to contribute to success. In a climate of trust and dignity, people will work and achieve because of the value they place on themselves and on the goals of the organization.
Authority fills a necessary role and leaders should not shy away from its judicial use when necessary. Leaders who have developed and been granted power will find the use of authority less often necessary. Succeeding in a highly competitive and changing environment means everyone must be focused on customer satisfaction and productivity. Leaders whose behavior encourages people to create and embrace innovative ways of approaching their work will ultimately win the battle. In the words of Dwight Eisenhower, “Leadership is the art of getting someone else to do something you want done because he wants to do it.”
Do You Have the Power - To learn more about this author, visit Bill Gschwind's Website.
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We often confuse leadership with management. Too many outstanding managers are thrust into positions of leadership and fail miserably. Effective leadership has little to do with the ability to manage. Nothing says an effective leader can’t manage but they are two different functions.
Let’s take a look at an example that might help clear up the distinction. Consider a large tax preparation firm with 10 clerks and a supervisor. The supervisor is responsible for overseeing the work of the clerks, answering questions, monitoring productivity, etc. Yet, among the clerks, there is one person whom everyone else goes to when they have a question. That person gets more work done with more accuracy than the others. It’s the person that the other clerks want to go to lunch with, the person that is the “unofficial” spokesperson for the department.
The supervisor, because of the position, is the head of the department. While he does have a leadership role, it is due solely to the position. The supervisor has authority but little power. The employee has an ability to influence peers in the department. They look up to her and respond to her directives. They see what she is capable of doing and strive to meet those standards. The employee has power but little authority.
Power is the ability or capacity to act in ways which influence the behavior of others. It has little to do with the position you hold inside or outside of an organization. Power is a measure of your effectiveness, your ability to achieve results and to motivate others. Power is something you are granted by those over whom you have influence. You must earn it; power can’t be taken.
Authority, on the other hand, results from position. In an attempt to manage and control the organization, authority to make decisions and resolve disputes is assigned to individuals. Authority is not always assigned to those who have power. Often it is assigned for very different reasons.
Successful leaders possess a great deal of power, whether or not they have much authority. Simply holding a position of authority is little assurance that you wield much power.
Dysfunctional leadership is most often found among managers with little power who depend upon their position to exercise authority. The unfortunate result is the deterioration of what ever power they had. When people are subjected to the constant abuse of authority as a way to achieve results, they develop all sorts of defense mechanisms to protect themselves. The harder the authoritative leader pushes, the more determined the employee is to push back. The symptoms one sees when authority is abused is high turnover, grievances, absenteeism, and a lack of cooperation. Authority diminishes rather than enhances productivity and creativity.
Formal leaders who have both power and authority are effective because they use authority only a last resort. They’ve developed an atmosphere of mutual trust and cooperation where everyone knows what’s at stake and wants to contribute to success. In a climate of trust and dignity, people will work and achieve because of the value they place on themselves and on the goals of the organization.
Authority fills a necessary role and leaders should not shy away from its judicial use when necessary. Leaders who have developed and been granted power will find the use of authority less often necessary. Succeeding in a highly competitive and changing environment means everyone must be focused on customer satisfaction and productivity. Leaders whose behavior encourages people to create and embrace innovative ways of approaching their work will ultimately win the battle. In the words of Dwight Eisenhower, “Leadership is the art of getting someone else to do something you want done because he wants to do it.”
Do You Have the Power - To learn more about this author, visit Bill Gschwind's Website.
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John PowerJohn Power, founder of Biltmore Franchise Consulting, has extensive experience developing and marketing franchises and business opportunities. He has been in and around franchising for over twenty years. From 1980 through 1990 he conceptualized, organized, and developed the American Video Association. He grew AVA to 2,000 national members, before selling the company it 1990. It was later merged into another home video marketing company. From 2000 to 2005 he worked as a contract marketing and human resources consultant to several local and national companies. In 2005 Mr. Power began working as a franchise development consultant on a full-time basis. Since that time he has helped more than three dozen companies initiate and develop their franchising program. He notes that there are many companies interested in developing a franchise program, and who need his specialized assistance. Mr. Power is a “hands-on” franchise consultant. He said, “I am the ‘nuts and bolts’ person who tends to the details for my clients.” Mr. Power holds a B.S. degree with a major in Marketing. See: www.biltmorefranchise.com You may contact Mr. Power at: jpower@biltmorefranchise.co - Visit John Power's Website |
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Kim CastleWith nearly two decades in the advertising and design business, with clients like Domino's Pizza, General Motors, Direct TV, Pedigree, Wolfgang Puck, Higher Octave Music, Hollywood Celebrity Products, Disney, and Paramount, as well as thousands of entrepreneurs around the world define, structure, communicate, and position their business for greater profits, BrandU(R) co-creators Kim Castle and W. Vito Montone discovered that entrepreneurs could experience the same power that big brands command for a fraction of the cost with the world's only process-based results-drive Integral approach to business creation. BrandU(R) is helping entrepreneurs grow with the power of extreme clarity from idea...to brand...to market(TM) and helping one million entrepreneurs become successful and whole so that they can make a difference in the world. Are you one of them? If you want to experience clarity all the way to the bank(TM), get started now at http://www.brandu.com. - Visit Kim Castle's Website |
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Dave KurlanDave Kurlan is the founder and CEO of Objective Management Group, Inc., the industry leader in sales assessments and sales force evaluations, and the CEO of David Kurlan & Associates, Inc., a consulting firm specializing in sales force development. Dave has been a top rated speaker at Inc. Magazine's Conference on Growing the Company, the Sales & Marketing Management Conference and the Gazelles Sales & Marketing Summit. He has been featured on radio and TV, including World Business Review with General Norman Schwarzkopf, in Inc. Magazine, Selling Power Magazine, Sales & Marketing Management Magazine and Incentive Magazine. He is the author of Mindless Selling and Baseline Selling – How to Become a Sales Superstar by Using What You Already Know about the Game of Baseball. He created and wrote STAR, a proprietary recruiting process for hiring great salespeople, and he writes Understanding the Sales Force, a popular business Blog and is a contributing author to The Death of 20th Century Selling and 101 Great Ways to Improve Your Life, Volume 2. - Visit Dave Kurlan's Website |
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George LudwigGeorge Ludwig is a recognized authority on sales strategy and peak performance psychology. An international speaker, trainer, and corporate consultant, he helps clients like Johnson & Johnson, Abbott Laboratories, Northwestern Mutual, CIGNA, and numerous others improve sales force effectiveness and performance. Though it's George's strategies and processes that help corporations increase productivity and performance, it's his tremendous energy and dynamism that spark the transformation. Again and again, clients remark on his amazing ability to unleash human capacity and inspire men and women to break out of their comfort zones. The result is a whole new type of salesperson. His customized presentations teach achievers to make stunning advances in their lives. From helping salespeople realize cherished dreams to helping corporations exponentially accelerate revenue streams, George Ludwig leaves audiences and individuals empowered, emboldened, and clamoring for more. George is the best-selling author of Power Selling: Seven Strategies for Cracking the Sales Code and Wise Moves: 60 Quick Tips to Improve Your Position in Life & Business. - Visit George Ludwig's Website |
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Linda RichardsonLinda Richardson is the Founder and Executive Chairwoman of Richardson, a global sales training and performance improvement company. As a recognized leader in the industry, she has won the coveted Stevie Award for Lifetime Achievement in Sales Excellence and she was identified by Training Industry, Inc. as one of the “Top 20 Most Influential Training Professionals.” Ms. Richardson is credited with the movement to Consultative Selling and is the author of ten books on selling and sales management, including Sales Coaching — Making the Great Leap from Sales Manager to Sales Coach, and Stop Telling, Start Selling. She teaches sales and management at the Wharton Graduate School of the University of Pennsylvania and the Wharton Executive Development Center. Linda is a frequent speaker at industry and client conferences, has been published extensively in industry and training journals, and has been featured in numerous publications, including The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Nation’s Business, Selling Power, Success, and The Conference Board Magazine. Learn more about Richardson's sales training and performance improvement solutions at http://www.richardson.com web - Visit Linda Richardson's Website |
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