A520.9.5.RB - Power
Power in the workforce is a fine line to walk because one cannot be over assertive and destroy a company by mentally hurting employees but on the other hand, one cannot be non-influential and lack skills to influence others. As a leader, it is important to understand the balance of a solid foundation of credibility (Tardanico, 2011) as well as have interpersonal skills (Tardanico, 2011) in order to work with others and communicate. As a future leader there are a few questions I must look at first, am I comfortable to develop sources of personal influence to gain power, do I have the characteristics of a likeable individual and am I capable to influence up and down the organization I work for based on data from (Whetten & Cameron, 2011)?
The sources of personal power are expertise, personal attraction, effort and legitimacy; all of these are necessary to determine if one has the influence to gain power (Whetten & Cameron, 2011). As I am working toward becoming an influential leader I have to take the four sources and determine if I am capable of developing the skills necessary. Expertise is understanding knowledge about the job and gaining experience to increase my skills; I must be willing to learn through on the job training as well as formal training to improve my expertise. The personal attraction of power has several components that must all work together which include charisma, agreeable behavior and physical characteristics (Whetten & Cameron, 2011). Effort is putting in the time and commitment to be considered reliable and a dependable employee (Whetten & Cameron, 2011). Finally, legitimacy which is keeping my behavior in line and consistent with organizational values (Whetten & Cameron, 2011). It will take several years in order for me to work my way up to meeting all four skills because I will need to improve my expertise and skills in my field. As I grow and develop as an employee I will believe I will be capable of mastering the skills necessary to improve my strengths of power.
The table of characteristics of likeable people (pg. 290) I do not believe I have achieved all six qualities. If I take an honest and humble look at who I am, I lack one skill I believe is necessary; the skill of unconditional positive regard and acceptance (Whetten & Cameron, 2011), I will support others but I cannot say I will like their decisions. This is a struggle because I want to be the kind of person that will support others regardless of their decisions because it is their free will decided and act as they please. This is one specific characteristic I work on daily and will continue to work toward; if I want others to support me, I must be willing to do the same in return.
Finally, am I capable of influencing up and down the organization I work for? At this time, I am not capable of this and will have many more years to practice before I am influential. Right now I am the low man on the totem pole and have years of practice and learning before I reach a level capable of influencing others. It is important to work with baby steps because it is a learning process which takes time and will not happen overnight.
In conclusion, I have several years of practice to be able to develop personal influence skills, attain additional skills to improve my likeable characteristics, and work on influencing others who I work for. The skills necessary will not occur overnight and I must be humble to realize I may not achieve all the necessary skills to be a great leader because I am who I am; however, it is in my best interest to continue working toward improvement daily.
Resources
Tardanico, S. (2011, December 21). Five Steps to Increase Your Influence. Retrieved August 1, 2015, from Forbes website: http://www.forbes.com/sites/work-in-progress/2011/12/21/
five-steps-to-increase-your-influence/
Whetten, D. A., & Cameron, K. S. (2011). Gaining Power and Influence. In Developing Management Skills (Eighth ed., pp. 281-321). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education.
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