The Dual Nature of Power: Personal vs. Positional
In professional environments, the concept of "growing power" is often misunderstood. Many assume it comes solely from climbing the corporate ladder, but this view is incomplete. In reality, power stems from two overarching and interconnected sources: personal power and positional power. Understanding the difference is crucial for anyone looking to build genuine and lasting influence.
Positional Power: The Authority of Your Role
Positional power, sometimes called formal or legitimate power, is derived directly from your title and place within an organization's hierarchy. This is the authority a CEO has over employees or a manager has over their direct reports. While effective for issuing commands and ensuring compliance, relying exclusively on positional power can be a fragile and limited strategy. A manager who uses only their authority to get things done may achieve compliance but risks breeding resentment and low morale among their team. Positional power can also be lost instantly if you change jobs or are demoted.
There are several key types of positional power:
- Legitimate Power: This is the formal authority granted by your job title or position. It's the most basic form of power and is limited to the scope of your role.
- Reward Power: This arises from your ability to provide positive incentives, such as bonuses, promotions, or recognition. When used effectively and fairly, it can be a strong motivator.
- Coercive Power: This is the ability to impose sanctions or threats of punishment. While it can ensure compliance, it often damages trust and should be used with great caution.
Personal Power: The Strength of Your Character and Skills
In contrast, personal power is earned through your individual qualities, expertise, and relationships, independent of your title. It is far more resilient than positional power because it cannot be taken away by a change in job title. The most effective leaders combine both forms, using their personal power to inspire and motivate, while leveraging positional power for strategic decision-making.
Key sources of personal power include:
- Expert Power: This comes from possessing valuable knowledge, skills, or expertise in a particular area. When others recognize your competence, they will seek out your advice and defer to your judgment, naturally increasing your influence.
- Referent Power: This power is built on admiration, trust, and respect. When people like, trust, and identify with you, they are more likely to be influenced by you voluntarily. Charisma and strong interpersonal skills are major contributors here.
- Informational Power: Gaining control over access to information gives you power. Whether it's data about a project or insight into organizational dynamics, having valuable information and sharing it judiciously can increase your influence.
- Connection Power: This form of power is derived from your network and relationships with key individuals inside and outside the organization. The perception of your connections can create influence, as people understand your potential reach and ability to mobilize resources.
Building Growing Power: A Comparative Approach
Building both personal and positional power requires deliberate effort and a strategic mindset. The following table compares how to develop and leverage each type of power for maximum professional impact.
| Aspect | Developing Positional Power | Developing Personal Power |
|---|---|---|
| Basis of Influence | Formal authority and organizational structure. | Individual qualities, expertise, and relationships. |
| Primary Method | Climbing the organizational hierarchy through promotions and title changes. | Cultivating skills, building trust, and expanding your network. |
| Key Actions | Take initiative on high-profile projects, mentor others, and seek sponsorship from senior leaders. | Practice active listening, communicate with clarity, and consistently deliver high-quality work. |
| Effectiveness | Strong for ensuring compliance with policies and directives. | Powerful for motivating and inspiring genuine buy-in and alignment. |
| Sustainability | Dependent on your role and can be lost if you leave the position. | Enduring and portable, as it's tied to your character and reputation. |
| Risk of Misuse | High risk of creating resentment if used coercively or without integrity. | Can be misused for manipulation, but generally leads to more positive outcomes. |
| Example | A manager mandates a new process and uses their authority to enforce it. | An expert's ideas are adopted by a team because of their credibility and knowledge, not just their title. |
The Importance of Integrative Power
Great leaders don't choose between personal and positional power; they integrate both. An empathetic manager with legitimate authority can delegate effectively by understanding their team's strengths and motivations. A charismatic junior employee with expert knowledge can influence major decisions by building trust and demonstrating their value, even without formal authority. This holistic approach allows for a more flexible, adaptive, and human-centric style of leadership that produces stronger, more sustainable results.
The Journey to Influence
Building growing power is a continuous process of self-improvement and relationship-building. It requires a growth mindset and a commitment to adding value beyond your job description. By focusing on becoming an expert in your field, nurturing your relationships, and acting with integrity, you can build a form of influence that will follow you throughout your career, giving you the power to create lasting change.
Conclusion To truly understand where you get growing power, you must look beyond the formal structures of an organization and recognize the profound impact of individual qualities. While positional authority provides a clear pathway for influence, it is personal power—built on expertise, character, and relationships—that creates the most resilient and meaningful professional success. By consciously developing both forms, you can become a more effective and respected leader, capable of inspiring others and achieving your career goals. This dual-focus approach ensures that your influence is not just given but earned and deeply respected.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q1: Is it bad to want power in the workplace? A1: No, wanting power is not inherently bad. As defined in a psychological context, power is the ability to get things done through others. When pursued ethically and used to empower teams and achieve positive outcomes, it is a crucial component of effective leadership and professional success.
Q2: How can I build expert power? A2: Building expert power involves becoming a go-to source of knowledge and skill in a specific area. You can achieve this by constantly learning, seeking additional training or certifications, and generously sharing your expertise to help colleagues solve problems.
Q3: What's the best way to build referent power? A3: Referent power comes from being liked and respected. You can build it by being empathetic, a good listener, and a team player. Consistently acting with integrity and leading by example will help foster trust and respect from others.
Q4: How does networking contribute to growing power? A4: Strategic networking helps build connection power and relationship power. By cultivating relationships with key stakeholders, peers, and mentors, you can gain access to valuable resources and information, and your network can vouch for your capabilities when opportunities arise.
Q5: Can you have personal power without positional power? A5: Yes, absolutely. An individual contributor can wield significant personal power by being highly knowledgeable (expert power) and respected by their colleagues (referent power), allowing them to influence decisions and motivate peers without a management title.
Q6: What is the biggest mistake people make when seeking power? A6: A common mistake is relying too heavily on coercive power, using threats or intimidation to force compliance. This approach erodes trust, demotivates teams, and is ultimately an unsustainable path to influence. The most effective leaders know that genuine influence is earned, not demanded.
Q7: How does emotional intelligence relate to power? A7: Emotional intelligence is critical for building personal power, particularly referent and relationship power. It enables you to understand, empathize with, and motivate others, fostering stronger connections and encouraging voluntary buy-in rather than forced compliance.
Q8: Can technology affect my growing power? A8: Yes. Technology has created new avenues for developing power, such as informational power through data analysis or building an authoritative personal brand via social media. Digital influence and thought leadership have become powerful tools for career growth.
Q9: What's the difference between influence and power? A9: While related, power is the potential to influence, while influence is the exercise of that power. You can possess different sources of power (e.g., expertise), but influence is what happens when you effectively use that power to change someone's behavior or perspective.
Q10: Is it possible to lose personal power? A10: Personal power is more resilient than positional power, but it can be diminished. A loss of integrity, a failure to stay current in your field, or broken trust can all weaken your personal power. It requires continuous effort to maintain and grow.
Q11: How do you balance being influential without being perceived as manipulative? A11: The key is to act with integrity and transparency. Use your power to help and empower others, rather than for purely self-serving motives. Genuinely caring about the well-being of others and showing that your goals align with theirs builds trust and prevents being seen as manipulative.
Q12: How can I build growing power if I'm new to an organization? A12: Focus on building your expert and referent power. Listen actively, showcase your skills, and build strong relationships with colleagues and managers. Consistently delivering high-quality work and offering help where you can will quickly establish your credibility and lay the groundwork for influence.
