On influencing people

In this and the subsequent posts, we will look at how to influence people. Influencing people is at the core of leadership, and hence is important to leading teams. In this post, we will examine the nature of power, and how to build and leverage power.

There are two categories of power:

• Formal power: heads of state, institutions, businesses etc. 
• Informal power: Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Occupy central in Hong Kong, Arab spring etc. 

What are the different types of power?

• Structural bases of power (research here)
• Reward power: Ability to reward etc. 
• Coercive power: Ability to force compliance, or punish 
• Legitimate power: Formal authority by rank 
• Personal bases of power (research here)
• Referent power: Influence by personal connection or shared beliefs
• Expert power: Influence by know-how (doctors, plumbers etc.) 
• Information power: Influence by possessing knowledge (real estate agents, wall street brokers etc.)
• Cognitive bases of power (research here)
• Priming: Inputs we receive from people, and how that makes us feel. 
• Beliefs: Cultural beliefs or ways of thinking, that make us feel powerful or not. For example, men are considered smarter/more powerful than women; so also with more senior people. 

What constitutes power? 

• The potential to influence 
• The ability to carry out one's position, despite resistance (Weber)
• The maximum potential ability of A to influence B (French and Raven)
• The ability to control outcome 
• The ability to control the things other people value, provides influence (Emerson)
• Asymmetric control in outcomes, when compared with others (Depret and Fiske)

What are the key characteristics of power?

• Power is relative: you are powerful wrt some, and some are powerful wrt you
• Power is contextual: Depends on the particular situation
• Power as control over outcomes varies, wrt stability, legitimacy, how formal it is etc. 
• Power varies as different people value different things 
• Power can be actual or perceptual: person and people co-create this perception

What are the benefits of power?

• Power enables action and proactivity (research here). See the blackjack experiment, and risk-taking. 
• Power reduces the need for conformity, and hence enhances creativity (research here). 
• Power reduces the feeling of burden, and challenges are seen as opportunities (research here). 
• Power promotes good health (probably because of the positive mindset?). Research here. 
• Of course, power causes advancement in career, better access to resources etc. 

What are the downsides of power?

• Power causes over-confidence (research here). See the predict-without-information experiment. Potentially, higher confidence in wrong decisions. 
• Power reduces openness to advice (research here, here). More risk that you do not take others' perspectives into account (especially if you think you are the expert) => wrong decisions. 
• Power makes us self-focused, causing us to lose empathy (research here). See the experiment on how powerful people get inspired by themselves mostly (showing narcissism). 
• When a formal leader feels powerful, they increase the amount of talk, causes lower open communication in the team (because you don't give them a chance to talk, especially for ideas that are contrary to yours creating a less safe environment), ultimately causing lower performance => less success for team => less success for you. Research here. 
• Power lends itself to abuse (Zimbardo experiments here). Remember the responsibility that comes with power!

How to build your bases of power?

• Structural bases
• Use symbols and artifacts to emphasize what legitimate power you have 
• Titles in email signatures, wearing medals/emblems, shirts with superstar designations, wearing formal clothes, calling meetings, having an office etc. 
• Make sure to not rub it in people's faces though!
• Emphasize connections to higher-power positions, individuals 
• Utilize non-monetary rewards
• Support: Providing emotional, social, or political support
• Benefits/favors: On the job help etc. 
• Avoid manipulation or coercion
• Short-term benefits, but typically do not work in the long term
• Personal bases
• Develop expertise in an area, and make it public
• Business cards, credentials, diplomas, emblems
• Develop persuasive abilities
• Leverage expertise to craft a story to persuade 
• Become a broker of info. within the company
• Info. that is rare, and that people want
• Develop charisma
• Cognitive bases
• Priming for power
• Open body postures
• Not only signals power to others, but physiologically impacts us positively
• Get feedback or reminders on positions of power 
• Find creative ways to be reminded of this!
• Recall an incident when you exercised power, and remind how you felt
• Challenge constraining beliefs/stereotypes
• Gender, age, tenure etc. 

Using power responsibly

• Power can both corrupt or enable. Research here, where people either took value for themselves, or gave back to others. 
• Depends on the moral identity: whether morality is inherently valued by the person or not
• Develop moral identity to use power responsibly!