4. Informational Power.
Possessing needed or wanted information. People with high informational power wield influence because they control access.
5. Reward Power.
Motivating people to respond in order to win raises, promotions and awards.
6. Referent Power.
Dependent on personal traits and values such as honesty, integrity and trustworthiness. People with high referent power can highly influence anyone who admires and respects them.
7. Connection Power.
Creating influence by proxy. People employing this power build important coalitions with others.
These seven types of power generally fall into one of two categories: Formal Power (legitimate, coercive and reward) and Informal Power (referent, expert, informational and connection). As a leader, you may use most, if not all, of these types of power during a typical day.
But when it comes to influencing people without creating potentially negative side effects, referent, expert, informational and legitimate power seem to work best.
Coercive, connection and reward power require more careful application because they rely on a higher degree of trust and risk and, therefore, can become easily manipulative.
You’ve got the power … don’t blow it.
Inspired by What Keeps Leaders Up at Night by Nicole Lipkin
