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We all know that leaders lead. That’s what they do. But what makes someone follow a leader? Clearly, there are reasons why someone would follow a leader.
In reality there are many reasons why we would follow a leader. There could be any number of things about a given leader that makes us want to follow him or her. But at the most basic level, it comes down to Influence, Power and Authority.
Many times we end up using these three terms interchangeably. But I see them as three distinct things. I see Influence, Power and Authority as almost being on a continuum. Somewhere along the way I collected these definitions that help me to distinguish between the three:
Influence is the ability to change the course of an action or opinion.
Power is the ability of one person to exercise control over another.
Authority is power vested in a particular position.
Influence
We have the opportunity to influence others just by being. Sometimes this doesn’t require any additional interaction on our part. For instance, if I’m watching a particularly graphic movie (one with say an “R” rating for violence and language) and my daughter walks into the room and sits down, I change the channel and find something else to watch. She doesn’t have to say or do anything, just being in the room influences (changes the course of my actions) what I watch on TV. Arguably, she has neither the power nor the authority to make me change the channel, but her presence influences what I watch.
A number of years ago I had started work at a new organization and on my first day I was able to influence the course of a meeting just by being there. I was sitting on the left of the CEO who was sitting at the head of the table. She had started berating someone at the other end of the table, I mean really being verbally abusive. All I did was shift in my chair. Honestly I was squirming because I was so uncomfortable with what was happening. I didn’t say anything or even clear my throat. But she caught my movement out of the corner of her eye and quickly sat back and calmed down. As the new guy, I had neither power nor authority, but my presence was enough to change her behavior.
Power
When we have and exercise the power that we may possess, we are actually using that power to control what someone else is doing. Generally, the power we possess comes in two basic forms, we have either personal power or we have power based on our position. Using my daughter and the television as an example, if she is watching something that I deem to be inappropriate, say a particularly violent kids show, I could use my personal power to suggest to her why I think she shouldn’t be watching it. I can then show her something that I like better, and maybe sit and watch with her. Here I have used my personal power as an “expert” (Since I know more than she does it makes me the expert).
The same can happen in a work setting. If I’m unsure what impact a particular decision I am about to make is going to have on the bottom line, I will go to the Finance folks and ask. Since they are the experts, just having the knowledge to answer my questions gives them the power to significantly control my decision-making process.
Authority
Authority comes into play when we are using our position to control what someone else is doing. This is where I can tell my daughter to turn off the TV, “because I said so” and she will (usually) comply because of the authority I have as her father.
Many times we’ll see the infamous “do as I say, not as I do” come into play when someone is using their authority to get folks to do something. I remember one time seeing an executive send out a directive to his staff in the beginning of December that no one involved in the big project could take any time off over the holidays (even if they already had it scheduled and approved) unless and until they had completed all of their work on the project. Then he promptly took the last week and half of the year off himself.
Leaders have people follow them for all kinds of different reasons. But Influence, Power and Authority are three of the biggest reasons. Leaders need to be aware of how they get others to do what needs to be done. Whether we use influence, power or authority at any given time will have a huge impact on the response of our followers. In my next article I talk more about this.
Leader’s Reflection: Folks follow leaders for many different reasons, but among the most basic of reasons are the leader’s use of Influence, Power and Authority. How and when we use Influence, Power and Authority as a leader will determine the type of response we get from our followers.
I agree. And people will only follow you until you cease to be able to affect them. So if all you have is position power, don’t expect them to go beyond their own position for you.