Thankful for Sources of Power, 1 of 5

Women are often uncomfortable with—and conflicted by—the use of power. For many, ‘power’ holds a negative connotation because they think of it as having power over someone or something. Yet, power is seen as an important component of leadership, and the effective use of power is seen as critical to the success of executives.

To achieve greater success—both in the workplace and in their personal lives—women need to better understand power, where it comes from and how to use it effectively.

Joann M. Eisenhart, Ph.D., Senior Vice President for Human resources, Facilities and Philanthropy at Northwestern Mutual, studied the topic in her doctoral dissertation, The Meaning and Use of Power among Female Corporate Leaders. Her research focused on how female corporate leaders describe and use power. Twenty women from eight Fortune 1000 companies were interviewed for the study. The women were senior-level leaders, mainly mid-career, and ranged in age from 35 to 54.  As a result of the research, five distinct sources of power were identified.

Let’s explore Eisenhart’s five sources of power. What do they mean? How are they used? How do women feel about using them? What are the practical tips you can use to harness each of the five sources of power to achieve greater success?

Power Source No. 1: Position Power

Key to Success: Think of position power as power ‘with’ instead of power ‘over.’

Position power is the assumed authority granted by virtue of a person’s title or role within the organization. A certain amount of power and influence comes with any position. In her research, Eisenhart found almost half of the women said they did not feel good about using power related to their position, suggesting they may be resistant to the use of forms of power that could be perceived as coercive.

Reflecting on her own experience, however, Eisenhart acknowledged that people are put into positions of power because they are believed to have the knowledge, information and ability to move things forward – a responsibility leaders have an obligation to embrace. The challenge is to make sure they are clear on the difference between assuming decision-making responsibility and adopting a ‘Because I’m the boss’ attitude.

“If you make all the decisions, the rest of the team feels disempowered,” said Eisenhart. “So you have to find the right balance. Effective leaders are neither dictators nor abdicators of responsibility. They are somewhere in between.” Eisenhart says she’s become comfortable with her use of position power by adopting an approach she calls consult-decide. “I consult with the team, get all the perspectives to make sure I’m thinking as broadly as possible, and then make a decision. I think of it as power ‘with’ instead of power ‘over.’”

Balance Position Power

Be clear about how a decision will be made. Whether you use the consult-decide approach, make a decision unilaterally or empower others to make the call, be upfront and clear with your team about how any given decision will be made. When the expectation is clear, decisions can be made with a greater level of confidence.

Give others an opportunity… If members of your team always look to you or to someone else to make a decision, they won’t learn the value of taking a risk, making the decisions and living with the outcome. Do them a favor; give them a chance to succeed by giving them the chance to fail. And always have their back, no matter how the decision plays out.

…but don’t be apologetic when you need to make the call. Sometimes, however, consensus-building or empowering others to make a decision simply aren’t appropriate. Don’t apologize for taking the reins when you need to. It may make sense to use your position power, for example, when a decision needs to be made quickly or when having a sense of the bigger picture is required.

Power Source No. 2 – 5 to be continued…

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