The definition of personal power denotes the ability to exert influence over events and individuals. In this case, personal power is the power that emanates from individual traits instead of formal authority. Personal power is independent of the organization and is about the personality and knowledge of the individual. This power is deemed more of a state of mind whereby individuals with strong personal power tend to focus on their abilities and efficacies for cooperation with others. What is personal power in leadership? In leadership, personal power refers to an individual's power based on their characteristics, competencies, skills, and other personal attributes. Hence, this power contains the ability to motivate and inspire others.
Moreover, managers that hold personal power attract the commitment of their subordinates. Personal power consists of two bases that include; expert power and referent power. Expert power enables the managers to influence subordinates' behaviors through their experience and special knowledge concerning the role in which the subordinates are responsible for performing. A manager becomes a holder of expert power by understanding the performance of tasks related to the job that subordinates are required to know. On the other hand, referent power is generated from the adoration and respect of the manager by their subordinates. This power is seen when the workers identify themselves with the managers they admire. However, referent power is mainly expressed by charismatic leaders who possess the ability to induce followership passion due to their magnetic personalities.
Referent Power
Referent power is a form of power derived from the leader's ability to influence and inspire others. Also, referent power is the adoration and respect accorded to the managers by their subordinates. In this light, this power is derived from how individuals like, admire, and respect a certain leader. Thus, charismatic leaders employ referent power to inspire and attracts subordinate. In this light, the referent powers generate strong connections between managers and followers. This is because referent power unites the teams' members, thus improving productivity. Referent power inspires the employees to work hard to achieve their set goals. Also, Referent power enables the leader to employ their personal qualities and interpersonal skills to convert the subordinates into loyal followers. This is because the followers aspire to gain the approval of their leaders by imitating the ways their leaders express, think, and behave. In this light, the subordinate views their leader as a role model.
Therefore, referent power improves the retention rate of employees since motivated employees are less likely to the organization. Referent power forms a positive, trusting relationship among the employees because referent leaders are supportive and encouraging. Referent leaders are always willing to generate innovative solutions to the challenges experienced by their subordinates. This minimizes employees' stress points and anxiety. An example of referent power is a leader who is respected and admired by the subordinate in an organization. The subordinates view the leader as their role model.
Expert Power
Expert power denotes the influence that leaders possess on their subordinates due to their specialized skills, knowledge, and experience. Expert power makes the subordinate perceive that the leader possesses a high level of knowledge in expertise. Thus, this perception makes the leader have a greater influence and power in the workplace. Managers with expert power create a bold statement among employees since they apprehend that it provides the necessary direction that will ultimately gear success. Expert power streamlines the business decisions since expert power equips the leader to make informed decisions in the organization. Also, expert power avails a great opportunity for career development.
Since expert power makes the leaders focus on a specific area and develop specific skills. Thus, expert power induces leaders and employees to advance their careers. Expert power can be possessed by any individual in the workplace since when one has an elevated level of competence, individuals follow their advice and experience. An example of expert power is a manager in the workplace who is the only individual who understands a given language, writes codes in specific computer programming languages, and has a first-hand encounter with various market conditions. The manager possesses the ability to express his expertise in the workplace, thus influencing the subordinate to employ it to improve productivity in the organization.
Information power is defined as a form of power in which an individual possesses the required information. Information power is the power that individual holds due to their access to information. Thus, information power is a collective power that controls information required by others to arrive at an important goal. Individuals who possess informational power can manipulate, withhold, and share the information to leverage the desired conduct through setting targets. This is because when information is shared, it assists people in creating connections and adopting new mechanisms for improving their organizations. Information power avails access to information that grants a leader the ability to evoke certain behaviors among the subordinate.
Informational power is related to positional power since the virtue of accessing information is often related to the position an individual holds within an organization. In this light, informational power is used as a bargaining tool that fosters the growth and advancement of the organization.
