Power and its use for good or evil

We all have power and we all use power.  At times we take power we don’t have, or others take power they don’t have.  Sometimes people give us power, or we give them power.  Occasionally we or they may resist succumbing to a power that rightfully should be submitted to.

What does all this mean?

Years ago (2008), when I was learning leadership in secular management circles, I learned about sources of informal and formal power.

Here are five forms of power common to life.  Each of these powers may be used for good or evil purposes.

1.     Positional power

You know how it goes; someone pulls rank on you.  They use their position to control you or make you do something.  Equally, however, we can imagine someone using their position to assist or lift us in a way that might privilege us temporarily when they don’t need to extend mercy.

2.    Personal power

Some people have personal power and others don’t.  But personal power can be a blessing and a curse. When we have personal power—a personality that is winsome, charismatic, a power all its own—we can create amazingly positive influence.  We can inspire people.  But just the same, when people with personal power are anxious and improperly motivated, their presence can become a bane.  Personal power can both inspire or create abuse.

3.    Expert power

This is an incredibly persuasive power in an age where information is more significant than ever.  But people with this power—those who are hugely knowledgeable and discerning about what information to use when—may use their ability in conjunction with coercive power.  Somehow, we know when someone has done that to us.  It’s never a good feeling when someone uses the right information in the wrong way.  But just as much those who use their wisdom well will be a Godsend to those they serve.

4.    Coercive power

This power sounds like it’s all bad.  It mostly is.  Or, it can seem that way.  But someone who leads by reminding people of the rules is really acting for their benefit even if it feels like we’ve being forced to do the right thing.  It’s a positive use of coercive power.  Of course, many use the power of coercion malevolently, and that’s always an abuse.

5.    Reward power

Every parent does this.  Using the resources we have to hand, we suddenly have an idea to motivate one of our children (or someone else) to do something they or we need them to do.  They do it and they gain the reward.  But there are inherent weaknesses in this approach.  People (especially children) can become too reliant on rewards to do things rather than having self-motivation, for one example.  It’s not good if all we have for influence is reward power.

Acknowledgement: “Understanding Influence for Leaders at all Levels” by Professor Nick Forster 

Photo by Rodion Kutsaev on Unsplash