Initially, the word power conjures up my thoughts of dictators ruling with an iron fist or the dreaded authoritarian boss. But there is much more to power when it comes to effective and sustainable leadership. Being a powerful and influential leader means making others feel powerful. Leaders who are powerful learn how to build a strong power base and become influential by using their power to help others accomplish exceptional tasks (2011). It is also a necessity for a leader to develop sources of personal influence to gain power. This means if I want to become a better leader I must develop sources such as expertise, personal attraction, effort and legitimacy to gain power. I am comfortable developing these sources because I know the result will be increased power and ability to positively contribute to coworkers, subordinates, and organizational success as a whole.
According to Whetten and Cameron (2011), the characteristics of likable people include:
·
Supporting an open, honest, and loyal
relationship.
·
Fostering intimacy by being emotionally
accessible.
·
Providing unconditional, positive regard and
acceptance.
·
Enduring some sacrifices if the relationship
should demand them.
·
Providing social reinforcement in the form of
sympathy or empathy.
·
Engaging in the social exchanges necessary to
sustain a relationship.
I believe I embody these characteristics because I maintain a high level of awareness of my likability each day through interactions and experiences. Likability is extremely important to me; almost to a fault. I sometimes get so caught up in making sure I do not upset anyone that it can negatively affect my decisions. I have never had a problem with being liked because I demonstrate agreeable behavior which makes creating friendships easy to develop. My likability, in conjunction with personal sources of power, both help in using influence within my organization. However, I would say these help influence more downward because of my position within the organization. I am somewhat limited in the amount of upward influence because of where I fit into my organizational hierarchy or chain of command. There are some occasions when I am asked for input on certain matters that will affect processes above my level. But very few opportunities exist where my influence will have any effect on the majority of business decisions.
Reference:
Whetten, D. A., & Cameron, K. S. (2011). Developing
Management Skills (8th ed.)
Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice
Hall.
