In one line: A leader’s influence comes from different sources (position, rewards, coercion, expertise, personal regard and information), and the sources a leader relies on shape the climate they create.
Core idea
Power is the capacity to influence others. The classic typology from social psychologists French and Raven, later extended, separates power that comes from the position from power that comes from the person:
| Source | Comes from | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Legitimate | the role itself | a program manager approving a schedule |
| Reward | control of things people want | assignments, recognition, raises |
| Coercive | ability to impose costs | poor reviews, removal from a project |
| Expert | knowledge and skill | the go-to specialist whose judgment is trusted |
| Referent | being admired and identified with | the leader people want to emulate |
| Informational | access to and control of information | the person who knows what’s coming |
How it works
- Positional power is lent. It disappears with the title, and overuse breeds compliance rather than commitment.
- Personal power is earned. Expert and referent power travel with you, and they are the main tools of anyone leading from the middle.
- Every leader has default sources. Some lean on expertise, some on charisma, some on authority. Knowing your defaults, and the source you neglect, explains a lot about how people respond to you.
- Power sources shape climate. Heavy use of coercion tends to create fear and silence. Expert and referent power tend to create learning and loyalty.
In practice
In the leadership-stories exercise, participants identify the two sources of power a researched leader preferred, and the one they used least, and justify both. For engineers, expert power usually comes first. The development step is to build referent power, through integrity, care for people, and keeping promises, so that influence extends beyond your technical domain.
Questions to ask yourself
- Which sources of power do I actually use day to day?
- Which source would I lose if I changed jobs tomorrow?
- What would build my referent power with the people I need most?
Connections
- Used in: Influence Without Authority and Political Mapping.
- Applied to historical leaders in: Studying a Leader.
- Capabilities exercised: Ethical Actions and Integrity, Communicating and Advocacy, Trust and Loyalty.
Sources
- French and Raven’s bases of social power [1]