Earning Power

Be someone worth following

There are many ways that people get power. Some are born into it, like kings (this is getting power “the old-fashioned way”).

In the workplace, being hired into a position (or promoted into a position) gives a person some power. People working on the project do what the Project Manager instructs them to do.

But if you only have this positional authority, people only look to you for leadership in that narrowly-defined area. If you wish to increase your power and authority in a positive and effective ways, build up your LIKABILITY and your reputation for COMPETENCE.

Being “likeable” doesn’t mean you need to be all buddy-buddy with your staffers. Be reasonable. Be fair. Acknowledge their efforts with positive feedback. Be someone they like working with and working for.

Building your reputation for competence means knowing what you are talking about. Have the follow-though to get things done when you said you would. Have high integrity, and act on it. Build mutual respect.

These both take time, but when done successfully, they build a strong and lasting foundation on which your team can get much more done.

(Photo by Marc-Olivier Jodoin on Unsplash)