Wield Your Power and Change the Game
By Megan Martin
The word “power” often has negative connotations when it comes to business: we picture a CEO at the head of the boardroom table, pounding as he dictates orders while his underlings sit by silently, fearful and obedient.
Today’s most powerful leaders don’t fit the stereotype: they come in a variety of personalities and possess a variety of strengths — Warren Buffet has been seen by some as a passive, gentle leader; Steve Jobs as an innovator who marches to his own drum. Both, along with a slew of other divergent characters from Rupert Murdoch to Bill Gates, appear in CNN Money’s Fortune list of the 25 Most Powerful People in Business.
But what do these leaders have in common? What makes a powerful executive, and how can we increase our own influence to drive our careers forward while helping our organizations succeed?
Start With Yourself
Whether you want to make your organization more powerful or have more personal sway within your company, your first step is to take stock of your own strengths so that you can utilize them to create more influence. Jeffrey Pfeffer, professor of organizational behavior at Stanford’s Graduate School of Business, has some advice for managers:
In his CNN Money article, “5 Rules on Cultivating Power,” Pfeffer notes: “You need to take care of yourself. Companies have been telling employees this for decades…You are responsible for attracting the support that will make you successful and build your personal brand.”
Identifying the tools, personal strengths and skills that will help you impact others is crucial. What are your strengths as a leader in your organization? Do you have deep knowledge of your area of expertise? Incredible communication skills? The ability to motivate others? Consider practical strengths, such as excellent problem-solving abilities or a flair for social networking. Also consider your people skills and personal qualities such as integrity or creativity.
JP Morgan, the famous financier and banker, is a great example of a leader who used his strengths to gain power, even when those strengths were not in line with his work history and experience. Majoring in art history and inheriting the family business from his father, JP Morgan used his quick wittedness, thoughtfulness and ability to react quickly to changes to become a banking and corporate trailblazer. He was one of the first to buy distressed businesses and merge them – a common business practice even today.
As you consider your own qualities, think beyond your current position and take note of those traits that help you thrive in life.
Build a Reputation
Although talent is important, you have to let the world know about it in order to gain influence.
Building a strong reputation for yourself within your organization and in the larger world is one of the best ways to gain influence.
If you don’t consider yourself a “natural” when it comes to putting yourself out there, remember that creating a reputation doesn’t necessarily come natural to most people.
“Don't find excuses for not doing what you know you should because it doesn't feel "natural." Once you practice and get good at something like networking, it will become natural!” Pfeffer says.
Pfeffer recommends taking into account all potential avenues of exposure. Start with your personal contacts — who can you call to set up a speaking engagement or Q & A session with other professionals or up-and-comers in your field who would like to learn from you? If your contact list isn’t especially strong, network with other powerful professionals by using LinkedIn or other networking websites. Reach out to the media by volunteering to write articles for business publications or seeking out interviews in local news publications. Start a blog in your spare time. Volunteer to chair high-profile events that your organization sponsors.
As you build your own reputation, your organization’s reputation will be enhanced as well. You will also be seen as a credible role model for colleagues and employees — and showing your power to the larger world will make others more open to your ideas.
Boost Your Communication Skills
Whether you are dealing with colleagues, employees, or new contacts you’ve made, creating rapport is crucial to gaining power. If you aren’t used to communicating with your co-workers, it’s time to start.
Dr. David G. Javich, in his Entrepreneur online article, “Grow Your Power, Boost Your Influence,” explains why building rapport is key to gaining power:
“You build bridges toward influence by reaching out to people, building relationships, telling them what you like and dislike, how you feel about their work, their products and themselves.”
Javich points out that assertiveness is an important factor in creating rapport. “Being assertive is the means to make your ideas and actions known to others in a way that's acceptable to them and therefore allows you to more successfully influence them,” says Javich.
This doesn’t mean you have to be aggressive around the clock, but remaining perpetually passive can kill your chances of attaining more power. Even Warren Buffet, the passive, patient, hands-off, CEO of Berkshire Hathaway Holdings, is not afraid to assert himself when necessary. Alice Schroeder, in her BusinessWeek article, “Please Hold For Mr. Buffett,” notes: “ When he sees something he doesn't like in a company whose shares he owns, [he] can swing into action to protect his investment -- jawboning behind the scenes, scolding, cutting opportunistic deals, even hiring and firing CEOs. For some of those on the receiving end of his activism, it can feel a bit like being attacked by Santa Claus.”
Javich also states that more passive leaders still have opportunities to wield influence. Even simple, everyday communication can generate influence. The ability to clearly explain directions or ideas to colleagues, employees and outside contacts helps you build trust. Others see that you know what you’re talking about, are able to clearly understand the reasoning behind it, and are thus more likely to get on board with your ideas.
Unite Employees
When we picture powerful people, we often picture them “at the top”: isolated and dictating orders to others. The reality is that this picture is outdated. Power is not an individual pursuit. You need others to get you there. If you can build good rapport with others, you’ll be able to rally them to help you and your organization get ahead. Collaboration creates ideas and products that are more successful and innovative than the ideas any individual could come up with on his or her own.
Ask others to be part of your team. You’ll show them you respect their ideas and believe not only in your own reputation, but the future of your organization.
As Andrew Carnegie famously said, “No person will make a great business who wants to do it all himself or get all the credit.” Encourage your team members and compliment their contributions.
It’s true that power can be elusive: The most important thing to remember is that we each have our own unique ways of influencing others. Recognizing these strengths and tuning into them today can help create a more powerful organization tomorrow.
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