Given the uncertainty in the job market, many professionals have decided to stay put. That doesn’t mean they want to stand still. Seventy percent of 3,400 professionals polled by a 2011 Accenture survey said they planned to remain with their current employers, yet only 43 percent said they were satisfied with their jobs.
“As more people plan to grow their careers and pursue better opportunities in-house, they are looking for ways to increase their power and influence as leaders,” said Terry R. Bacon, scholar in residence at the Korn/Ferry Institute and author of “The Elements of Power: Lessons on Leadership and Influence,” (Amacom, 2011). “The good news is that there are 11 sources accessible to everyone no matter where they are on the organizational chart.”
Power doesn’t equate with authority or position. “Some people in leadership roles are much more effective and powerful than others,” Bacon said. “Power is simply the capacity to influence and lead others. If you think of it like a battery, then the higher the voltage you have, the more you’ll be able to accomplish. People who want to advance their careers, need to power up.”
Bacon has seen a huge shift in how companies are managed in the past decade. “It’s no longer command and control. Leadership these days is much more about influence,” he said.
His book identifies five elements of power that stem from personal assets: knowledge, expressiveness, attraction, character and history. Five come through participating in organizations and include role, resources, information, network and reputation.
The 11th element, will power, is a meta-source of power that comes from within and has the ability to increase all the other elements.
“It is the power to choose to act or not to act. You may be beaten down, but you can choose to get back up. No one can give you will power or take it away,” he said, “so if you want to be more powerful you can be.”
Bacon’s book describes the 11 elements and how they can increase or drain your power. For example, knowledge power represents what you know and what you can do.
“Making the most of training and education opportunities to increase your knowledge and learning how to apply it to achieve demonstrable results will increase your power,” Bacon said.
Character power is based on others perception of your honesty, integrity, courage and humility, he said. “By walking the talk [leading by example], acknowledging what went wrong, accepting responsibility for mistakes and acting to make things right, you can enhance your character power,” Bacon said. “People will trust you and choose to work with you or follow your lead.”
Expressiveness, or the ability to communicate ideas well, is an essential power element for leaders. Some people are naturally eloquent, but others can learn to build those skills by taking a class on public speaking, joining Toastmasters, writing down their ideas before meetings, publishing papers or starting a blog on a subject of expertise.
“Managing power is an important piece of what leaders must do in today’s volatile work environment,” said Jane Stevenson, vice chairman for board and CEO services practices, Korn/Ferry International, a global executive search and development firm.
She’s seen the roles of CEO and board chairman go from almost lifetime roles to average tenures of fewer than five years.
“In today’s environment, it seems like corporate leaders have to run for re-election on a quarter-by-quarter basis,” she said.
Her company’s clients often ask how they can increase their influence and impact.
“Successful leaders today need a great depth of credibility because people work best for people they trust; an ability to connect with people in order to harness the power of the organization; and the ability to communicate a vision or strategy that people will want to follow,” Stevenson said.
New leaders don’t always understand how to “own their power,” she said.
“They may think they are the same person today as yesterday, but once they are CEO, everything they do carries symbolism in the minds of employees,” she said. “A personal point of view becomes a business point of view. Choosing to attend a meeting, criticizing someone, spending time with employees in public spaces all takes on greater significance. What they do can empower or disempower others.”
The challenge for many leaders in a fear-based economy, which is risk-adverse and harsh on mistakes, she said, is to use their power to innovate and move a company forward in significant ways. With companies cut to the bone, it will take innovation to improve the bottom line.
Jose Barella is CEO of Merial Limited, an animal health products company in Duluth. With Merial becoming a division of multinational pharmaceutical company Sanofi, Barella also wears the hat of vice president of animal health for Sanofi.
“The work environment is a much more complex world than it was in the past,” Barella said. “Leaders operate within teams, projects and matrixes. You have to be proactive and flexible, and need to develop a much more external view because any new advance, new social network or new regulation can impact your business. You must be prepared to face change every day.”
Barella didn’t set out to be a CEO. His career grew from having a capacity to develop himself and others along the way. He’s known for his transparency and his willingness to “walk the talk,” but he considers his capacity to work with people his strongest leadership asset.
To become a powerful leader, “you have to understand people, be able to communicate and make a connection to others, so that you grow together in an organization,” he said. “You can be a CEO, but you can’t be a leader without managing and developing your people — it’s the people who make you a leader,” he said.
“Continuous development is fundamental to good leadership,” he said. In his company’s transition, he finds himself once again in the process of “learning new things in a different environment, a different network and a much larger organization.”
“We talk about leadership having different dimensions — sometimes you are an ambassador, sometimes a manager, sometimes a team player,” he said. “You can’t play just one role. That world doesn’t exist anymore.”
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