As The Boss, you are usually handed some power. Power consists of many things. The most obvious one is what we call Position Power, or positional authority. People do what we say because of our title or position. This is normal and there’s nothing wrong with it.
The big questions are: What are you doing with that power? How are you using that power?
Take a look at the model below:
What we see is that based on your comfort level with your power, your direct reports will have very typical responses.
I like the analogy of the chainsaw. A few years ago, my then teenaged son was helping me clear and burn some brush on our property in Tennessee. I was using the chainsaw to cut and he was throwing it on the fire. When I suggested we switch jobs, he immediately protested. He was intimidated by the roaring chainsaw. I told him that while it was dangerous, as long as he respected it, there would be no problems. Respect (take it seriously) its power, sharpness, and efficiency.
Managerial power is no different. There are some correlations:
- If you are AFRAID to use your power, people will not take you serious (your assumption is that they will love you).
- If you are IGNORANT or OVER-CONFIDENT, people will be terrified of you (your assumption is that they will comply with you).
- If you are AWARE, CONFIDENT, and COMPETENT with your power, people will respect you (your assumption might be that they won’t like you).
If you job is to develop performance, get to know what power you have and use it safely, properly, and with the best of intentions and your direct reports will develop into superstars!
Our Boss Builder Academy will give you the knowledge and skills to do just that!
Contact us at (931) 221-2988 or online at www.TheBossBuilders.com