By Declan Noone
Over the course of my travels in 2018 I have been very fortunate to have met a multitude of leaders. A diverse group with regards to seniority, expertise, skills, adaptability, curiosity, and gender. Yet as I reflect back, there are a number of personalities that immediately come to the forefront of my mind. Not because I connected well with them on a personal level or that I connected with their message, but because of their Presence.
What do I mean by Presence? The immediate impact they had on their environment from the moment they entered that space. Those experiences connect back to Parker Palmers statement that leaders can either ‘shine a light or cast a shadow’, they can have either a positive or a negative impact on others. I have witnessed where leaders have entered a room to hushed reverence, where the anxiety in the room is tangible, and fear of failure or disapproval is nearly incapacitating. On the reverse side of that I have witnessed leader who enter a room and bring an energy, a connectivity, an infusion of possibilities. Two leaders, two very different examples of Presence.
Now we could have a discussion around the fact that some leaders are naturally charismatically and will no doubt project a far more positive and impactful presence than those who are less charismatic. Yes, certain leaders have a personality that lends itself towards a charismatic leadership style and presence, however not all positive leaders are naturally charismatic, some may be introverts or socially awkward for example. I believe the nature of your Presence and the impact you have as a positive leader and context creator is as a consequence of both where you get your power from (bases) and how you exercise that power.
What are the bases of a leaders’ power?
In 1959 social psychologists John French and Bertram Raven described 5 bases of power:
- Legitimate: derived from when a leader has a legitimate position of authority i.e. military officer, CEO, etc. This can also be referred to as positional power; it arises as a result of your title in an organisation. Normally, attaining this power is as a result of the leader having earned it legitimately.
- Reward: derived as a result of a leaders’ capacity to allocate incentives or influence the allocation of incentives within an organisation. Incentives can relate to remuneration packages, as well as access to personal development courses/skills, physical space i.e. office space, and performance appraisals. This affords a leader the capacity to significantly influence the emotional state of their subordinates as well as their personal and financial wellbeing.
- Expert: derived from possessing knowledge or expertise in a particular area. These leaders tend to be highly valued with organisations and their opinions and insights are sought out by many. They can be labelled as ‘thought’ leaders, whose capacity for critical thinking and problem solving are much sought after.
- Referent: derived from the nature of the interpersonal relationship and connectivity a person cultivates with others across the organisation. It can arise from charisma and/or a leaders’ capacity to generate a greater frequency of high quality connections. The quality and reach of their personal connections creates a perception of their capacity to influence others and their decision making.
- Coercive: derived from a leaders’ capacity to influence others through threats, punishments or some form of formal/informal sanctions. They have the power to hire and fire. This tends to be used to ensure individuals conform to organisational norms in performance and behaviour, or the leaders’ belief of what the ‘norm’ should be.
A sixth was added a number of years later by Raven:
- Informational: derived from a leaders’ capacity to control the flow of information within an organisation. Control of information required by others to accomplish their jobs/tasks. In today’s information age, such power has significant and immediate impact on the ability of subordinates to do their jobs.
The exercise of the derived power from any of the 6 bases of power mentioned above can either have a positive or negative impact on the workplace. Furthermore, it has a direct impact on how the leader is perceived by others, establishing a manner of behaviours towards the leader that in reflected in the impact of the leaders’ Presence.
A compassionate, and empathetic exercise of power connected to the building of a positive and generative work environment will be reflected in the positive Presence achieved by the leader.
Positive Presence arises as a result of an enhanced level of self-awareness and emotional intelligence built upon an understanding of the pillars of Positive Leadership.
