Leadership: Power and Influence

Leadership: Power and Influence

Introduction

Leadership is, in essence, the art of successfully combing both power and influence to have an impact on the people that you have an interaction with. However, it is not always a positive impact. Leadership is a fine art. Ethics, character, personal relationships and many other factors play a role in defining the style of leader you develop into. If you get any one aspect of it wrong; you are likely to have a negative effect upon your followers.

Definitions

Charismatic leadership: A charismatic leader is one which has a profound emotional effect upon their followers. Followers see the leaders as not only superiors, but also as role models, as heroes which are larger than life.

Transformational leadership: The ultimate goal of a transformational leader is to inspire change within those whom they lead. They create a vision for their followers, which allows for them to achieve large scale change. The nature of this leadership style means that the leaders ethical standards play a role in what they are trying to achieve, which is why, some of the worst people in history display the qualities of a transformational leader.

Instrumental Compliance: A person only carries out the leaders instructions because they either want the reward that the leader is offering, or wish to avoid the punishment that the leader will hand out if their instructions are not complied with. This generally results in no task motivation, and minimal effort put forward by the subordinate.

Power: Power is the ability to influence the behaviour of others in the direction that the leader desires.

Legitimate Power: Using a formal authority to influence a person's behaviour. For example, a RAAF officer issuing a set of orders to an Aircraftsman.

Coercive Power: Using punishments, or threats of punishments, to enforce the behaviours which the leader sees as desirable.

Ecological Power: Using the surrounding environment to influence the subordinates behaviour.

Pressure: The use of demands or threats to influence the target to carry out the desired request.

Inspirational Appeals: An appeal to the values and ideals or the targeting of a person's emotions to gain compliance for the task.

Pol Pot: Genocidal Maniac or Charismatic leader?

I am quite modest. I don't want to tell people I'm a leader.

Background

In January 1925 in Cambodia Saloth Sar, later known as Pol Pot, was born into a family which was considered fairly well off at the time. Pot had an average childhood, and