Expert
Power
Leading From
the Front
There
are many different power
bases that a leader can use
and exploit.
These
include problematic ones
such as the power of
position, the power to give
rewards, the power to punish
and the power to control
information. While these
types of power do have some
strength, they put the
person being lead in an
unhealthy position of
weakness, and can leave
leaders using these power
bases looking autocratic and
out of touch.
More
than this, society has
changed hugely over the last
50 years. Citizens are
individually more powerful,
and employees are more able
to shift jobs. Few of us
enjoy having power exerted
over us, and many will do
what they can to undermine
people who use these sorts
of power. |
However there are three types of
positive power that effective
leaders use: charismatic power,
expert power and referent power.
This article teaches the technique
of building expert power.
How
to Use the Tool:
Expert power is essential because as
a leader, your team looks to you for
direction and guidance. Team members
need to believe in your ability to
set a worthwhile direction, give
sound guidance and co-ordinate a
good result.
If your team perceives you as a true
expert, they will be much more
receptive when you try to exercise
influence tactics such as rational
persuasion and inspirational appeal.
And if your team sees you as an
expert you will find it much easier
to guide them in such a way as to
create high motivation:
-
If your team members respect
your expertise, they'll know
that you can show them how to
work effectively;
-
If your team members trust your
judgment, they'll trust you to
guide their good efforts and
hard work in such a way that
you'll make the most of their
hard work; and
-
If they can see your expertise,
team members are more likely to
believe that you have the wisdom
to direct their efforts towards
a goal that is genuinely
worthwhile.
Taken together, if your team sees
you as an expert, you will find it
much easier to motivate team members
to perform at their best.
So how do you build expert power?
-
Gain expertise: The first
step is fairly obvious (if time
consuming) – gain expertise.
And, if you are already using
tools like the information
gathering tool in the
previous article, the
chances are that you have
already progressed well ahead in
this direction.
But
just being an expert isn’t enough,
it is also necessary for your team
members to recognize your expertise
and see you to be a credible source
of information and advice. Gary A.
Yukl, in his book “Leadership in
Organizations,” details some steps
to build expert power. A summary of
these steps follows:
-
Promote an image of expertise:
Since perceived expertise in
many occupations is associated
with a person’s education and
experience, a leader should
(subtly) make sure that
subordinates, peers, and
superiors are aware of his or
her formal education, relevant
work experience, and significant
accomplishments.
One common tactic to make this
information known is to display
diplomas, licenses, awards, and
other evidence of expertise in a
prominent location in one’s
office – after all, if you’ve
worked hard to gain knowledge,
it’s fair that you get credit
for it. Another tactic is to
make subtle references to prior
education or experience (e.g.,
“When I was chief engineer at
GE, we had a problem similar to
this one”). Beware, however,
this tactic can easily be
overdone.
-
Maintain credibility:
Once established, one’s image of
expertise should be carefully
protected. The leader should
avoid making careless comments
about subjects on which he or
she is poorly informed, and
should avoid being associated
with projects with a low
likelihood of success.
-
Act confidently and
decisively in a crisis:
In a crisis or
emergency, subordinates
prefer a “take charge”
leader who appears to
know how to direct the
group in coping with the
problem. In this kind of
situation, subordinates
tend to associate
confident, firm
leadership with expert
knowledge. Even if the
leader is not sure of
the best way to deal
with a crisis, to
express doubts or appear
confused risks the loss
of influence over
subordinates.
-
Keep informed:
Expert power is
exercised through
rational persuasion and
demonstration of
expertise. Rational
persuasion depends on a
firm grasp of up-to-date
facts. It is therefore
essential for a leader
to keep well-informed of
developments within the
team, within the
organization, and in the
outside world.
|
-
Recognize subordinate
concerns: Use of
rational persuasion should not
be seen as a form of one-way
communication from the leader to
subordinates. Effective leaders
listen carefully to the concerns
and uncertainties of their team
members, and make sure that they
address these in making a
persuasive appeal.
-
Avoid threatening the
self-esteem of subordinates:
Expert power is based
on a knowledge differential
between leader and team members.
Unfortunately, the very
existence of such a differential
can cause problems if the leader
is not careful about the way he
exercises expert power.
Team members can dislike
unfavorable status comparisons
where the gap is very large and
obvious. They are likely to be
upset by a leader who acts in a
superior way, and arrogantly
flaunts his greater expertise.
In the process of presenting
rational arguments, some leaders
lecture their team members in a
condescending manner and convey
the impression that the other
team members are “ignorant.”
Guard against this.
|
