Building Your Power Base

The first type of power you can develop is expert power.

The expert in any organisation is the person who has taken the time to become extremely competent in a critical area. Often, the expert in an organisation is even more powerful than the senior executives, because that individual is largely irreplaceable. This is sometimes called the "critical skill" of the company, because it is vital to continued cash flow, growth, and even the survival of the business.

The second type of power is ascribed power.

This is a form of unofficial power that gravitates toward you, like iron filings toward a magnet, because you are the kind of person others like and respect and enjoy being around. In every work situation, there is a person with ascribed power. This person has an influence out of proportion to his or her job, because people come to him or her for advice, for counsel, to solve problems, and because he or she is a genuinely likable person. Ascribed power enables you to influence a greater number of people than you could without it. And it often leads to promotions and opportunities that would not have arisen in its absence.

The key to gaining ascribed power is to be pleasant with everyone. Be positive and upbeat. Be cheerful. Get a reputation for being nice. Have something positive to say to each person about each person. Never complain. Ask people questions about themselves, and be a good listener. Ascribed power can help you go far in a short period of time.

The third type of power in an organisation is position power.

This is the power and authority that goes along with a particular position or title. For example, the person who is in charge of sales has the authority to make decisions with regard to the sales force. The person who is in charge of finance has the authority to make decisions with regard to how monies are allocated and accounted for. Position power is very important in any organisation, and one of the jobs of a boss is to make it crystal clear to everyone exactly how much authority goes with an individual’s job title and responsibilities.