Title: The Five Sources of a Leader’s Power, and how (and how not) to use them
Headings: The Five Sources of a Leader’s Power, and how (and how not) to use them
The Five Sources of a Leader’s Power, and how (and how not) to use them
Simon Stapleton Follow
Co-Founder of Truthsayers Neurotech® Consumer & People Analytics platform
Expert Power
Positional Power
Reward Power
Coercive Power
Personal Power
Conclusion
How Do You Use Power?
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Simon Stapleton
Co-Founder of Truthsayers Neurotech® Consumer & People Analytics platform

Content: As a leader in this situation you should apply other powers to resolve the problem, such as rewarding knowledge sharing or building closer relationships with the affected employee to persuade him out of this way of thinking. Use expert power when…
you have a genuine expertise in a subject
or you have access to resources within your control who do
Don’t use expert power when…
you’re unsure of your competence in a subject
Positional Power
Positional power is gained by a person’s role in their organization. In many organizations a grading system is used to position an employee, or it maybe evident in an organization chart. However your organization elevates its employees in the structure, positional power is a function of one’s formal authority. It’s being the boss. As the boss you can decide who does what job and who goes where. As the formal authority, you have influence because you have been given the accountability for that department or function. Being the boss, however, does not guarantee that you will have followers that comply of their own free will. It does not mean you will be the leader. Using only positional power means you make decisions without consideration of personal relationships, individual needs and personal objectives.