Powers of Leadership

Types of Power

1. Legitimate
2. Coercive
3. Expert
4. Informational
5. Power of Reward
6. Connection
7. Referent

As stated by Vivian Giang, freelance writer...

As a writer, I can take these 7 classifications and give then all different name with different descriptions and claim that my list of 7 is the only viable list to understand and accept...  so where does that leave us?

We all know what POWER is because we have seen it first hand from the time we were living at home with our parents and they used their parental power on us either to get us to do something or stop doing something...  and, in some cases to try and motivate us to achieve more...   and give us recognition when we pleased them.

Then there was the power of our teachers in school and their powers weren't as powerful as the Principle's powers if we misbehaved...  so, now we have witnessed three types of powers and we have not even left home yet.

Of course, the power of the clergy...  when we attended Church on Sundays with our parents...  and how they used that power to instill the power and wrath of God in us all.

Most of us have experienced police power once we got our driver's license and received our first speeding ticket...  using as a warning and a scare tactic...  so, their real power was somewhat masked.

In high school, we really discovered the power of PEER PRESSURE and it was difficult for many of us to escape this power either as victims or instigators.

AND...  if we decided to enter the military, we really experienced the power of intimidation at BOOT CAMP and later the power of rank and the power differentials between officers and enlisted.

Then, we have the power of the business world which is broken down quite nicely between management and labor...  just like in the military...   and further broken down in labor between those who have a supervisory role and those who do not.  Oftentimes, we see the power of HR because they have the power to hire, fire, reward, punish, and give raises and bonuses.

AND THEN THERE IS THE POWER OF POLITICS...