Power and Leadership – When Less is More

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Your first day as Director, Charge, or Supervisor is a new world. You are now responsible for the output of an entire group of people. These are individuals with their own goals, dreams, views, needs and skills. You now have power over people and responsibility for their accomplishments. Probably no one has prepared you for this. Many studies describe how the misuse of power can detract from individual and group success. Power offers reward or punishment over workers, but the process, especially in hospitals and other human service enterprises, is more complex and subtle as anyone who has ever “supervised,” “managed,” or “directed,” a group has discovered.

The challenge is that people are not machines. Our humanity makes the role of power a critical function in organizing a group to achieve a set outcome. We’ve all heard the admonition to staff, “Leave your problems at the door.” You might as well say, “Leave your humanity at the door.” The reality is that people bring their entire psyche to work with them. So, let’s accept that our job is to interact with group members to produce the best result for the assigned mission.

Staff will be productive to the degree we meet their needs for self-actualization. It should be unnecessary to state, but as a group leader, you are responsible for the physiologic needs of your staff. Progressive organizations have come to understand this with everything from available break areas, clean restrooms, to nap breaks, juice bars, exercise stations. A good leader cares for the most valuable resource – people. A good leader uses his or her power to advocate for the basic needs of staff.

Productivity suffers when staff feels that their job is uncertain, unpredictable, or unsafe. A good leader provides as much information as possible. Guessing at the next staff shuffle, layoff, management shift, company reorganization destroys morale. Staff that is fearful of harassment is not attending to the output of their work. Power is how managers get key information; leadership is how they use it to build the security and focus of their group.

We’ve all seen groups that seem at war within themselves, and these are rarely high performing groups. People who identify with a group and feel others “have their back,” are ready to pitch in and help one another. An effective leader builds experiences where staff bond and display harmony. Power is the judicious use of authority to remove destructive elements that cannot be otherwise resolved. As a new supervisor, I was very pleased when my ideas succeeded and were recognized. Over time I came to realize that my need for accomplishment was the same as everyone else's. A good leader finds ways to encourage and celebrate the successes of all staff. The productivity of a group skyrockets when members see their contributions implemented.

There are two tools we have to create an outstanding group: power – the ability to coerce through the use of rewards and punishments and leadership – influencing people to strive willingly for group objectives.

The ultimate question is “What is the optimal use of power in building a productive staff?” One way to look at this is to view power as the actions that get resources and conditions a group needs.

The more you lead and the less you need to exert power, the more power you exert over the output of the group. The use of direct orders or coercive power is less likely to be a positive for the recipient or the group.

You'll know you're a good leader when each person in the group feels that he or she is growing in their work, valued by peers and supervisors, and part of a group engaged in an enterprise that matters.