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Thanks very much for subscribing to Mind Matters, the newsletter that turns brain research into practical leadership tools. This issue is only 679 words and takes less than 4 minutes to read.

Later in "News & Resources," free laser coaching sessions on July 21st and my new Powerful Leader Assessment.

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I help leaders get three results: calm, confidence, and power. It’s interesting how people respond to those words.

Some people say, “I want calm and confidence, but power sounds pushy. I don’t want to be controlling or domineering.”

Other people are the opposite: “I don’t have time to be calm. I’ll use all the power I can to get things done.”

The word “power” is pretty loaded.

What’s your reaction to it?

Power doesn’t have to mean controlling or pushy. Power is the ability to act in order to influence people and processes. Power is how leaders achieve goals through others.

Here’s a list of challenging issues for leaders. With which ones do you use appropriate and effective power? With which ones could you use some help?

• Employees: poor performance, bad attitude, absenteeism

  
  

• Teams: unmet goals, unresolved conflict, ineffective meetings

  
  

• Peers: ignoring policies or procedures, shared employees, conflicting personality styles

  
  

• Boss/Board: unavailable to meet with you, withholding resources, unrealistic expectations

  
  

• Customers: outrageous requests, unwilling to be satisfied

  
  

• Vendors: poor quality product/service, unmet contractual agreements

One Size Doesn’t Fit All

One common problem I see with many leaders is that they interact with everyone and every issue on this list in the same way. I’m not talking about equity. Of course, you should treat everyone fairly.

I’m talking about your interaction style and how you motivate others toward action. A leader with only one influence style is like a painter with only one color. Your work is predictable, uninspiring, and ineffective.

These leader quotes describe the most common one-hit wonder power styles. Which one sounds most like you?

• “I’m very participative. I want input from everyone even if they don’t feel comfortable giving it.”

  
  

• “I tell people what to do. That’s my job. My boss expects me to run the show and get results.”

  
  

• “I care as much about people as the work they do. I’m always available to help anyone with their personal problems.”

  
  

• “I’m hands off. People are professionals. They don’t want or need me meddling in their work.”

When leaders have only one influence style, it’s like parents treating all of their children the same way. It doesn’t make sense, and it’s unsafe.

You wouldn’t hand the car keys to a five-year old. And, you wouldn’t insist on holding a teenager’s hand to help her cross the street. Similarly, you shouldn’t treat everyone at work the same.

Another common power problem I see is leaders making a generalized assumption about their entire team. Faulty beliefs include “All of these people know what to do and how to do it” or, “None of these people can be trusted; I need to make sure they get it right.”

These misperceptions happen when leaders don’t take the time to assess individual needs. Instead of the "one size fits all" mentality, recognize that you need to flex your style to most effectively influence your direct reports, boss, peers, and customers. Rather than use the same power color with everyone, develop a broad power palette.

Your Power Palette

There are several excellent leadership models---for example, Situational Leadership by Paul Hersey and Ken Blanchard (Management of Organizational Behavior: Leading Human Resources, 2000)---that help you identify where a direct report is developmentally and adjust your influence style to meet the situation. However, you need to adjust not only to your direct reports’ styles but to anyone at work including your boss, peers, and customers.

So, over the next few newsletters, I’ll explain how to adjust your power style not based on other people’s work performance but on their communication style. That way you’ll be able to flex and be effective in every possible work situation even with people who don’t report to you.

I'd love to hear your ideas on leader power. Send me your thoughts or questions about power.

News and Resources:

• Mark your calendar for November 5, 2009 for my Powerful Leader retreat in Albuquerque. Learn to hold even the most difficult person at work accountable for their commitments. Registration opens on August 12th.

  
  

• Instead of a group teleclass this month, I'm offering free laser coaching sessions on July 21, 2009. Bring any work issue that's bugging you to our 15-minute call, and I promise you'll begin resolving it within 24 hours.

  
  

• Download my free Powerful Leader Assessment to measure your influence skills.

Suzanne Kryder, Ph.D.
P.O. Box 35429
Albuquerque, NM 87176 USA
505.232.8433

P.S. If you haven’t checked it out yet, you can listen to or download a 10-minute guided exercise on breath awareness here.

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