Let's take some time now to examine the relationship between performance and personal power. As a way of doing that, let's plot on our x-axis, personal power from low to high, and then along the y-axis, personal performance. As we look at this plot, we can imagine what the shape of this curve might be. At the low end where power is low, we might, or inadequate, we might expect performance also to be low. Conversely, at the high end where we have too much power, we might expect, again, performance not to be optimal because of the potential for abuse. Somewhere in between is that place where power is sufficient and we have enough to get the job done. So one view of this relationship might be that it is a curve achieving an optimum somewhere between inadequate and too much power. This is the point on the curve, the high point on the curve that we would call empowered. That is the place where you have sufficient power to get the job done, and yet not risk underperforming or abusing the power that you do have. With that in mind, let's take a look at the sources of personal power. Power derives either from personal characteristics or from your place in the organization. And we would call that positional power. As we think about personal power, we can imagine that one source of that is your personal expertise. All of you got where you are as engineers by having certain skills in math, science. Those skills allowed you to have a certain expertise that is valued by your organization. That alone affords you some power. Those who accrue even greater expertise also accrue some power. You can have certain physical characteristics that make you attractive to others and can be regarded as a source of power. You may be able to tune into the emotional needs of others, identify with what their aspirations are. And in that way demonstrate social and emotional intelligence that give you what we would call charisma. You may dedicate more effort than is needed for particular assignments. You may go that extra mile to get things done. When that is recognized, that can also be a source of power. You may get power simply because what you do aligns with the needs of others, with the needs of the organization. The fact that you are working in ways that helps the organization succeed will be a source of power for you. So what then might be the sources of power from a positional perspective? Well first, depending on where you are in the network formed by your organization, you may be able to be in a position to observe the flow of information or the flow of resources. In such a way that if you are at the center of that flow, you gain some power, but not only from the knowledge, but from the ability to influence where that information goes and how resources are used. Depending on the amount of autonomy that you have, the flexibility you have in making decisions can also be a source of power. The greater the flexibility that you have in your organization to make decision, the greater will be your power. If your position in the organization affords you the opportunity to be visible to key decision makers in the hierarchy of the organization, that will give you personal credibility, positional credibility, and as a result, greater power. If the work that you are doing in the organization is directly related to the success or the outcomes for the organization, we call that relevance. And to the extent that your work is aligned closely with the mission of the organization, you will derive power from that situation. As we think about personal power and reflect back on our discussions of communication in module one, you should also recognize that supportive communication is also a key to establishing personal power. The fact that you can make others feel important through coaching and counselling effectively, help them accomplish their goals and tasks, and as a result build trust with them, will be a significant source of personal power. These then are the sources of power that you will want to consider, both the personal and the positional ones in your organization. You're going to want to take decisive action to build both the personal and positional powers in order to get things done and accomplish your goals.
