Legacy Leadership: Wisdom Of The Apostle PaulShembull

Influence Without Asserting Authority – Part 1

I once worked with an executive who believed employees wouldn’t work hard if they didn’t come to work every day with the fear of getting fired. Another executive told me that you should not praise people for a job well done because they would slack off after being praised. Hopefully you have never worked for a boss like that! Unfortunately, this style persists in many organizations.

These examples reflect a carrot and stick approach to managing – with an emphasis on the stick! These tactics may generate short-term performance, but they will not lead to long-term commitment.  Like stretching a rubber-band, the manipulative use of reward (carrots) and coercive power (sticks) leads to short term compliance, but as soon as the tension is removed the behavior goes back to its original position.

Paul understood that the most effective leaders are able to exert influence without asserting their formal authority. Paul’s role as an apostle provided him with a legitimate source of authority. The power to reward or punish came with the position. Yet, he was consistently reluctant to assert his formal authority.

Paul reminded the Thessalonians that “even though as apostles of Christ we might have asserted our authority,” he chose not to demand that the Thessalonians take care of his need for physical and financial support (1 Thessalonians 2:6). In his second letter to the Thessalonians, he reiterates this point and emphasizes the importance of leaders modeling the behavior they want to see in their followers.

For you yourselves know how you ought to follow our example, because we did not act in an undisciplined manner among you, nor did we eat anyone’s bread without paying for it, but with labor and hardship we kept working night and day so that we would not be a burden to any of you; not because we do not have the right to this, but in order to offer ourselves as a model for you, so that you would follow our example. (2 Thessalonians 3:7–9)

Paul deliberately chose to forego the legitimate, reward, and coercive power inherent in his position. Instead, he leaned into another base of power: referent power. Referent power is based on respect and admiration. When this is present, the followers identify with and want to emulate their leader. This power base does not come from the leader’s position or control of resources. Rather, it is based on the leader’s character and integrity. Referent power is based on who the leader is.

Paul and his team worked night and day so they would not be a burden to their followers. He lived on what he earned as a tentmaker and the offerings provided by others. By earning his own way, Paul demonstrated the purity of his motives and created a foundation for influence –referent power - that did not rely on the authority of his title or position.

The consistency and authenticity of Paul’s life established a high level of integrity among his followers that gave him moral authority. He had influence without asserting authority.

Reflect and Act on these questions:

• Think about a recent situation when someone attempted to influence you. What power base does that person have (reward, coercive, or referent)? What influence strategy did they employ? What was your response? Would your response have been different if they had used a different strategy?
• Which power bases do you respond most favorably to? Which ones are you most likely to resent or even resist?
• Now, think about a recent situation when you attempted to influence another person. What power base were you operating from? What influence strategy did you use? What was the outcome?
• Like most leaders, Paul had multiple power bases to draw from: legitimate, reward, coercive, and referent. Evaluate the power bases available to you. Do you have legitimate power because of your formal title or position? Which power base do you tend to lean on?
• Do you need to shift the base of your influence to become more effective as a leader? What steps do you need to take?