Commentary>>Be humbled by power, not corrupted

By Senior Master Sgt. Mark Misewicz
62nd Airlift Squadron operations superintendent

“Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.”
– Lord Acton, 1887

Many of us, if not all, serve in a position to exercise power; it is the manner in which we use this power that determines how effectively we influence the behavior of others. If you’ve been through any Professional Military Education course or simply studied Management classes in college, you know that there are essentially five bases of power, three categorized as formal power and two as personal power. Being in the military, it is understood that we have a hierarchy and as you progress through the ranks your formal power increases. This means you have the ability to exert your authority through coercive, reward, or legitimate power.

Coercive power is dependent on fear, and the reaction of the person based upon the negative results that may occur for failing to comply. Reward power is seen as the opposite of coercive power in that a person complies with your wishes because of the positive benefits for doing so. Legitimate power is simply based on one’s position of authority and the acceptance of subordinates of that authority.

These formal power bases are often the area where we stagnate in our ability to lead others, and in our quest to be better leaders we have to remain versatile. Research also suggests that personal sources of power are normally more effective. With these sources of power you don’t have to have a bunch of stripes on your sleeve or shiny shoulder boards, this power comes from an individual’s unique characteristics.

One is expert power, which is the influence you possess as a result of expertise, special skills or knowledge. I’ve found in my many years of military service that this expert power is not mutually exclusive to our senior leaders. Quite the contrary, it’s normally our junior enlisted and young officers that demonstrate the knowledge and ability to be considered experts in their fields. Lastly, there is referent power which is based on a person’s personal traits. This power develops out of admiration of another and a desire to be like that person. This is the kind of power that many of us strive to achieve and one way of doing so is through charismatic leadership. This style of leadership involves creating a self-image so powerful that people are naturally drawn to you.

Now, I’m certainly not saying that we must strive to be liked by everyone, but we can apply honest and consistent leadership and still have an emotional effect on the Airmen we influence. The situation will dictate what your desired source of “power” will be. Chief Master Sgt. Daran Adams, my mentor and friend, once told me that you must find what motivates each Airman in order to effectively influence them, and normally all it takes is observation, patience and empathy. Leaders achieve goals, and power is merely a means of facilitating goal achievement.

As you continue the journey throughout your military career, be careful not to allow the power you possess to corrupt you, but be humbled by it and use it effectively.