A520.9.5.RB_McNerneyLeighAnn

Many powerful and successful organizations are run politically and there is never a guarantee that the best person for the job will actually get the job. It is important for future leaders to become aware of their sources of personal influence. I personally feel comfortable developing my own sources of personal power because I feel as technology continues to transform our culture so will the need to recognize personal attributes in order to climb the ladder of success. Expertise, attraction, effort and legitimacy are the areas in which an up and coming leader can enhance in order to advance.

Expertise is the process of knowing different aspects of the job inside and out. A person can become an expert through hard work and dedication. Once the person has acquired enough knowledge he or she becomes an asset to the likelihood of the company success. He or she possesses the knowledge that their higher-level managers do not and they depend on the experts to make decisions to better their company. I feel this is something I am currently working on achieving as there are many rules and regulations to learn in the Financial Aid Department that have to be learned every day. For example as we implement a new software system it very crucial we all understand the different processes. I have been reading through our manuals to learn these processes so that my Director can call upon me if and when he has a question since he is unable to learn every process with all of his responsibilities.

Attraction is the ability to be viewed by others as a likable and agreeable person.  Someone who posses this trait can be seen by many as a charismatic and inspiring leader who can be trusted. I believe that this source of personal power is very influential in every aspect of a person’s life. People judge others naturally no matter what the setting is and having this type of power will help anyone get ahead in life. When I think about my life I feel I can understand the power attraction has over others because I have experienced what it is like to get something based solely on my looks. I am certainly not the best looking person out there however I notice I can usually get away with more because of the attraction aspect of my personal power.

Effort is another personal power, it is being a reliable and dependable individual who will do “whatever it takes” to get the job done.  This is the most important power because this is what most managers look for in an employee. They want to feel like they can rely on the employee to complete the task at hand successfully. Currently I am putting a lot of effort into my job however I feel I should improve my level of effort since returning form maternity leave. I have been a little distracted with my emotions since the transition from being home all the time to working full time. In order to lead effectively it takes dedication and dedication comes from effort.

Legitimacy is the ability to be accepted by others, which in return helps, you become an influential person thus a successful leader. In order for people to believe in you, you must be able to be accepted and then once they accept you they will start to follow you. I feel this personal power of mine is still in the developing stage. I am able to feel accepted however I do not have enough legitimacy for others to want to follow me. In order to improve this I will continue putting forth the effort to learn to hopefully become an expert in an area of financial aid. For example we have a scholarships and state grants manager who knows the different scholarships and state grants inside and out. No one possesses as much knowledge as she does so she has become an asset to the Financial Aid Department.

I feel I do embody many characteristics of a likable person such as I am very supportive, honest and loyal to my coworkers. I try to be emotionally accessible and provide positive regard and acceptance. I try to treat people, as I want them to treat me. If sacrifices need to be made I will try and do it honorably.  When dealing with any and all situations whether I agree or not I try to be empathetic and understanding to others point of views. I also will engage in relationships with all of my fellow coworkers even if I tend to disagree with them on most decisions. In order to work as a team it is important to be open and honest with coworkers. My goal is not to become friends with everyone I work with but instead try to get along for the sake of the company’s success.

In my organization I am at the bottom of the totem pole, but I am working on changing that. Starting at the bottom and working my way to the top using my personal influential powers will help me succeed. I am going to put forth effort in order to gain expertise knowledge in different areas of financial aid. I plan to use my agreeable likable attitude to develop legitimacy with others. My objective is to one day call myself a Director of financial aid.

Whetten, D.A., & Cameron K.S. (2011). Developing Management Skills (8th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.