The relationship between leadership and power

Does leadership become easier or more difficult, when more power is granted to a leader?

It would make sense that more power would result in more effective leadership.

For example, a leader’s role would be easier, once more power is given to him or her.

That’s because an increased level of power usually translates into higher authority and status for a leader, as perceived by those led.

More power is normally granted to a leader, when he or she is required to lead a bigger number of people under him or her, or assigned a bigger or more complex task or project to accomplish.

Leadership is not a numbers’ game

Regardless of whether more power is granted to a leader, or not, he or she should be equally effective, irrespective of the size of the team that he or she leads.

For instance, no matter whether he or she leads ten people in a small business, or thousands of people in an army, apart from the different managerial and tactical approaches he or she should adopt, the leadership approach adopted would (and, in fact, should) basically be the same in both cases.

Therefore, it’s neither the number of his or her subordinates nor the level of power granted to a leader that determines his or her effectiveness.

This situation is similar to when a chef has to cook for only a few guests; it would make no difference to him or her, if he or she had to cook for one thousand guests, for example, because, although the quantities of the ingredients would, of course, change, the techniques and methods that he or she would use would stay the same, more or less.

It may be more difficult to lead a small team than a big team

Due to the fact that a small team consists of less people than a big team, it would seem to be easier to lead the former than the latter.

However, this may not be true in practice.

Strangely enough, bigger teams can be easier to lead and manage than smaller ones.

On the other hand, it only takes one person to spoil good team spirit in a small team.

That person may stubbornly resist the leader’s methods and approach, and prove to be more difficult to handle than an entire army.

Power and leadership are earned

Power and leadership are both earned rather than given.

True power springs from those led, and that is the reason why, in order for a leader to be effective, he or she should earn the respect and trust of his or her followers.

That is also the reason why leadership is not a numbers game, as I have said above.

A leader’s power and effectiveness have nothing to do with the size of the team that he or she leads.

The individual characteristics of each team member require the adoption of a more personalized approach by a leader.

Unless a leader embraces such an approach, he or she won’t be able to build solid foundations of his or her power and leadership.

As a result, his or her power and leadership will be constantly challenged.

This article was originally published by me on Medium.com
You can read it here.