Heather Bingaman

Scott Harris
UNIV 392
June 9, 2016

It is intriguing that despite the close relationship of leadership

and power, leadership brings to mind examples of valiant causes for
rights, morality and integrity, while power has a more violent
connotation and is often associated with the abuse thereof. The
Northouse text states that there are almost as many different
definitions of leadership as there are people who have tried to define
it and I agree (Northouse, p. 2). Leadership and power, like most other
things, are on a scale or spectrum. As I understand it, leadership is
selfless at its core, while power is more egocentric. I believe the good
or evil nature of power and leadership are rooted in the way that the
individual holding a position of leadership and power chooses to focus
their energies.
The results of a powerful leaders endeavors can be either
beneficial and contribute toward the greater good, or destructive and
merely for self-gain depending on how the five bases of power are
manipulated. These five bases of power are divided into three formal
coercive, reward, legitimateand two personalexpert, referentbut
are not mutually exclusive because power is a constant dynamic.

Coercive power is power based on the fact that the individual holding
the power can punish or elicit fear. Though it sounds terrible to say, I
used coercive power when I babysat five children, five days a week for
ten hours a day last summer. Cora, Anna, Pipo, Gabby and Christopher
were eighteen months to six years old, the prime whining age. When I
was a child, if ever I whined for anything, be it a glass of milk or a trip
to the playground, I did not get it. Thus, I learned very quickly that if I
wanted something I needed to ask in a normal tone of voice. This is the
same sort of coercive power I utilized when navigating the summer
days with five young children. If one child whined, I would respond I
cant understand you, when you can talk like we normally do then we
can discuss who gets to ride the bike next or something along those
lines. Thankfully, children pick things up quickly and by understanding
that they werent going to get the bike or a say in what we did next if
they whined, they stopped doing so around me.
Reward power is based on the individuals ability to reward. One
of the children I was a nanny for last summer, Anna, was four years old
and still not potty trained. Her parents were going through a nasty
divorce and no one was really giving her the attention she needed. I
started by pulling her aside from playing with the others every so often
to ask her to try to go to the bathroom. I know the old saying that if
you give a man a fish hell eat for the night, but if you teach him how
to fish hell eat for the rest of his life. So, I bought a huge book of

princess stickers, the equivalent of gold to this four-year-old girl, and

told her that every time she went to the bathroom and her underwear
was still dry, she could pick a sticker to wear on her dress for the rest
of the day. This soon prevented the daytime accidents, but she still
slept in a pull-up at night. So, we started not drinking water for the two
hours before bedtime and trying to go to the restroom after brushing
teeth. For every night that she didnt have an accident she would earn
a whole page of stickers and a big hug from a very proud Ms. Heather.
By the end of the summer, she was almost completely potty-trained.
Legitimate power is power based on an individuals role or
position. A simple example of legitimate power is that of the authority
my parents have. My parents are both southern and my poppa is in
the military, so our household is no stranger to chore lists, early
curfews, proper table manners, strict rules and maams and sirs when
we were in trouble or asked to do something. With the power to write a
longer chore list, make a curfew even earlier, or in one case, make my
eight-year-old self read a 300 page book on etiquette the summer after
I was smart to my momma, we learned to respect the legitimate power
a parent has over a child. This anecdote perhaps makes them sound
harsh, but Id like to include a disclaimer that my parents are without a
shadow of doubt two of the most exceptional and inspiring individuals
in my life and I know now that the rules were put into place as tools to
help me develop guidelines on which to base future decisions,

decisions Ive had to make by myself, without the guidance of my

parents.
Expert power comes from the persons superior education or
knowledge base. In April I signed my very first lease for an apartment
just off campus. Though I have moved across the country with my
family eight times and know how pack in an economical way, I have
never had to worry about the logistics of setting up gas, electric, wifi
etcetera in the home. I am capable of speaking on the phone with
companies and setting up accounts, but I had to call Poppa and rely on
his knowledge of which plans I should purchase and what I need to do
to keep the bills as low as possible.
Finally, referent power is power based on a relationship of trust.
Every time my parents went to dinner and entrusted me with not
burning the house down, making sure my little sister was fed dinner
and that we were in bed on time, they gave me referent power.
Because power is constantly evolving and changing, rarely, if
ever, will there be an instance where a single base of power is being
utilized. Whether or not a person holding a leadership position uses
power as a force for good or evil depends significantly upon the
integrity of the individual. Regardless of the intentions and outcomes
of a leaders actions, it is indisputable that holding a position in
leadership must require that individual to also hold some measure of
power.

Works Cited
Northouse, Peter Guy. Leadership: Theory and Practice. Thousand
Oaks, CA: Sage, 2004. PDF.