Reflection on Power (Essay Sample)

REFLECTION ON POWER
Name:
Course:
Instructor:
Date:
Reflection on power (leadership) - Journal summary
Leadership is about having power to influence others to do things (Sadler 2003). Some leaders gain the power out of their ability to hire and fire, such leaders are unlikely to be enthusiastic and they are unreliable. On the other hand, other leaders obtain their power because of their expertise in the field. The expertise leaders are admirable; they form role model as people desire to have similar skills and personal qualities.
In this course, the main learning goal is to obtain a greater understanding of leadership and power. Thereafter, one is supposed to subject him/herself into the findings and determine what type of leaders they are (Popadiuk 2009). Leadership and power are closely interlinked; however, they are different in essence, in application, and in the real world situation. As discussed, leadership is having the ability to influence others, and the extent of power differs from one leader to another. Social psychologists have conducted studies to give a clear understanding, and the most notable studies on power in the 1959 involved two social psychologists; John French and Bertram Raven.
According to French and Raven, there are five bases of power: Legitimate, reward, expert, referent and coercive power. Legitimate power happens when a leader makes demands, and thereafter expects obedience and compliance (Daft 2003). Coercive powers happens when a leader has the ability to punish others for noncompliance The reward power happens when a leader can compensate the other party for compliance; the expert leadership bases on the leader’s superior skills and knowledge. The referent power comes from a natural attractiveness, perception of worthiness, and a leader gains respect from others. Of all these forms of power, the best form of power is the expertise; while referent power follows.
Leadership by itself is a challenge, where a leader has to deal with different characters and harmonize all situations. Difficult situations may arise in the leadership process, and only an expertise leader would know how to handle the situation intelligently, otherwise a legitimate or coercive power leader would simply make wrong decisions that would lead to regrets later on. Bush presented a bad leader who took advantage of his position. He was involved in several scandals and out of his legitimate power; He enforced the US Attorney firings, the Iran war, mishandling of the nuclear issue at the North Korea, and failed to capture Osama Bin Laden on the war on terror among other scandals (Kettl 2003). Bush presented a legitimate leader with coercive powers.
In my daily routine activities, I have participated in discussion groups, which form a small society. In the process of interacting with my discussion group members, I have encountered the exact application of a referent power. I am the group leader with much influence, brilliant and intelligent and can make the impossible happen. The interaction and online learning environment not only gives a practical appearance of happenings in the real life, but also gives one an opportunity to sit back and reflect, while imagining what type of leader people should make.