Integrated Medical Education Resources: 161007P

Presented at the MSA workshop Hong Kong on October 7-8, 2016 by Professor Omar Hasan Kasule Sr. MB ChB (MUK), MPH (Harvard), DrPH (Harvard)

Learning objectives:

Leaders defined by actions:

Leaders and followers are better defined by what they do than what they are or what they say. Actions cannot deceive over time; reputation and nice words often do.
Every leader has to expose himself through his actions since there is no leadership without activity.

Definition of power:

Power is the capability or potential to get something done.
Influence is an exercise of power to get something done.
Authority is formal power that a leader has as a virtue of the position.
Power and leadership are interdependent but are not interchangeable.
A leader needs the power to succeed and influence others but power alone does not make an effective leader.

Types of power:

There are 2 types of leadership power: personal and positional. Both are used in varying proportions depending on the leadership situation.
Personal power is based on character, expertise, charisma, and personal relations.
Positional power is based on formal authority that includes decision-making, reward, punishment, and control of information and organizational resources.

Use of leadership power:

The leader has to make a correct judgment of which source of power to use in a particular leadership situation. Influence is an exercise of leadership power. Powerful leaders have more influence. They have credibility and can get more compliance from their followers.
Leaders can get follower compliance by rational persuasion, appeal, pressure, promises of rewards, negotiations (win-win, compromise).
Leaders get followers to do things either by making small demands followed by big ones, or by starting with big demands followed by small ones of the big ones are not possible.

Credibility:

A leader gains more power and influence by building credibility.
Credibility is based on competence (experience, knowledge, and skills), character (honesty, kindness, sympathy), self-confidence, activity and drive, boldness, and assertiveness.
The followers must trust the leader if he is to lead them well. Building credibility starts with self-assessment to know your strengths and use them, to identify your weaknesses and compensate for them.
You have to listen to and learn from the followers.
Keeping promises and being predictable is very important for credibility.

COMPARING TYPES OF POWER

Fill the following table comparing types of leadership power. Write down 1-3 advantages/disadvantages for each type of power