How to Gain(gān) Power(ˈpou(-ə)r) at Work When You Have None

How to Gain(gān) Power(ˈpou(-ə)r) at Work When You Have None

Networking across your company, cultivating(ˈkəltəˌvāt) charisma(kəˈrizmə) and developing expertise(-ˈtēs,ˌekspərˈtēz) in an emerging(iˈmərj) area are keys to success—and can be learned

By Sue Shellenbarger

Many young employees(emˈploi-ē,ˌemploiˈē) are frustrated(ˈfrəsˌtrātid) when their first jobs land them in powerless positions at the bottom of the organization chart after years of leadership(ˈlēdərˌSHip) roles in school, leading some to jump ship far sooner than employers would like.

How do you gain power when you have none?

More employers are opening new paths to leadership by encouraging employees to develop spheres(sfi(ə)r) of influence that have nothing to do with the org(ôrg) chart.

Such informal(inˈfôrməl) power is increasingly(iNG-,inˈkrēsiNGlē) important—and valued—in today’s flatter(ˈflatər) organizations, where more jobs confer(kənˈfər) responsibility(riˌspänsəˈbilətē) for teammates’(ˈtē(m)ˌmāt) performance without the authority(ôˈTHär-,əˈTHôritē) to give orders or dish out rewards or punishment(ˈpəniSHmənt), says corporate(ˈkôrp(ə)rət) trainer Dana Brownlee, of Atlanta(at-,ətˈlantə).

Specific behaviors can predict informal power, and many of them can be learned, she says. Networking across departments, building expertise in new areas and cultivating charisma are all ways to gain power, and make you a go-to person for colleagues(ˈkälˌēg).

People who build strong networks ask lots of questions of colleagues, show respect for co-workers’ roles and accomplishments(əˈkämpliSHmənt), and look for openings to help with projects that excite them, according to a 2017 study of 20 employers and 160 managers co-written by Robert Cross, a professor(prəˈfesər) of global leadership at Babson College in Massachusetts(ˌmasəˈCHo͞osits). “These people create enthusiasm(enˈTHo͞ozēˌazəm) in the networks around them,” making colleagues more likely to offer them new opportunities, says Dr. Cross, who heads a 70-employer consortium(-ˈsôrtēəm,kənˈsôrSH(ē)əm) studying collaboration(kəˌlabəˈrāSHən). “I call them energizers.”

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https://www.wsj.com/amp/articles/how-to-gain-power-at-work-when-you-have-none-1520353800