SESSION 1-2: LEADERSHIP AUTHORITY AND INFLUENCE
FACILITATOR GUIDE
SESSION PURPOSE
LEARNING GOAL
The learning goal addressed by this session:
B. Describe principles of leadership influence consistent with servant character.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
The learning objectives addressed by this session:
B1. Given a list of key terms related to leadership influence, learners will be able to write a definition of each term which includes all relevant key words.
B2. Given a list of influencing activities, learners will be able to identify which source of authority each activity demonstrates, with 80% accuracy.
B3. Given a list of influencing activities, learners will be able to identify whether each activity is consistent with servant leadership, with 80% accuracy.
B4. Given a set of mnemonic cues, learners will be able to list correctly (i.e., including all relevant key words) all 8 methods to exercise influence on their area teams.
GENERAL FACILITATION GUIDELINES
The session notes below provide you with a “script” that you can use as you facilitate this session. Do not feel that you have to read the script verbatim. In fact, it would be better if you didn’t! Instead, feel free to paraphrase as appropriate while keeping to the main ideas and intent of each learning activity. Please also be sure to aware of the time, as there is a lot to cover in a short amount of time!
Some of the content for the session is NOT in these notes, but in the PowerPoint slides, so be sure to have a printout of the slides available for your own reference (and as a backup in case of technological problems).
The session notes have been prepared to accomplish five main instructional functions: a PREFACE (introduction) to the learning session, activating PREVIOUS knowledge, PRESENTATION of new content, providing learners with the opportunity to PRACTICE with the material, and then to PREPARE for transfer of new learnings beyond the classroom session itself. The functions of PREVIOUS knowledge, PRESENTATION, and PRACTICE might be repeated multiple times in the session in order to cover multiple objectives. The diagram below illustrates the overall “flow” of these instructional functions.
The origins of this content come from a mix of sources. A couple important references are these.
Cialdini, R. B. (1993). Influence: The psychology of persuasion. New York: William Morrow.
MindTools.com. (2014). French and Raven's five forms of power. Retrieved from
http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newLDR_56.htm
SESSION SCHEDULE
Total time: 90 minutes
LEARNING ACTIVITIES
ACTIVITY #1: THE INFLUENCE GAME
SHOW: PowerPoint Slide 2
Ask for a pair of volunteers. Share that one person will be the “influencer”, and the other will be the “receiver” of influence. Provide each “influencer” with a silly task that he/she must influence the “receiver” to perform. Share this task assignment with the influencer in such a way that the receiver does not know the assigned task (e.g., write it down on a slip of paper). The influencer can do whatever he/she can think of to get the “receiver” to perform the task within 1-2 minutes.
Possible task assignments could include:
• Walk around like a penguin
• Squawk like a hen
• Curl up in a ball on the floor
• Do jumping jacks
Repeat with additional volunteers as time permits.
FACILITATOR NOTE: Pay attention to the methods of influence that the influencers use during this fun exercise. Perhaps they give a command, or make a request, or model what they want the receiver to do. You can refer back to these examples as you discuss methods of influence later in the session.
SAY: In these fun situations, the “influencer” influenced the receiver. In this session, we’ll begin to learn more about influence: what it is, where it comes from, and how we can use it effectively – all while keeping in mind the servant character of leadership we discussed in a previous session. These ideas will inform your efforts to lead your team, and influence your staff – not to walk around like a penguin (!), but to fulfill their roles effectively, so that together as an organization we accomplish our mission!
ACTIVITY #2: INTRODUCE DEFINITION OF INFLUENCE
SHOW: PowerPoint Slide 3
SAY: What is influence? Influence is the ability to affect the way that other people believe, think, and behave.
ASK: Who in your life has influence over you? Who in your life can affect the way that you believe, think, and behave?
SAY: All these people can influence you in different ways. Influence is the ability to affect the way that other people believe, think, and behave. Remember our definition of leadership? Leadership is the process of influencing a group of people toward a goal. That means that influence is at the very core of what it means to be a leader! Today we are going to learn about HOW we can be effective at influencing other people.
SHOW: PowerPoint Slide 4
ASK: What is influence? (Have learners read the definition, orally filling in the blanks.)
ACTIVITY #3: INTRODUCE FIVE SOURCES OF AUTHORITY
SHOW: PowerPoint Slide 5
SAY: We are able to influence others because we have authority. Authority is the power to influence. There is more than one type of authority, however. We are going to learn about five sources of authority, five different roots of that power to influence.
SHOW: PowerPoint Slide 6
ASK: What is authority? (Have learners read the definition, orally filling in the blanks.)
SHOW: PowerPoint Slide 7
SAY: Authority is the power to influence, but there are five different sources of that power. Social scientists call these legitimate power, reward power, coercive power, expert power, and referent power. We are going to learn about each one of these.
SHOW: PowerPoint Slide 8
SAY: Legitimate power is the power one has because society has granted authority to the individual. We can call it the “power of position,” because it is the power of a specific position or role within society or within an organization. Examples of people who have legitimate power would be a prime minister, or a judge. These are people that can influence others because of the position that they have. It does not matter if they are intelligent or nice. It only matters that they are in a position that society has assigned authority to.
SHOW: PowerPoint Slide 9
SAY: Reward power is the power one has because he has the ability to impart something that other people desire and value. We can call it the “power of the prize.” If you control resources that other people regard as valuable, this gives you authority that can be used to influence others. Parents use this power when they promise their children some candy if they are well behaved. Your boss at work might offer you a promotion if you hit certain performance targets. These are examples of using reward power.
SHOW: PowerPoint Slide 10
SAY: Coercive power is the power one has because she is able to punish others. We can therefore call it the “power of punishment.” If you someone comes up to you with a gun and demands your motorbike, you will probably give it to him because you fear that he might do something bad to you if you don’t! He is influencing you – because influence is… (prompt learners to supply definition). Influence is the ability to affect the way that other people believe, think, and behave. The moto robber has affected the way that you behave through the threat of force. This is coercive power. The leader of a violent gang might use this type of power with her gang members.
SHOW: PowerPoint Slide 11
SAY: Expert power is the power one has because of superior knowledge or skill in a given area. We can therefore call this the “power of proficiency.” The pharmacist or doctor might tell us to take some terrible-tasting medicine, but we obey! Why? Because we believe that the doctor or pharmacist knows more than we do about medicine and health, and so we are influenced by them.
SHOW: PowerPoint Slide 12
SAY: Referent power is the power one has because other people identify with him/her as an individual, because he/she is credible as a person. It is simply the “power of the person.” It is the power that we have with others because they know us, they love us, they identify with us, and they trust us. We will do things our spouse or siblings suggest or recommend, simply because we are in a relationship with them.
SHOW: PowerPoint Slide 13
SAY: Authority is the power to influence, and there are five different sources of that power. Social scientists call these legitimate power, reward power, coercive power, expert power, and referent power.
ASK: What questions do you have?
ACTIVITY #4: PRACTICE WITH FIVE SOURCES OF AUTHORITY
SAY: We are going to look at some examples of influencing activities. See if you can identify which source of authority is at work.
SHOW: PowerPoint Slide 14
ASK: Can someone read this example for us? What source of authority is operating here?
SAY: This is an example of referent power.
SHOW: PowerPoint Slide 15
ASK: Can someone read this example for us? What source of authority is operating here?
SAY: This is an example of reward power.
SHOW: PowerPoint Slide 16
ASK: Can someone read this example for us? What source of authority is operating here?
SAY: This is an example of coercive power.
SHOW: PowerPoint Slide 17
ASK: Can someone read this example for us? What source of authority is operating here?
SAY: This is an example of legitimate power.
SHOW: PowerPoint Slide 18
ASK: Can someone read this example for us? What source of authority is operating here?
SAY: This is an example of expert power.
SAY: That’s wonderful! You have learned about five sources of authority, which is the… (prompt learners to supply definition). Authority is the power to influence. These five source of authority include…(prompt learners to supply names of five sources). Moreover, you have learned how these different sources of authority are at work in different attempts to influence others.
ACTIVITY #5: EVALUATING INFLUENCE ACTIVITIES AS SERVANT LEADERS
SAY: In an earlier session, we talked about the importance of character for leadership. Specifically, we talked about the importance of having the heart of a servant, or being “servant leaders.” What is a servant? (Prompt learners to supply definition from previous session.) A servant is someone who pursues the interest of others over his own, sacrificing himself to meet their needs. Being a servant does not mean that we do not influence others, or that we do not have authority. As leaders, we MUST influence others. That’s what it means to be a leader! And, in order to influence others, we must have some form of authority. But the TYPE of authority that we use, and the MANNER in which we exercise leadership should be consistent with our identity as servants.
SAY: Sometimes we can use our authority and influence, not as servants, but for our own purposes. We can use authority and influence to control other people. We can use authority and influence to trick them. This is called manipulation.
SHOW: PowerPoint slide 19.
SAY: Manipulation is controlling other people by deceptive means for your own advantage.
ASK: Is manipulation appropriate for servant leaders?
SAY: No, servant leaders influence, but do not manipulate. When manipulation is at work, that form of influence is not consistent with servant leadership.
SHOW: PowerPoint slide 20.
ASK: What is manipulation? (Have learners read the definition, orally filling in the blanks.)
SAY: Another thing that we can say about servant leaders and influence is that servant leaders use methods of influence that are appropriate to the situation. Servant leaders adjust their leadership style to match the needs of their followers in a specific situation. We will learn more about leadership style in our next session.
ACTIVITY #6: PRACTICE EVALUATING INFLUENCE ACTIVITIES AS SERVANT LEADERS
SAY: Let’s look at some examples of influencing activities, and see if we can determine whether they are appropriate to the identity of a leader as a servant.
SHOW: PowerPoint slide 21.
ASK: Is this influencing activity consistent or inconsistent with servant leadership?
SAY: This influencing activity is INCONSISTENT with servant leadership. Julie is using her position in the organization (legitimate power) to get the driver to do something he is not required to do, for the personal benefit of her and her family. Since the driver is new to the organization, he may not understand the exact boundaries of the job, and Julie is misleading him. This is manipulation, and it is inconsistent with servant leadership.
SHOW: PowerPoint slide 22.
ASK: Is this influencing activity consistent or inconsistent with servant leadership?
SAY: This influencing activity is CONSISTENT with servant leadership. The decision that Julie makes is a difficult one, to be sure. It might even seem like a cruel decision. It is clearly a case of coercive power, but even coercive power can be used by servant leaders. She is not acting in her own interest, but in the interest of the organization.
SHOW: PowerPoint slide 23.
ASK: Is this influencing activity consistent or inconsistent with servant leadership?
SAY: This influencing activity is INCONSISTENT with servant leadership. This might seem like the use of referent power (with reference to being a team and caring for her), but it is actually manipulative. Rather than face the consequences of her own procrastination, she seeks her own benefit by asking staff to give up their holiday. This is manipulation, and it is inconsistent with servant leadership.
SHOW: PowerPoint slide 24.
ASK: Is this influencing activity consistent or inconsistent with servant leadership?
SAY: This influencing activity is CONSISTENT with servant leadership. Even though this seems very similar to the first scenario, Julie is not using manipulation here. She is not Jim’s boss, and so there is no abuse of legitimate power here. Jim has been with the organization a long time, so Julie is not misleading him about his role. It is clear that Jim would be doing a personal favor for Julie and her family, because they have been friends a long time. This is an appropriate use of referent power.
SAY: It is important that we remember our identity as servant leaders when we influence others. When we use our influence and authority in ways that control other people by deceptive means for our own advantage, that is manipulation and it is not consistent with servant leadership.
ACTIVITY #7: PRESENTING METHODS OF INFLUENCE
SAY: Now, we are going to learn eight ways that we can use various types of authority to influence others. Each of these ways is consistent with our identity as servant leaders.
DISTRIBUTE: Handout – Methods of Influence
SAY: In order help us remember each of these eight methods of influence, there is a small symbol that can remind us of the key idea for each method. Pay attention to those symbols as we learn each method, and pay attention to the underlined words in each description.
SHOW: PowerPoint Slide 25
SAY: One way to gain greater influence with people is to build relationships of trust with them. People respond to influence when they like the leader. This is a manifestation of referent authority. When people trust you, they are more likely to listen to you and follow you. The symbol of a family helps us remember that we gain influence when we build relationships of trust with people.
SHOW: PowerPoint Slide 26
SAY: When it comes to influence, we need to recognize that a “one size fits all” approach may not be most effective. People are responsive to different kinds of influence, so that means that you need to know your audience and what kind of influence they will respond to. People pay more attention to an attempt to influence when it is important to them personally, when it is relevant to their own needs. That means you need to know what their needs are. This kind of “personalization” of influence requires us to listen to our audience and try to understand them. Authentic, effective listening is also an important relational skill which is likely to increase referent power. The symbol of an ear helps us remember how important it is to listen and understand.
SHOW: PowerPoint Slide 27
SAY: The next two methods are related. When we want people to practice a behavior or adopt an attitude, we want that behavior or attitude to flow out of their identity, so it comes naturally from who they are. Thus, one approach to influence is to begin gradually shaping people’s identity toward the desired behavior, thought, or belief. Help people begin to think of themselves as the kind of person that practices that behavior. One way to do this is to ask people to make commitments related to the behavior. A great example of this would be asking someone to quit smoking for one day. It’s a small commitment, really. However, it can be a small step that moves someone from thinking of himself as someone who can’t live without cigarettes to someone who realizes that going without them isn’t the end of the world. The symbol of a raised hand reminds us that we want people to voluntarily make commitments (even small ones) in the direction of the desired behavior.
SHOW: PowerPoint Slide 28
SAY: This next method follows on the previous one. Once people make small steps toward the desired behavior, celebrate! Lavish encouragement on each movement in the right direction. This can encourage them to keep moving in that direction! Sports fans celebrate when their team scores a single goal (or run, or basket!), even though the final outcome hasn’t been decided yet. Celebrate small wins! The symbol of the footprints reminds us to encourage those small steps.
SHOW: PowerPoint Slide 29
SAY: People respond to influence when they observe other people like them responding. This means that you need to be a good example of the behavior that you want them to demonstrate, and you should also show them other models (the more like them, the better) of the behavior being lived out. The symbol of the small letter A behind the big letter A reminds us of the importance of models to follow: be a good example of the behavior you want in your followers and show them models of what you want them to do.
SHOW: PowerPoint Slide 30
SAY: A powerful method of influence is persuasion. This is a big topic, so we will talk about it in more depth in our next learning session. The symbol of the person speaking reminds us of the importance of persuasion.
SHOW: PowerPoint Slide 31
SAY: Another method of influence draws on reward power. So, we can either offer rewards for the desired behavior, or point out the rewards that intrinsically result from the behavior. Just keep in mind that the more closely the reward is related to the behavior, the more effect the influence will have. The symbol of the medal reminds us of the power of rewards.
SHOW: PowerPoint Slide 32
SAY: One final method of influence relates to ALL of the previous ones. In order for change to last, people need to be reminded of decisions they have already made (their previous responses to influence) and how they apply to a given situation. That means that you need to reinforce your influence with periodic ‘reminders.’ The symbol of the string around the finger reminds us how we need to reinforce our influence with periodic ‘reminders.’
SHOW: PowerPoint Slide 33
DISTRIBUTE: Worksheet – Methods of Influence
Allow learners to take a couple minutes fill out the worksheet to the best of their ability from memory.
SHOW: PowerPoint Slides 34 and 35.
Briefly read through these slides as a review, and learners can complete their worksheets based on these slides.
ACTIVITY #8: REVIEW
FACILITATOR NOTE: The schedule for this session only allows five minutes for review, so you may not have time to review ALL of the key points in the lesson, which would include the following:
• Definitions of influence, authority, and manipulation
• The concepts of legitimate power, reward power, coercive power, expert power, and referent power
• The identification of specific influencing activities as consistent or inconsistent with servant leadership
• The eight methods of influence
During this brief time of review, focus on the points on which learners’ attainment of the learning objectives seems to be weakest. Cover as much as you can in the time allotted!
ACTIVITY #9: SUMMARY AND CLOSE
SAY: As we close, please take a couple minutes and reflect on your work over the past week or two. Write down at least one thing you have done to influence your staff. Then, we are going to reflect on some of these activities together.
Allow learners a couple minutes to reflect and write down their own influencing activities. Then, ask for a volunteer to share one influencing activity they have done.
ASK: What source of authority was demonstrated in this influencing activity?
ASK: Do you think this influencing activity was consistent or inconsistent with servant leadership?
ASK: Does this influencing activity reflect any of the eight methods of influence that we have learned together?
Repeat with additional volunteers as time permits.
SAY: We have learned a lot in this session about influence. We have learned what influence is, and how authority functions as the power to influence. We have learned the five sources of authority: legitimate power, reward power, coercive power, expert power, and referent power. We have learned the meaning of manipulation, and we have considered whether specific influencing activities are consistent or inconsistent with servant leadership. Finally, we have learned about eight methods of influence.
SAY: Thank you for your active participation in our session today. Don’t forget to review the handouts we’ve distributed and your own notes to help reinforce your learning together!
DOWNLOAD the complete facilitator's guide for this session here.
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