INFLUENCING: POWER, POLITICS, NETWORKING AND NEGOTIATION

Remember from Chapter 1 that leadership is the "influencing" process of leaders and followers to achieve
corporate goals via transformation. Leaders and followers have an impact on one another. This chapter
examines leadership behavior by discussing how leaders impact people on an individual level.

Power is the ability to exert influence on others. Power, on the other hand, is the leader's potential impact on
followers. Because power is the ability to influence, you do not need to utilize power to influence people. There
are several sources of power, and we will examine position power and personal power here. Top management
grants position power, which is then distributed down the line of command. Position status can confer power.
The followers acquire personal power from the leader's actions. Personal power is possessed by charismatic
leaders. The user's legitimate authority is based on the position power granted by the organization. It is also
known as the legitimization influencing strategy. Employees have a sense of duty and believe that they must do
what their management says within the boundaries of their employment. Reward power is determined by the
user's capacity to influence others by providing them with something of value. Use positive reinforcement to
influence behavior in a managerial role, with incentives such as praise, recognition (with pins, badges, caps, or
jackets), special assignments or desirable activities, salary hikes, bonuses, and promotions. Coercive power is
used to encourage cooperation by punishing and withholding incentives. It is often referred to as the pressure
influencing strategy. Employees frequently do what their management wants out of fear of reprimands,
probation, suspension, or firing. The user's personal ties with others determine referent power. Personal
appeals persuading methods based on loyalty and friendship is another name for it. Relationships with the
individual wielding authority are the primary source of power. The user's expertise and knowledge are used to
determine expert power. Being an expert makes others reliant on you. Individuals frequently respect an expert,
and the fewer people who have expertise and information, the more authority the expert has. The power of
information is built on the facts requested by others. Access to essential information and expertise, as well as
influence over its distribution to others, constitute information power. The user's connection power is
determined by their relationships with prominent individuals. Politics, which is the subject of our next major
part, is likewise a sort of connection power.

Organizations are political because they are social processes, and power and politics are inextricably linked.
Politics is the acquisition and application of power. Larger firms are more political, and the higher one's position
in management, the more crucial politics become. Politics is a form of currency. Politics, like power, frequently
has a bad connotation as a result of persons who misuse political authority. Organizational political practices
such as networking, reciprocity, and alliances are frequent. Networking is an essential aspect of political
abilities. Networking is the process of forming relationships with the goal of socializing and political
campaigning. Using reciprocity entails forming commitments and alliances and then utilizing them to achieve
goals. Using alliances to exert influence is a form of political activity. Each side assists the others in obtaining
what they desire. Reciprocity and networking are typically utilized to achieve continuous goals, whereas
coalitions are formed to achieve a single goal. Co-optation is a political strategy used while forming alliances.
Co-optation is the process of convincing someone whose support you require to join your coalition rather than
competing with you. Understanding the organizational culture and power players, developing good working
relationships, especially with your manager, doing more than what is required, sharing bad news and not going
to your boss's manager, being a loyal, honest team player in your network, and gaining recognition are the
guidelines for developing political skills.
Networking is an aspect of politics, and via networking, we may increase the power and influence to get other
people to help you achieve your goals. The networking process entails: Perform a self - assessment and set
goals will provide you with insight into your transferrable talents, the criteria (abilities, competencies, and
knowledge) and the goals that are essential to you in a new job. Creating your one - minute self - sell briefly
outlines your background and professional plan and asks a question. Developing your network via online social
networking services such as Facebook and LinkedIn as well as personal and professional contacts or
remembering people’s names. However, you should exercise caution while using online social media since
prospective employers may discover unpleasant photographs of you, perhaps costing you your job. Next, using
the network list to Conduct networking interviews and reach the target in six steps: Create a rapport, Deliver
your One-Minute Self-Selling, Ask prepared questions, Get additional contacts for your network, Ask your
contacts how you might help them, and Follow up with a thank you message and status report. Finally,
Maintaining your network is essential for increasing your chances of receiving assistance in the future.

In the right moments, negotiation is the appropriate option in carrying out the exchange of goods or agreeing
on offers in all cases. To get what you or your organization wants, you need to convince the stakeholders to
make the right arrangements. Therefore, organizations need to maintain the belief that we will all get good
deals to motivate businesses to conduct effective negotiations. Although not everyone is gifted with
negotiation, this skill can be practiced and developed over time. The negotiation process should be carried out
in 4 main steps, including planning, implementing the negotiation, delaying if any, and agreeing or disagreeing.
In order to have an effective outcome. The implementer needs to identify the party to negotiate with, set goals,
try to develop options, and prepare answers for possible questions or situations. During the negotiation
process, the implementer should pay attention to the main purpose and the obstacles; to the other party to
make the first offer; listen and ask questions that exploit the partner's needs; don't rush to make a decision.
Next is the case of delay, which can occur when the counterparty requesting a delay needs to create urgency;
or when you want to postpone, the other party can create urgency. With an agreement, everything needs to be
done according to what was negotiated. Finally, if you don't hate the approval, you can suggest more or learn
from it for the next time.

In Ethics and Influencing, when we expect to reach agreements as intended, it can affect our ethical
behavior. However, influence is neither good nor bad because it is what we have done. The biggest challenge
of ethics in negotiation is telling the truth or not lying to the other side. Therefore, when negotiating, it is
necessary to continue to need the partner ethically by creating a win-win advantage in the relationship or
business.

In conclusion, leaders are responsible for implementing plans that make their company more successful and
competitive in an ever-changing business world; they are also responsible for leveraging their authority,
negotiating abilities, and networking skills for the benefit of their firm. Leaders must stay current with current
events in modern corporate contexts in order to be productive and make appropriate judgments.