What Is Referent Power? How to Build Referent Power at Work

Power is a person’s capacity to influence the action of others. As psychotherapist Esther Perel notes, “All relationships imply dynamics of power. Its not in and of itself good or bad.” Power can result from both personality traits and acquired abilities. One may derive their source of power from confidence, ego, or years of experience.

Lack of power can create confusion at work. “Employees that don’t have a boss that gives them a clear sense of direction and mission and ‘where are we going and why we’re doing what we’re doing’ are left with a vacuum,” Esther adds. “And then they ask, ‘What should we do? And then sometimes another person emerges that becomes the new power or it’s chaos and disorganization.”

According to an influential 1959 paper by John R.P. French and Bertram Raven on the bases of social power, referent power is the personal power of an individual to inspire and influence those around them. In a healthy work environment, referent power may describe the ability of a leader to unite their team toward corporate goals. By modeling hard work and a strong sense of ethics, great leaders can use referent power to enact positive change within the organization.

Notably, this kind of power does not align with any one leadership style. Executives and project managers can subscribe to many models for behavioral leadership while projecting referent power in their working relationships.

Referent power, and the referent leadership that flows from it, can make a great impact in the work environment. Here are three reasons why:

1. 1. Referent leaders are role models to their team. Referent leaders model behavior, both productive and destructive, to their fellow team members. When referent leaders demonstrate a strong work ethic and a regard for other people’s personal needs, they can inspire similar good behavior among others. When referent leaders model bad behavior—bending rules and shirking responsibilities—it gives tacit permission to other team members who might be inclined to behave in similarly unproductive ways.
2. 2. Referent leaders can improve employee engagement. Referent leaders connect with their direct reports. Using strong interpersonal skills, they engage in active listening, make eye contact, and give their full attention to team members in their workspace. These tactics help you build referent power, and they also make employees feel seen and respected. This suggests a direct connection between referent power in the workplace and long-term employee retention.
3. 3. Referent power sparks collaboration. Effective leaders use referent power as a tool to build relationships. With those relationships, comes open dialogue and new perspectives. Leaders can gain insight from such dialogue. By embracing it with an open mind, they can utilize the collective wisdom of their team to improve workflows and gain a competitive edge.

If you want to exercise referent power, you should consider the terms “power over” and “power to.” Having “power over” your direct reports can lead to feelings of negativity among your team, whereas “power to” can bring about positive change. As Esther Perel says, “Power comes with the fact that when people need each other, rely on each other, have expectatons from each other, depend on each other, it gives them power. But the question always is, is it power over or is it power to? Power over you can be oppressive, can be dominant, can be exploitative. But power to can be generative, can be inviting, can be active and collaborative.”

You don’t need to be a charismatic leader to build referent power in the workplace. Many examples of referent power start with building relationships, which have longer-lasting utility than a motivational speech at a team meeting. Here are three tactics you can use to build referent power in your own work environment:

• Demonstrate your own personal passion. Workers take social cues from their leader. If your direct reports can see that you are personally invested in the team’s work, they may find themselves inspired in their own right. Model passion through hard work and positive commentary about the tasks at hand.
• Delegate responsibility. It may seem counterintuitive that you can build power by passing duties to others, but delegating is a gesture of implicit trust. When you task a colleague with important work, you are saying that you have faith in them to do the job right. This gesture of trust builds a bond between you and strengthens your own referent power.
• Be fair and consistent. Workers respond well to managers who are fair, consistent, and respectful. Make sure your direct reports always know where they stand with you, and grant them the dignity of a fair, levelheaded response when things don’t go right. Exhibiting fair, evenhanded behavior will enhance your standing with team members, and referent power will follow.

Great leaders use referent power to inspire and enact positive change. They never use it to manipulate others or to convince them to negotiate against themselves. When you wield your referent power, anchor yourself by always asking three questions.

1. 1. Am I doing right by the organization?
2. 2. Am I doing right by my fellow employees?
3. 3. Would I be comfortable doing this action or saying these words on a stage in front of the whole company?

If the answer to all three is “yes,” you can be confident that you are using your referent power in a positive, ethical way.

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