Personal strength and credibility

Overview

Authority has a certain type of power – usually the position of power. A person is given the power and authority to achieve his or her goals and achieve results through a responsible definition of position and responsibility. The police officer summoning you for speeding. The CFO requesting an audit. The manager of the company that decides how to allocate the budget. Staff can comply, rebel, oppose or complain to those in authority, but there is a reason and purpose for positional power. On the other hand, most of the results obtained within organizations come from the use of personal power and do not depend only on direct authority. This is especially true in our current work environments, where information sources and networked contacts are accessible to everyone as a means of achieving results. Ultimately, however, it depends on personal credibility, political influence, and skill. This course focuses on the power that comes from being a credible and trustworthy person.

Objectives

• Recognize the traits associated with personal and positional power
• Choose to use personal or positional power in a given situation
• Identify factors that support a credibility claim
• Select actions that develop credibility
• Identify actions that help build trust
• Recognize opportunities for confidence building
• manifesting personal power by developing credibility and trust