Leaders who have referent power are well-liked, respected and trusted, with the right personal qualities to be seen as a role model and someone to look up to. Referent power is a leadership type that was first acknowledged by John French and Bertram Raven in 1959. In their research, they identified five bases of social power. These are different ways leaders can get compliance from subordinates. The five bases or types include:
Legitimate power – This is usually held by someone with a recognized position of power, whether in the government, in a religion setting, or a manager in a company – they are afforded power simply because they hold a position of power Reward – This position of power comes from the idea that the person in power can reward those who are subordinate to them, whether through financial contributions, social standing or promotion Coercive – The opposite of reward power in many ways, coercive power is held by those who can punish others for not following commands or doing what they are told – this is a system of leadership through fear Expert – Someone with expert power has expertise in a particular area and is known to be a trusted resource; subject matter experts have power over their specialism that can transfer into other areas Referent – Those with referent power are trusted and respected and gain power from being well-liked and inspirational
In 1965, Raven added a sixth base – Information. This is the power of knowledge and holding information that is critical to accomplishing a goal. Leaders with referent power gain their influence over time and build strong, collaborative relationships with employees.
What Does Referent Power Look Like?
You can see people with referent power around you all the time. Some of the more obvious examples are celebrities. Whether they are movie stars or influencers on Instagram, famous people gain a reputation that make them seem like role models. Taking some of the most famous female actors as an example, if one of them reveals a favorite brand or designer, it increases demand for that brand. Their support of a product or their personal dislike of a product influences sales. In the corporate world, we see a lot of referent power in entrepreneurs. There is a reason innovators like Bill Gates and Elon Musk are considered to be influential, and it is not only for their personal expertise but for their mentorship, their integrity, and the respect they have earned from their followers and employees. There are a few key characteristics that someone with referent power might have, including:
Excellent communication skills – Including active listening Empathy – Really getting to know people and understanding them Mentorship – Helping other people reach their goals with individual support Reliable – Keeping promises and being there when the going gets tough Appreciative – Giving praise where it is due Supportive – Helping employees when they need it Open-minded – Ready to accept when they are wrong Receptive – Not only to feedback but to the ideas of others Charismatic – Excellent interpersonal skills Sincere – Honest and open, with a heartfelt interest in others
Why Is Referent Power Important?
Referent power in leadership has many benefits, both for the employees lucky enough to have this sort of manager and for the organization itself. Employees are likely to have a more fulfilling relationship with a manager who has referent power. Not only will they feel valued and that their input is worth something, but they will also naturally want to work at their best, improving overall work performance. Building trusting relationships with a referent leader is natural and easy, and these relationships will extend further into the rest of the team, thanks to a more collaborative atmosphere. It is often noted that an employee doesn’t always leave a bad job, so much as they leave a bad manager. With referent power in leadership, better employee retention happens because staff don’t want to leave a workplace where they feel their input matters and that they are taken seriously. A trusting, supportive environment allows for innovation to take place naturally and can help reduce bureaucracy, reduce concern about needing permission to make decisions, and increase personal power to make changes for good. This, in turn, leads to an accelerated workflow. Referent leaders make for better mental health in the workplace, with less anxiety and bad work habits.
How to Use Referent Power in the Workplace
Becoming a better leader should be part of the development of every manager. You can make use of referent power in the workplace by focusing on developing certain skills and remembering that it is all about how you softly influence people through your actions as well as your words.
Being an Effective Role Model
People with referent power have one key thing in common: They are always role models, and employees look to them for an example. This means that you need to embody and exhibit the values that you want to instill in your team, including being at work on time and focusing on the project at hand. Getting your hands dirty and getting stuck into something alongside employees makes you an effective role model as you demonstrate the behavior that you want to see in others. You also need to do what you say you will do, keep your promises and be reliable. As a source of inspiration for your staff, you will need to hold yourself to the highest ideals of integrity to be trustworthy.
Mentoring Others
Effective leaders help their team to succeed, and one of the most potent ways to do this is through one-on-one mentoring. You can support every single member of your team through effective mentoring, and this demonstrates that you care about every employee as an individual. Some of the most powerful work you can do as a leader is to empower other people to achieve their dreams. Through mentoring, you will have a chance to really get to know what makes your staff tick. Mentorship demonstrates that you are a trusted source of knowledge, advice and guidance while establishing deep, trusting relationships.
Praise and Recognition
We have all been in a situation where we have performed well, worked really hard or completed a task better than expected, only to feel deflated when we haven’t been recognized for our achievement. Many employees feel disappointed when they do not receive praise for a job well done. This is why recognition is such an important tool in a referent leader’s kit. Celebrate wins, big and small, through public praise. Let the staff know when they have done a good job and reward those who go the extra mile, then other employees will want to follow suit. This could be through a message to the team highlighting the good work or by throwing a party following the completion of a difficult assignment. It could be a small, thoughtful gift or a lavish holiday. However you choose to give compliments, never underestimate the importance of ensuring that an employee gets credit where credit is due. Of course, you will still need to help your employees to develop by talking about areas that need improvement, but genuine praise and recognition go a long way to avoiding disgruntled employees.
Feedback
Referent power comes from openness and honesty, and that means accepting and working on feedback. Leaders should focus on creating a discourse where staff can come forward with ideas, feedback and even constructive criticism while feeling secure. Invest time in one-to-one conversations to find out what each colleague wants to achieve, both personally and professionally. You can use this information to help them secure training opportunities, look for certification or qualifications, or gain the experience they might need to look for a promotion. Being open to feedback is also about being able to admit when you are out of your depth, and taking advice from employees who are experts in an area that you are not. This is a good opportunity to demonstrate that you are not infallible and to take responsibility for being wrong or not having the necessary experience, information or qualifications to help. When an employee comes to speak to you about something, be sure to give them your full attention. Turn away from the computer, put down your phone and focus on what is being said. Maintain eye contact and use both verbal and non-verbal cues to demonstrate that you are really listening, whether that is nodding or repeating what they have said to confirm understanding. Another part of this is to be sincerely interested in your employees. Some acknowledgments of their home life, hobbies and family will not only help you to understand their motivations and challenges but also make it obvious that you care about each employee as an individual.
Encouraging Ideas, Creativity and Innovation
The open, honest discussions that bring about feedback and development opportunities will also help to encourage innovation. Creativity flows best in a collaborative environment where there is no such thing as a bad idea or a stupid question. You can help foster this by giving things a go and admitting your mistakes. By diving into a project yourself, alongside your employees, you are leading by example and showing that you are fully engaged in the process. Employees who feel supported and trust in your leadership will be much more likely to speak up when they have a great idea.
Know When to Take Responsibility
A facet of referent leadership is the knowledge of when you need to take responsibility for the actions of your employees. If there is a problem or an employee makes a mistake, you need to support them so that they know you ‘have their back.’ They want to know that they can work hard and be rewarded for it and that if things go wrong you will stand up for them. Taking responsibility does not mean taking credit, however. A leader who steals the limelight from a creative or innovative member of staff is not going to keep their referent power for long. This ties back into giving credit where it is due. If an employee has a world-changing idea, it should belong to them with your support. Those with referent power are often inspirational and thought of as worthy by the people they are in charge of. Managers with referent power become trusted over time, not because they are leaders or in an obvious position of power, but because they are someone that an employee can look up to as a role model. Engaged employees in a collaborative environment produce results at an accelerated work rate, which is ultimately better for the organization and its bottom line. However, likeability does not mean that you are a good leader, and unfortunately people with referent power can abuse it for personal gain. Referent power takes a long time to build effectively, but it can be completely undone with a small mistake or when something goes wrong. Ann is a well-liked member of the manufacturing team at her warehouse job, and she has been promoted. Her knowledge of the other employees gives her referent power because they already trust her and know she has their best interests at heart. Through her leadership, the team produces an innovative idea to improve work rate safely in the warehouse, and staff turnover reduces because she is considered a good boss. Each type of social power has positives and negatives, but by focusing on the good aspects of each base, you can become a well-rounded leader. As an example, a referent leader works best when they are in a legitimate position of power – a team leader or a manager, for example. They can provide rewards for those who perform well, whether that is effective and realistic praise or being put forward for a promotion or a pay rise. They can be informational leaders who share important facts rather than holding onto them, and they can show that ideas have value by being an expert leader. In modern workplaces, there is not much call for the coercive leader. Gone are the days when the balanced leader needed to rule using both fear and love. Expert power comes from being recognized for your deep knowledge, expertise and being a resource of information. We may have favorite celebrities who we feel are like us and who we can relate to. We are more likely to follow their suggestions, choosing to buy the products they endorse and even following their fashion choices. In the business world, managers who have referent power don’t get employees to work better just because they are the boss or because they are coercive. Staff want to work harder and be praised for it, and they want to get involved more with a manager who is on the ground doing the hard graft alongside them. There are other facets of management that can be considered alongside social leadership. Even the most liked manager will have to give constructive criticism or deal with problems in the workplace. Improving your skills to wield more referent power will make you a more popular manager, and it will also be a more rewarding way to motivate staff, get better results and improve the bottom line of the business.
