How can Leaders Create Referent Power?
How Can Leaders Create Referent Power?
Referent Power refers to leaders' ability to influence others, based upon the team's positive opinions of their leaders' character, competence and moral standing.
Leaders who want to build referent power should be:
- Honest
- Collaborative
- Hard working
- Decisive.
- Have integrity.
Referent power is the product of leaders displaying a consistent pattern of high-quality behaviours and simultaneously avoiding bad behaviours.
Referent power leaders consciously aim to build a track record that engenders feelings of commitment.
When leaders succeed in gaining the respect and commitment of the team, then they have acquired referent power.
Good leaders cannot demand referent power, instead, they must earn it.
What specific behaviours are the most potent builders of Referent Power?
Leaders who want to build referent power should always strive to be:
Honest.
Honest in two ways:
- Honest in terms of their communication. The referent power leaders are "straight talkers". They do not prevaricate, equivocate nor distort the truth.
- Honest in terms of property. The leader is "straight" in all financial affairs.
Collaborative.
Collaborative means that leaders recognise the value of other people's skills, knowledge and experience, and they work hard to gain the willing cooperation of their colleagues. Referent power leaders influence people to act, rather than merely issue orders.
Hard working.
Referent power leaders are energetic and hard working. Their work is mostly cognitive, and comes in the form of handing information, communicating goals and plans, and making high value, accurate decisions.
Contrary to popular opinion, great leaders do NOT have to be "on the front line getting their hands dirty". (For example, Winston Churchill was not amongst the men who stormed the beaches of Normandy: he was in London, directing operations.)
Decisive.
The primary role of leadership is to make good decisions.
Referent power leaders are decisive.
They do not dither.
They do not make bad decisions.
Referent power leaders make quick, rational decisions which are based upon a logical evaluation of all the available evidence.
Integrity.
Integrity means: There is no contradiction between a person's speech and action:
Referent power leaders have integrity:
- They DO what they SAY they will do.
- They don't SAY one thing and then DO the opposite.
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Definition: Referent Power
In business, referent power is a type of power leaders earn when their steady, honest behaviour wins deep respect. It rests on their good character and skill, not on job title. Team members freely choose to follow because they trust the leader, not due to fear or rewards. If the leader breaks that trust, the power disappears.
Show CG4D Definition
- Earned through steady, honest actions that win respect
- Built on personal skill and sound morals, not formal rank
- Works because people freely choose to follow, not from fear or reward
- Falls away as soon as the leader breaks trust
Article Summary
Referent power comes when leaders match words with action; they speak truth, share credit, work hard, decide with care and keep their morals sound, so teams trust them, stand with them and perform better.
Frequently Asked Questions
Here are some questions that frequently get asked about this topic during our training sessions.
What is referent power in leadership?
How does referent power differ from positional power?
Why is honesty key to building referent power?
How can a leader show collaborative behaviour daily?
Does hard work still matter when leadership is mainly cognitive?
What makes decisiveness boost team trust?
How can a leader keep referent power once earned?
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Did You Know: Key Statistics
The 2024 Edelman Trust Barometer shows that 78% of workers will recommend their organisation when they believe their leaders act with strong ethics and purpose. Gallup’s 2023 State of the Global Workplace report finds teams with high trust in leadership enjoy 23% higher profitability and 18% higher productivity than teams with low trust.About the Author: Chris Farmer
Chris Farmer is the founder of the Corporate Coach Group and has many years' experience in training leaders and managers, in both the public and private sectors, to achieve their organisational goals, especially during tough economic times. He is also well aware of the disciplines and problems associated with running a business.
Over the years, Chris has designed and delivered thousands of training programmes and has coached and motivated many management teams, groups and individuals. His training programmes are both structured and clear, designed to help delegates organise their thinking and, wherever necessary, to improve their techniques and skills.
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