Power and Trust in Leadership Essay

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Power and trust are both essential aspects of leadership (Bryman, 2011). First, leaders must have the power to make decisions and to get others to buy into the mission once the decision is made. Second, leaders must be trustworthy because it is trust that enables followers to buy into them and into their message and the mission they present (Bligh, 2017). Without power, a leader cannot lead. Without trust, a leader cannot win followers. Power does not necessarily lead to trust, but trust will often lead to power.

In today’s times, power is often viewed suspiciously. Most people are familiar with the often-quoted line that power corrupts. The idea that power necessary corrupts is one that should be viewed as a fallacy. Authority cannot be effective unless it has the power to lead. Parents cannot be parents without the power to protect and discipline their children. If someone were to rob them of that power, what good do they become as parents? Leadership today is often seen as a challenge of democratizing the act of leadership, of inviting others into the decision-making process, because authoritarian leaders are viewed as risky or as offensive in the current climate of inclusivity (Ahn, Ettner & Loupin, 2011). Today’s workplaces are filled with people who think they have a right to be heard and that their leader is not giving them a voice if he does not provide them with a platform and an opportunity to give feedback or input on every important decision that is to be made (Tost, Gino & Larrick, 2013).

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Authoritarianism is…

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…seem to frighten people. People feel that they have just as much right to be heard as the leader of a Fortune 500 company. They have lost the ability to make distinctions, and they lack the humility required in order to see that rank and hierarchy do matter and do help groups to maintain order, structure and discipline.

Power might change the person who possesses. It might change a person negatively or positively—it depends on the person’s character formation. Has he led a life of virtue? Or is he weak in character and likely to wield power in an immoral manner, abusing the authority entrusted to him by others? To guard against power negatively changing oneself as a leader, one must develop one’s character in accordance with virtue ethics—there is no other answer.
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