I know that you didn’t get into the field of massage therapy because you wanted power over people, so don’t get your bonnet in a twist. You do have power, however. A leader’s power is derived from the followers. In other words, they give it to you! There are three different kinds of power:
Role Power
As I mentioned in the last post, power is inherent in the therapeutic relationship. The client has lost power over their condition somehow and is turning to you for help. This kind of power is called Role Power – or the power of your position. You are the therapist and they the client. They have given you power over their healing. As we facilitate the healing, we gradually give their power back, but there will always be a degree of role power in play.
Other examples of roles that are given power (to a greater or lesser degree) are parents, your boss, teachers, police officers, or the president of the United States. Sometimes these roles have authoritative power attached to them – such as the police officer’s ability to have you do something against your will.
Role Power is effective when you need to “lay down the law” such as with enforcing boundaries when someone in your charge has stepped out of bounds. However it becomes less effective the more you use it. It is best to rely on role power only when necessary.
Personality Power
Charisma. Likability. The power of persuasion. This power comes not out of respect for the role you occupy, but because of respect for who you are. Are you courteous, respectful, trustworthy, optimistic, communicative, amiable, welcoming, helpful, and/or a whole bunch of other good things? Have you ever convinced (I won’t say manipulated) a friend or family member to do something they didn’t really want to do but you could get away with it because of your relationship? Personality power in action!
Knowledge Power
People like to be led by others that have the answers. It is a cliché that knowledge is power, but clichés only become clichés when they are true. The more knowledgeable you are about something, the more power others will give you with regards to it. Never stop learning! The more knowledge power you have, the more credibility you will have when you give you clients helpful information.
Use of Power
Obviously we need to wield our power effectively and appropriately. Our job is to gradually give our clients back much of their power. We use our power in our clients’ best interests. That is part of the essence of being a leader – the proper use of the power that has been given them. The most effective leaders apply these different types of power at different times and in different situations, something called situational leadership. There are times where you need to put our foot down and use your role power to redirect the ship. At other times, you convince. Others you educate. Wise leaders learn when to do which.
Next, we look at the characteristics of leadership…
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