ASTD Management Development Handbook: Innovation for Today's Managers

Chapter 5

Positively Using Your Power

Sharlyn Lauby

Editor’s Note

I have been a reader of Sharlyn Lauby’s blog, called the HR Bartender, for years. We HR types have radar for what’s getting in the way of a manager’s success. I love Sharlyn’s informal style and honest discussion of her topics. Recently, she wrote a great piece on power, and I was thrilled when she agreed to expand it here in this chapter. Many managers fail to use—and in fact misuse—power every day. We have more power than we think, and sometimes we use it in ways that drive people away from us. Highly successful managers, however, understand the dynamics of power at work and use ...