Legitimate power is the authority that the position contains. Reward power reflects the ability to motivate through rewards -- the position grants control over resources that can be allocated towards rewards. Coercive power reflects the position's authority to punish. Within the category of personal power is informational power, expert power and referent power. Informational power is that which comes from a leader's rational persuasive power and inspirational appeal. Expert power comes from one's knowledge and ability to apply that knowledge to rational persuasion. Referent power reflects the personal appeal of the leader. The seventh type of power is connection power, which reflects the ability of the leader to form coalitions that help to support his or her objectives.
4. People as leaders should not be judged on their social skills alone. There is a degree to which poor social skills can impact one's leadership...
However, a leader can compensate for lack of social skills by cultivating other types of power to a high degree, and utilizing those types of power that he or she has in abundance.
In addition, it is worth noting that social skills can often be learned. Networking, for example, is a key skill in coalition building and can be learned over time by leaders. Indeed, many leaders rise to the top based on expert knowledge and the ability to rationalize complex problems. The softer elements of leadership are easier to improve that functional knowledge in many fields, so social skills often must be learned. However, it is valuable for aspiring leaders and the firms that employ them to begin work on remedying social skill deficiency as early as possible in the leader's career as the process can take…
