title: The power paradox.
abstract: Power, the capacity to influence others, produces the most constructive results when exercised in a voluntary partnership with others. Power is paradoxical because the more visible it is, the less it works. The less you have to rely on formal power to get things done, the greater your power actually is. Power begins with the desire to influence your coworkers in a productive manner. There are five potent forms of informal (invisible) power available to everyone in the workplace regardless of their formal authority: shared vision, rapport in relationships, networking, competency, and character. Power enables you to empower your colleagues to pursue the organization's success.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Van Auken
mesh_terms: D006801:Humans; D007400:Interprofessional Relations; D010551:Personality; D010559:Personnel Management; D011209:Power, Psychological; D011361:Professional Competence; D014481:United States