All managers should be interested in understanding what authority, power and influence (API) they have, its limits and its nature.

Many managers, especially those that have been newly promoted or appointed from outside the organisation, are reluctant to exercise the API they have. Don’t fall into this trap. As a manager you are given a certain level of authority and power and you are expected to use it. If you don’t, you’ll be written off by colleagues as someone who doesn’t have the ‘right stuff’ to manage and be walked on by your staff.

The general advice given to military officers and teachers regarding the exercise of their power and authority is the same. Go in hard at first and make a statement about who’s in charge. Of course, what is considered hard is context specific and I don’t suggest that you have your staff double-timing around the car par park on your first day (maybe you could keep that for the second day). It’s always easier to row back from this position once you find your feet than to go in too soft and then try to ratchet up your level of control. Remember you are a manager and your job is to get results, not to win popularity contests. Although this doesn’t mean that you can’t have a good relationship with your staff.

President Truman’s advice to would-be leaders was ‘walk softly and carry a big stick’. That’s not bad advice for managers.

If authority and power are the karate of martial arts, influence is the Tai Chi. Influence is soft power and is concerned with persuasion. It relies on how much the person you are seeking to persuade respects and trusts you and your opinions. So if you wish to exercise influence, say over your boss, you need to first establish your credibility with them.

What follows is an introduction to this fascinating area and I’d urge you to do some additional reading around the subject.