Who's Got It

Sources of power are those substances, physical or not, that can be mobilized to have influence. There are at least five broad sources of power: resource, position, expert, personal and negative power. Resource power derives from the control of wealth and resources: for example, the boy who owns the soccer ball gets to say if there will be a game. Position power is the power identified with fulfilling certain roles. A Chief Executive Officer easily wields decision-making power because it stems from his appointment responsibilities. Expert power is the power arising from knowledge and experience. Personal power is the innate charisma a person may possess, a type of magnetism. Finally negative power is the ability to not do something, and in so doing prevent another person(s) from gaining what they want.