????大多數(shù)人認(rèn)為，老板充分行使職權(quán)的根本在于權(quán)力和威望。老板的權(quán)力越多越好。

????電影、電視和大眾文學(xué)都在宣揚(yáng)一種老套的管理模式，通過它們，一個好的企業(yè)領(lǐng)導(dǎo)總是被刻畫成一個頤指氣使的形象，并且在言行舉止方面，總要擺出一副“我說了算”的架勢。

????但事實(shí)并非如此。利?普朗科特?托斯特、弗朗切斯卡?基諾和理查德?P?拉里克三位研究人員提出了最新證據(jù)，對這種觀點(diǎn)進(jìn)行了批判。在哈佛商學(xué)院（Harvard Business School）近期在線發(fā)表的一份工作論文中，他們提出了自己的觀點(diǎn)：“……當(dāng)一位領(lǐng)導(dǎo)者的權(quán)力欲望加重時，他或她將傾向于控制團(tuán)隊(duì)中的言論和交流，進(jìn)而抑制團(tuán)隊(duì)成員的作用，最終降低團(tuán)隊(duì)的績效?！?/p>

????換句話說，以“我是老板”的心態(tài)看待自己的工作，老板在與下屬的討論中往往表現(xiàn)得自以為是。這既限制了其他人表達(dá)自己觀點(diǎn)的時間，實(shí)際上也是在告訴他們：“你們的觀點(diǎn)無足輕重。我的觀點(diǎn)才是最重要的?！倍罱K結(jié)果必然是，觀點(diǎn)越來越少，創(chuàng)新能力也被削弱。

????當(dāng)然，權(quán)力或者威望本身并沒有什么問題。真正重要的是，擁有這種權(quán)力的人如何對待它們。以我們的研究和經(jīng)歷來看，許多老板認(rèn)為，權(quán)力是促使其他人完成必要工作的重要途徑。當(dāng)然，他們很少會坦率地說出來，但他們要傳達(dá)的意思已經(jīng)非常明顯：“照我說的做，因?yàn)槲沂抢习?，我說了算?！?/p>

????把這一觀點(diǎn)放在老板，或者是經(jīng)理人和企業(yè)領(lǐng)導(dǎo)者的實(shí)際職責(zé)中來考慮，結(jié)果會怎樣呢？老板是要對其他人的績效負(fù)責(zé)的。他通過影響其他人來履行該職責(zé)——通過塑造和影響其他人的行為、思想和情感——使每個人以及整個團(tuán)隊(duì)的工作更加高效。

????既然經(jīng)理人的核心任務(wù)是要影響其他人，那么，如何才能最有效地完成這個任務(wù)呢？

????傳統(tǒng)觀點(diǎn)認(rèn)為，施加影響的核心工具，就是你的頭銜帶給你的權(quán)力或者正式職權(quán)。但是如果你在擔(dān)任老板時，以這種錯誤觀點(diǎn)作為指導(dǎo)，那么，你可能無法成為你希望扮演的，你需要扮演的，抑或是你本來可以扮演好的那個角色。

????在施加影響時，權(quán)力與威望是一種有缺陷的工具，我們在上文提到的研究，便是最新證據(jù)。而其他證據(jù)顯示，那些只看到自身權(quán)力的人，往往將他人視作沒有思想的“物件”，他們不喜歡接受別人的觀點(diǎn)，對他人存在刻板印象，并且由于他們過于注重目標(biāo)，因此只是將其他人視為達(dá)到目的的途徑。簡而言之，如果你傾向于“我是老板！”的管理方式，那你可能會貶低其他人的價(jià)值。因此，要想獲得下屬的認(rèn)同，并充分挖掘他們的潛力，這并不是一種有效的方式。

????但是，如果依靠正式職權(quán)并不能最有效地影響其他人，那么，什么才是最佳方式呢？

????影響的基礎(chǔ)在于信任，而不是壓制——即人們對你有信心，相信你會做正確的事。從根本上來說，即便是威望，也是以信任為基礎(chǔ)的。

????人們對你的信任包括兩個主要部分：對你的能力的信心，和對你的性格的信任。只要人們認(rèn)為你知道該做什么和如何做好，人們便會相信你能夠勝任。他們不期望你學(xué)識淵博。你不可能掌握每個下屬工作的技術(shù)層面。但你應(yīng)該十分清楚如何制定明智的決策，做出正確的判斷，合理把握輕重緩急，帶領(lǐng)企業(yè)向前邁進(jìn)。

????如果人們對于你的意愿、價(jià)值與標(biāo)準(zhǔn)，你的關(guān)注重心，以及你的情感成熟度有足夠的理解和信心，他們就會信任你的個性。如果人們不了解你，或者對你沒有信心，僅有能力并不能讓你走得更遠(yuǎn)。

????威望與權(quán)力并不能激發(fā)人們的關(guān)注與認(rèn)同，但信任卻能夠做到。團(tuán)隊(duì)的關(guān)注與認(rèn)同則是干好工作的必要條件。如果人們不信任你，無論你做什么或者說什么都無濟(jì)于事。要成為一名高效的經(jīng)理人和企業(yè)領(lǐng)袖，首先要讓人們信任你的能力和性格。

????毫無疑問，在某些情況下，依然需要采取“我是老板！”的領(lǐng)導(dǎo)方式，尤其是身處危機(jī)當(dāng)中，此時的員工，需要一個強(qiáng)有力的指揮者。但大多數(shù)時間里，還是把你的權(quán)利大棒收起來吧，把它放在別人能看見的地方就足夠了，最好還是少用它。

????哈佛商學(xué)院（Harvard Business School）教授琳達(dá)?A?希爾與擁有30年管理經(jīng)驗(yàn)的作家肯特?林內(nèi)貝克共同撰寫了《做個真正的老板：成為偉大領(lǐng)導(dǎo)者必須具備的三個特質(zhì)》（Being the Boss: The 3 Imperatives for Becoming a Great Leader）。

????Most people think that power and authority are what make a boss fully effective. The more power, the better the boss.

????Films, popular literature, and television foster the stereotype that a good leader is one who wields power visibly and says, "I'm in charge" in word, deed, and demeanor.

????But this is not necessarily so. The latest piece of evidence to undermine this popular view comes from researchers Leigh Plunkett Tost, Francesca Gino, and Richard P. Larrick, who argue in a working paper recently published online by Harvard Business School, "...when a leader feels a heightened sense of power, he or she tends to dominate group discussions and interactions, thereby suppressing contributions from other team members and consequently decreasing team performance."

????In other words, bosses that view their jobs in terms of "I'm the boss!" tend to monopolize discussions with their staff. That both limits the time available for others to express their ideas and tells them, in effect, "your ideas are less important than mine." The outcome, of course, is fewer ideas and less innovation.

????However, power, or authority, itself isn't to blame. What matters is how the people who possess authority think of it. In our own research and experience, we've seen that many bosses think it's the key way they get others to do what needs doing. Though they seldom use the words outright, their message is unmistakable: "Do what I say because I'm the boss. I'm in charge."

????Consider this in the context of what bosses – managers and leaders – actually do. A boss is someone responsible for the performance of others. She fulfills that responsibility by influencing others -- by shaping and making a difference in others' actions, thoughts, and feelings -- in ways that make them more productive individually and as a group.

????A manager's core task is to influence others. But what is the most effective way to do that?

????Conventional wisdom may suggest that your key tool of influence is the power or formal authority that comes with your title. But if you base your efforts as a boss on that false wisdom, you're likely to be less effective than you want to be, need to be, and could be.

????The research we mentioned above is only the latest evidence that power and authority are flawed tools of influence. Other evidence shows that those who focus on their own power tend to treat others as objects, to be less open to others' points of view, to stereotype others, and to be so goal-oriented that they see others only as means to an end. In short, if you tend to focus on "I'm the boss!" you're more likely to devalue others and what they have to offer. Not a great way to build commitment and elicit the best efforts of those who work for you.

????But if relying on your formal authority isn't the best way to influence others, what is?

????All sources of influence, other than coercion, are built on trust -- the confidence people have that you will do the right thing. Even authority ultimately depends on trust.

????People's trust in you consists of two key components: their belief in your competence and their faith in your character. People believe you're competent when they think you know what to do and how to do it. They don't expect you to be the most knowledgeable. It's not possible for you to keep up with the technical side of everyone's work. But you need to know enough to make good decisions, exercise sound judgment, set proper priorities, and move work forward.

????People believe in your character when they understand and have confidence in your intentions, your values and standards, what you truly care about, and your emotional maturity. Competence alone won't get you far if people don't know or have confidence in you.

????Authority and power won't elicit from people the care and commitment that good work demands. Trust will. If people don't trust you, almost nothing else you do or say will matter. Being an effective manager and leader begins with people's belief in your competence and character.

????No doubt, an "I'm the boss!" approach is called for in certain situations, usually in times of crisis when people need a strong, directive voice. Most of the time, though, your club of power and authority is best kept on the shelf, where it's visible but seldom used.

????Linda A. Hill, a professor at Harvard Business School, and Kent Lineback, a writer with 30 years of management experience, are co-authors of Being the Boss: The 3 Imperatives for Becoming a Great Leader.