Educators/Teachers & Power

The Nine Types of Power we can choose from.........

Our goal with the young people we serve is to influence them. To assist them to make decisions that will have a positive effect on their lives.

1. Authority Power- this power is based on the adults position or title in the organization. In schools it would be the teacher or the principal. It is power based on job description. Ask yourself---how well do students “at-risk” respond to an adult simply because of their position in an organization?

2. Punishment Power- this power is based on the use of negative sanctions. It is power designed to cause pain or the threat of pain. It is fear based power. Ask yourself--- how well do students “at-risk” respond to punishment? 

3. Coaching or Mentoring Power- this power influences others by providing support, listening well and by teaching and modeling new skills. Good coaches and good mentors recognize strengths in others and cultivate those strengths. 

4. Positive Reinforcement Power- this power is based on linking small changes in a student’s behavior to positive recognized results either through our specific encouraging language or tangible rewards.

5. Relationship or Connection Power- this power involves learning the skills to develop, maintain and repair connections with students “at-risk”. Adults using this type of power take time to develop trust, rapport, credibility and empathy.

6. Persuasion Power- this power involves our ability to link students desires and needs to future outcomes they envision. Persuasion power involves our ability to help them to see a future that is different and wanted and the path toward that future.

7. Vision Power- this power involves finding and seeing the strengths with-in each student.. ( no matter how deeply they are buried ) Many times adults make quick judgments’ about which students will be a success and which students won’t make it. Vision power is our ability to find strengths in troubled students and mirroring those strengths back to the students.

8. Expertise Power- this power involves the use of valuable information or skills we as adults have and can share with young people. It also involves our ability to expose them to new ways of seeing and being and model that for them.

9. Charismatic or With-it-ness Power- this power has the ability to have others feeling positive about themselves and wanting to model and be like this adult.  

ACTIVITY...

After reviewing the types of power we have to choose from, reflect on the kinds of power you typically choose to use. 

What kinds of power were used with you as you were growing up?

What other kinds of power will you consider developing and why? 

Three ( 3 ) Approaches to Authority Relationships-

1. Enforcer- Adult Wins----Student Loses

2. Enabler- Adult Loses----Student Wins ( sort of )

3. Empower- Adult Wins----Student Wins

As adults working with young people we want to avoid being too punitive, too neglectful or too permissive. 

In order for us to empower the youth we serve and create win-win agreements, we need to learn to create specific, clear and reasonable structures.  

These structures and agreements allow students choices and are pre-arranged by the adults working with them.

It involves: defining expectations clearly, specifically teaching the expectations, setting boundaries and follow-through. 

Please let me know what you think........