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I had posted here my thoughts. I was checking this padlet and I don't see them. I don't know why.
Here my ideas again:

1)    How have you experienced positional authority in a workplace setting?

I have been lucky enough to work in places where positional authority has not been the way to manage people. Maybe when I worked in government, some decisions were made depending on the mood of the mayor and you just had to follow his whims even when you disagreed. Only because he had a positional authority.

2)    What elements of the 'K-Cup' acronym resonates most with you and why?

I have always believed that knowledge is very powerful to lead, regardless of the position one has in the organization. I always told my team: “I want to be surrounded by people smarter than me, I am not afraid if you are smarter and have better ideas. If you shine, this team will too”. For this reason, I always promoted among the team members the desire to learn more and acquire more knowledge of the industry, the client and even the needs of the other team members. I believe that knowledge is power.

3)    What skills do you think you need to develop further or refine in order to successfully lead teams and organizations?

I think Priming will be one of the skills I need to develop. I'm very emotional, and sometimes you need to set the stage by not only understanding people's needs and challenges from a human perspective, but also from a technical perspective. So, setting the stage using logic could be helpful in leading better.

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1.) I have experienced positional authority in several roles, but the one that stands out to e the most was a particular manager I had to work under at Nordstrom. This person was truly the only example of poor leadership that I encountered during my time with the company, and I had to report to her for a year as her assistant manager. Instead of referring to me and treating me as an assistant manager and treating me as a co-leader, this individual called me her "assistant" and treated me as such. Every single decision that was made by her, whether it was beneficial to the business or not, was justified by her position as my superior. It was a frustrating and demoralizing year of my life, but once she left that position, she was replaced by a much more empowering, collaborative individual who led by example.

2.) The part of the K-Cup acronym that I resonated with the most was knowledge. This is because I recognize that by gaining knowledge and becoming a subject matter expert, I can have authority in the workplace no matter my position. I have experienced this in many roles that I have held, and it was refreshing to know that my feedback and input were valued due to my expertise.

3.) I think that priming is an area that I could use more improvement in. While I generally do plan thoroughly and try to set myself and my team up for success, I can admit that out of all of these areas it is certainly not my strongest and has the most room for improvement.

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1. I have experienced positional power mostly in negative ways. Almost every job I have worked at has a manager or leader who uses their positional power to force employees to take on work with no directions. I have worked under bosses who have made all decisions based on whims without doing research and having proper knowledge to carry out these decisions.

2. The K-Cup acronym was very easy to remember. I resonated the most with the idea of understanding. I find it very easy to forget to understand and empathize with people in the workplace. Understanding not only the knowledge needed for your job but also those around you is important. In work meetings and negotiations understanding those around you is crucial to success.

3. I can improve my priming. At times I do let my emotions take control instead of taking a step back and realizing I need to consider the audience I am speaking to. Priming is very easy when planning and creating a presentation, but during meetings which I am unaware of the topics being brought up or the feeling of those around me I tend to rely on emotions.

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1. The company I previously worked for was very hierarchal. They make it known that the Senior Leadership team is the ones that make all decisions and want to be included in every email. They use positional authority in a negative way. On the other hand, the mid-level managers are very good at using positional authority positively.  I think because they see what a negative impact the senior leadership team has on morale they want to do everything possible not to lead in the same way. They strive to spread the glory and make sure the team gets noticed for a job well done. They are also very protective of their employees when discussing them with senior leadership.
2. The K-Cup acronym was very interesting to me.  It was a neat way to be able to easily remember and put something into practice. The one that resonated most with me was the idea of priming.  I think that in my experience I understand the importance of knowledge and understanding and how that can be influential with others but never considered the idea of priming.  Priming or setting the stage can make or break what you are trying to influence.  Taking into account what you know of your audience and when best to try to influence them is was not something I have always considered in the past.
3. I think that I can refine my listening skills, especially when it comes to empowering employees to lead from their position. I can work through problems and solutions very quickly in my head and don't always give the time to others to do the same thing. It is very easy for me to analyze where a problem may be when presented with data and at times become impatient when others need time to process. This is especially true in meetings that take longer than I feel they should.

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1)    How have you experienced positional authority in a workplace setting?

I have been lucky enough to work in places where positional authority has not been the way to manage people. Maybe when I worked in government, some decisions were made depending on the mood of the mayor and you just had to follow his whims even when you disagreed. Only because he had a positional authority.

2)    What elements of the 'K-Cup' acronym resonates most with you and why?

I have always believed that knowledge is very powerful to lead, regardless of the position one has in the organization. I always told my team: “I want to be surrounded by people smarter than me, I am not afraid if you are smarter and have better ideas. If you shine, this team will too”. For this reason, I always promoted among the team members the desire to learn more and acquire more knowledge of the industry, the client and even the needs of the other team members. I believe that knowledge is power.

3)    What skills do you think you need to develop further or refine in order to successfully lead teams and organizations?

I think Priming will be one of the skills I need to develop. I'm very emotional, and sometimes you need to set the stage by not only understanding people's needs and challenges from a human perspective, but also from a technical perspective. So, setting the stage using logic could be helpful in leading better.

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1.   I have experienced positional power a few times during my work experience. I feel like most recently in the last five years I have noticed it the most. I have come across supervisors or leaders in management roles that have used positional authority in a more negative than positive way. Some ways are tasking assignments with little or no instruction or experienced focus. I also have noticed this to be occurring more often than usual and it is a bit frustrating because a good leadership role does not just say complete this task with no direction. It makes me feel that there are confused themselves and are just handing things down to the next person. They then take all the credit for the work that’s been done and do not acknowledge the efforts others put in.

2.  The K-Cup acronym that resonates the most with me is commitment and consistency. Anything I do or want to do I try and stay committed, focused, and consistent. I feel that at times it can be overwhelming to have this trait because you only want to do your best and succeed. If you come across an obstacle or challenging situation oftentimes people are too hard on themselves because they feel like they could do better or expected a better outcome.

3.  I think overall improving skills all around is never a bad idea, there is always room to improve. Some skills I can further develop to lead teams successfully is being more accepting of new ideas that may create new changes. I think at times people get are in a comfort zone for a certain amount of time and dread changes at times. I also feel that for me working in a field where communication is key, I can say I am comfortable with communication skills and voicing my ideas or opinions. At times I become too much of an overthinker which I think can be worked on but then I feel it just comes naturally.

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1) Positional authority is not always negative. For instance, as Carol Martsolf stated, positional authority can be used during an emergency and when it is needed. Still, for the most part, leadership roles and those that do not have positional power should utilize other influence methods that create trust in the workplace. Thinking back to my past jobs and my current place of employment, I have had experience regarding positional authority, although never extreme ones. One that I recall was a supervisor that micromanaged every movement employees made. This supervisor would never have any employees have even just one minute of downtime. He will immediately find something to do and expects you to do it according to his standards. His behavior towards others created a hostile work environment, and let's just say he was not the most well-liked person in the workplace.

2) Out of the K-Cup elements, which are knowledge, commitment and consistency, understanding, and priming, the elements that resonate with me most are knowledge and understanding. As they say, “knowledge without understanding is useless.” I think being aware of the people you work with or work for is crucial in understanding the workplace dynamic. Knowing how to approach a particular situation or certain someone can significantly impact workplace relationships that ultimately lead to positive influence.

3) In the past couple of years, I can say that I have made improvements in my organizational, communication, and listening skills. However, I still need some refining in the area of time management and adaptability skills. I like to plan ahead and have moved away from procrastination. However, I feel like sometimes time is not on my side, and it throws things out of the loop. In terms of adaptability, change can be challenging, and change is hard to accept when you are used to specific ways. With everything constantly changing around us, it is essential to adapt accordingly and smoothly without feeling overwhelmed.

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Influencing others w/o positional authority

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Influencing others w/o positional authority

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1. I am currently interning for a nonprofit organization. I am currently experiencing and observing others experience positional authority in the workplace.  I was told that the HR director had taken over three years ago. As soon as I started the position, she let me know what power she holds, and I have seen firsthand how she uses it. She expects everyone in the office to be on time and hands out assignments like candy. She expects these tasks to be completed on time. I have been given countless jobs without explanation or instruction. Luckily I am one of those that research things like crazy and exhaust all my options before I throw in the towel and say I don’t understand something. However, when it comes to her, she is always late to everything I have seen sometimes, she forgets what tasks she gives, and we don’t even get to provide her with the work she asks of us to do. She sets up office meetings, and there has been a handful of times that she doesn’t show up.

2. The K-Cup acronym is interesting, and the way she presented it made a lot of sense. The one element that resonated the most with me was when she spoke about understanding. This made me think about when we talked about reading a person or reading the room. Understanding the other person and their point of view is very important. I feel like understanding can completely change the culture of an organization.

3. I am comfortable enough to say that I would like to further develop all of the skills. I am always eager to learn new things and take constructive criticism well. I welcome it and see it as someone wanting to see me grow. There are many people out there whom I can gain much knowledge from. Developing my social skills would be one of the biggest ones I would like to create since I am transitioning back into the civilian world.

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1. How have you experienced positional authority in a workplace setting?

I have experienced positional authority in the workplace. This has happened to me in the past at one of my former workplaces. My manager at the time (HR manager) made sure that everyone knew she was in a position of authority, and no one could do anything about it. She did not hold her position in a positive manner. She did not have any empathy for anyone. Therefore, she created a toxic environment in which there was no trust. This was dreadful, especially that I and my team were part of the HR department. Thankfully, now I do not experience this at my current workplace.

2.  What elements of ‘K-Cup’ acronym resonates most with you and why?

I really like the acronym ‘K-Cup.’ I will think of this from now on when I am making my coffee. All aspects of this acronym resonate with me. I say all because I like to always expand my knowledge. I take everything as a learning experience. I am sincere and I like to get to know people so that I can be a better influence on others. I am committed to anything that I do, and I am consistent at everything that I do. I am extremely understanding, sometimes I think too understanding. I also find myself setting the stage for the things that I do. I look for these tactics in other people I work with as well.

3. What skills do you think you need to develop further or refine in order to successfully lead teams and organizations?

I feel that I can always develop my listening and feedback skills. This is extremely important within organizations especially as a leader. I would like to improve on constructive feedback, specifically working in HR. I always find myself going through a scenario in my head after a meeting and thinking that I could have managed the situation differently. I tend to analyze situations and take a longer time to give feedback because I like to process things first. However, there are times the situations require immediate feedback so sometimes it becomes a bit difficult. However, if I left something important out, I provide additional feedback later if the situation allows me to.

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After watching the video, "Influencing Others w/o Positional Authority," please answer the following questions: 1) How have you experienced positional authority in a workplace setting?; 2) What elements of the 'K-Cup' acronym resonates most with you and why?; 3) What skills do you think you need to develop further or refine in order to successfully lead teams and organizations? 

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After watching the video, "Influencing Others w/o Positional Authority," please answer the following questions: 1) How have you experienced positional authority in a workplace setting?; 2) What elements of the 'K-Cup' acronym resonates most with you and why?; 3) What skills do you think you need to develop further or refine in order to successfully lead teams and organizations? 

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American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE)

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How to Influence Others Without Positional Power