Politics essay will deal with different facets of politics. This type of essay has a wide range and it can be applicable in different parts of the societal structure.

All leaders deal with power and politics. Power is the ability to influence other people and events. It is the leaders’ stock in trade, the way that leaders extend their influence to others. It is some what different from the authority, because authority is delegated by higher management. Power, on the other hand, is earned and gained by leaders on the basis of their personalities, activities and the situations in which they operate.

Power develops in a number of ways. There are five base of power and each has a unique source.

1)      Personal power- It is also called referent power, charismatic power and power of personality and these comes from each leader individually. It is the ability of leaders to develop followers from the strength of their own personalities. They have a personal magnetism, an air of confidence and a passionate belief in objectives that attract and hold followers. People follow because they want to do so; their emotions tell them to do so. The leader senses the needs of people and promises success in reaching them. Well known historical examples are, Winston Churchill in England, John F. Kennedy in US etc.

2)      Legitimate power- It is also known as position power and official power comes from the higher authority. It arises from the culture of society by which power is delegated legitimately from higher established authority to others.

3)      Expert power- It is also known as the authority of knowledge comes from specialized learning. It is power arises from a person’s knowledge of and information about a complex situation.

4)      Reward power- It is the capacity to control and administer items that are valued by another. It arises from the individual’s ability to give pay rises, recommend some one for promotion and transfer or even make favorable work assignments.

5)      Coercive power- It is the capacity to punish another. Coercive power uses fear as a motivator which can be a powerful force in inducing action. How ever, it is likely to have an overall negative impact on the receiver.

Two of the most popular tactics to gain political power are social exchanges and alliance of various types. Social exchange implies that “if you will do some thing for me. I will do some thing for you”. It relies on the powerful norm of reciprocity in society, where two people in a continuing relationship feel a strong obligation to repay their social ‘debts’ to each other. When this trade offs is successfully arranged both parties get some thing they want.

Another popular path toward political power is to become identified with a higher authority or a powerful figure in an organization. Often this identification gains you special privileges and in many cases one can be recognized as a representative or spokesperson for the more powerful figure.

Another common tactics for increasing political power is to join or form interest groups.