• They have a lack of self-confidence. • They want to avoid the pressure of addi- tional  responsibility. Counsel  any  of  your  subordinates  who  show these  signs  of  unwillingness.  Help  them  overcome their  fears  and  learn  to  accept  authority  and responsibility. AUTHORITY  AND  POWER With  authority  comes  power.  Power  is  the ability to influence people toward organizational objectives.  However,  you  have  limits  on  your authority  and  power.  View  your  authority  and power as a funnel, broad at the top and narrow at the bottom. Always assume you have enough authority  and  power  to  meet  your  obligations,  but do  not  exceed  that  limit. Authority Authority   only   exists   when   subordinates accept the idea that the supervisor has authority over  them.  Subordinates  can  fail  to  recognize authority  through  disobedience,  denial,  or  work delays.   Subordinates   usually   accept   authority readily;  however,  abusing  your  authority  as  a supervisor  can  make  you  ineffective. Although most authority in the Navy results from  a  member’s  rank  or  position  in  the  chain of command, many types of authority exist. Most authority in the Navy is delegated. LINE AUTHORITY.  —Line authority is the authority  you  have  over  subordinates  in  your chain  of  command.  This  type  of  authority corresponds directly to your place within the chain of command and does not exist outside the chain of  command. STAFF  AUTHORITY.  —Staff  authority  is the  right  of  staff  to  counsel,  advise,  or  make recommendations to line personnel. This type of authority does not give staff the right to give line personnel orders that affect the mission of the line organization. A chief from another work center or division could, by virtue of his or her rank, exercise staff authority  over  a  person  in  your  work  center  or division by counseling or advising him or her to get  a  haircut.  Failure  to  follow  the  advice  or counsel  may  result  in  nonjudicial  punishment (NJP) for the subordinate. The other chief would not,  however,  have  the  authority  to  enter  your work  center  or  division  and  make  changes  that only  you  and  your  superiors  have  the  authority to  make. FUNCTIONAL AUTHORITY. —Certain  staff organizations are granted functional authority to direct  line  units  within  the  area  of  the  staff's specialty.  Examples  of  staff  organizations  with functional  authority  include  the  Legal,  Equal Opportunity,  and  Safety  Departments. Power In  conjunction  with  your  authority,  you  use power to influence others toward the accomplish- ment  of  command  goals.  You  can  use  power  for personal gain or for the good of the organization. However,  if  your  subordinates  believe  you  use power for personal gain, you will soon suffer an erosion  of  that  power.  On  the  other  hand,  if subordinates  believe  you  use  power  to  accomplish the organizational goals, your power to influence them will become stronger. Your power will also become  stronger  when  you  share  it  through delegation  of  authority. Of the six types of power—reward, coercive, legitimate, informational, referent, and expert— you may use one or more in various combinations. Each  situation  will  determine  the  one  or  ones  you use. REWARD  POWER.  —Reward  power  stems from  your  use  of  positive  and  negative  rewards to influence subordinates. Positive rewards range from  a  smile  or  kind  word  to  recommendations for  awards.  Negative  rewards  range  from  corrective- type  counseling  to  placing  a  person  on  report. You will find one of the best ways to influence your  subordinates  is  through  the  use  of  your reward power. As a chief, you are responsible for starting the positive reward process. First, write a  recommendation  for  the  award.  Once  the recommendation   is   typed   in   the   command’s standard award letter format, forward it up the chain  of  command  for  approval.  Your  job  does not end here. Always follow-up on the recommen- dation,  using  your  influence  and  persuasion  to  get the  award  to  the  proper  command  level. Frequent use of positive rewards will amplify the  effect  of  a  negative  reward.  Give  positive rewards freely, but use restraint in giving negative rewards. If you use negative rewards frequently, subordinates   will   begin   to   expect   a   negative reward.  Their  expectation  of  a  negative  reward will  lessen  your  power. 3-13