Currencies of Exchange - Article Review

1. What is the relationship between power and influence?   

Power is ability to combine all useful resources to affect others, whereas influence is one way that people use their power to change other people’s behavior. For example, managers use their power to assign jobs to different worker, so that manager may ensure normal operation.  However, the reason why followers follow their leader is that followers are affected not only by leader’s commands but also by leader’s individual influence. In my opinion, power and influence supplement each other, either directly or indirectly. On one hand, powers expresses itself as the ability to direct, change, and affect others, on the other hand, sometimes it is necessary to use power indirectly, such as set a goal, guide the general direction, and encourage others to achieve.

2. How do "currencies of exchange" relate to influencing others?

“Currencies of exchange” is a vivid phrase for people to enlarge influence. Currencies mean tangible and intangible resources. So people will use these resources to influence others. But, before exchanging, the first thing people should do is to find out what other people need and want, what their motivation, and what people matter the most.  This is an important step because understanding others enable people to decide wisely. Next, it is necessary to put yourself in someone else’s shoe, meaning that people should find out resources based on other people’s value. People cannot exchange useless resources with other people. If do so, exchange will fail. After people complete preparing resources, then they can exchange. Through these exchanges, people enlarge their influence sphere, and gain trust from other people. Other people will appreciate the exchange. When these people exchange with something else, they may use the same mechanism influenced by previous exchange. In this way, people influence others.

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