There are several leadership styles, and a good leader knows when to use each style given the team dynamics, team organizational phase and project lifecycle. Referent leadership empowers through inspiration. It is a type of power to inspire and influence others. With referent power, a leader is admired, respected and liked.
Given strong interpersonal skills and personal qualities, referent power could convert people into loyal followers through strong connections. Followers will seek approval from the leader and will mimic their most desirable characteristics. Therefore, to achieve referent power, leaders should act as a role model. They should also ensure they are taking on a fair share of the work.
If a leader is a productive member of the team, referent power will promote productivity across the team. If a referent leader articulates and focuses on a goal, the team will work toward that goal as well. This also helps set clear expectations for members of the team - which when met, increases job satisfaction. This satisfaction increases through recognition, which in turn increases the leader's referent power. This is further increased by employee retention - as satisfaction reduces the turn-over in staff.
Referent leaders encourage and support - building positive trusting relationship. Many studies have shown that trust is a strong contributing factor to a high performing team. Support also encourages innovation - which can overcome uncertainty that limits productivity delays. Further, trust encourages teammates to raise issues or questions.
Sharing ideas often improves the success of technical projects. When operating within a democratic authority, teammates are welcome to share and express their ideas and views. Their trust for the leader and the team makes their ideas feel acknowledged and heard - without excessive bureaucracy.
How to become a referent leader
One method for direct influence is mentorship. This helps demonstrate expertise and highlight behaviors that you wish for employees to model to improve opportunities for success. It also articulates the standards to which you practice - and defines the support and guidance you can provide to others who will adopt those standards. Characteristics include accuracy of product deliver, work ethic - and even responsiveness to correspondence.
Demonstrating the desired behaviors of your team and advertising why these behaviors are positive will help convey expectations to the team. Probably the easiest example is timeliness of delivery and correspondence - as well as showing up on time for work. When you demonstrate what you expect, you will win the respect of the team and encourage others to follow these positive examples.
For employees who behave in an expected manner, delegating authority to them will demonstrate trust that inherently leads to referent power. This person will now be accountable for their actions in this role. It is important that you are fair in this selection and provide the necessary context for the rest of the team. Referent leadership tries to avoid manipulation or coercion - so the entire team should be given the same data the led you to delegate power to a certain individual.
Combining leadership styles
Leadership types such as expert leadership often coincide with referent leadership. For example, if the follows believe the leader is an expert, the perceived expertise may lead to inspiration.