Beyond Authority: Can Leadership Exist Without Power?
The Iranian Revolution of 1978–1979 was led by Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, though he was exiled from Iran and didn’t hold any positional office. Does it then mean he didn’t have power and yet was able to lead? To answer this, it is important to understand the definition of leadership and power. The Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary explains leadership as the action of leading a group of people or an organization. John C. Maxwell describes a leader as one who knows the way, goes the way, and shows the way¹.
Similarly, power, according to the Oxford Dictionary, is the capacity or ability to direct or influence the behavior of others or the course of events. From this definition, in addition to the quote by Nelson Mandela, “A leader is one who leads from the back and lets others believe they are in front²,” it shows that a leader needs power, or at least the ability to influence the thinking and beliefs of others. Otherwise, how could Ayatollah lead a revolution?
To further understand the relationship between leadership and power, we shall consider John Maxwell’s model of the five levels of leadership:
- Position – People follow because they have to.
- Permission – People follow because they want to, that is, based on relationships.
- Production – People follow because of what you have done for the organization, that is, leadership based on results.
- People development – People follow because of what you have done for them, that is, leadership based on developing others.
- Pinnacle – People follow because of who you are and what you represent, that is, based on respect and reputation³.
Having established these levels, it becomes clear that leadership progresses through increasing levels of influence, in other words, through increasing levels of power.
Furthermore, we should not only base our minds on positional power, which may be forced or constitutional, as the basis of leadership. For example, the SUG president has constitutional power. Likewise, a VC of a university has power as the leader of the university. There is a difference between leadership and power, but the two move simultaneously. For example, one may have power and may not be a leader, like in the case of Syria⁴, where the ousted president used excessive force and power yet wasn’t considered a leader but a dictator. A dictator is a ruler, according to the Oxford Dictionary, who normally obtains power by force. Still, a leader cannot be a leader without power. A leader leads and makes the led believe they are at the front. A dictator abuses power.
Meanwhile, power can be subtle, like a younger sibling who does exceptionally well in class, winning the hearts of both parents and elder siblings. Such a sibling may add their own ideas in a democratic family and quickly get them implemented. Though the father is seen as the head of the family, such a young sibling has gained subtle leadership, which stems from their intellectual ability (intellectual power).
Therefore, power is not all about autocracy, force, and fear. It has to do with how one’s ideas are received and how much one motivates a team. We can consider the types of power:
- Coercive power – This is the most overt form of power, which is often generalized and seen as the only form of power.
- Moral power – Sometimes called ethical or moral authority, rooted in principles, values, and integrity. For example, a pastor leading a congregation has such power and therefore influences the obedience of his congregation.
- Connection power – Comes from an individual’s network of relationships.
- Expert power – Power due to one’s skills. These skills influence people to trust him in things concerning his field.
- Legitimate power – Power from the constitution⁵.
From these listed types of power, we see a resemblance to John C. Maxwell’s model of leadership. Therefore, we can say leadership is power, and power is leadership. Still, one may argue about gray areas in the relationship between leadership and power. For example, Rosa Parks⁶, before the boycott in America, though having no power at the initial stage, had the moral conviction of a leader. Does it mean that power doesn’t exist at the initial stage? It is important to note that where there are people, there must be power. It was due to her courage that she was able to influence the segregationists, making them believe at that moment that she was defiant.
In addition, if leadership and power are interconnected, which comes first? To me, power comes first, as power is people. For example, a quiet thinker in a group may never be noticed if they don’t use their intellectual power, but when they use it, leadership comes next. But what if a leader is imposed on another one? Then we can say that for one to be imposed as a leader, there must have been existing power to do so. Even so, leadership can come before power, as in the case of Rosa Parks, but in both, they are the functions of each other.
Moreover, one may think, can power manifest after death? And if so, does it make the dead one a leader? If this is correct, then ideas and actions are the roots of power, and a dead person can be a leader even long after their demise. For example, a monk whose writings are discovered and inspire others long after his passing to follow his teachings. That monk is a leader, which is a result of the power of his ideas.
One may argue: what about a servant leader, who leads by serving others and seemingly has no power? From the Oxford explanation, a leader guides. For example, Mahatma Gandhi led with seemingly no power. It is important to note the Salt March, where he led 78 men⁷. Not anyone could do that. For Gandhi to do so, it shows that servant leadership needs power.
In conclusion, leadership without power is leadership without people. It is an idea or a script without authors.
From Rosa Parks to Ayatollah to Gandhi, we see the different forms of leadership, and all demand a certain level of power.
Therefore, leadership can exist without formal authority, it cannot exist without some form of influence or power.
Works Cited
Afary, Janet. Iranian Revolution. Encyclopaedia Britannica, 30 Sept. 2025,
www.britannica.com/event/Iranian-Revolution.
Chen, Nikol. “Nelson Mandela: ‘Lead from the Back — and Let Others Believe They Are in Front.’” Laidlaw Scholars Network, 10 May 2021,
laidlawscholars.network/posts/lead-from-the-back-and-let-others-believe-they-are-in-front.
Maxwell, John C. “A Leader Is One Who Knows the Way, Goes the Way, and Shows the Way.” BrainyQuote,
www.brainyquote.com/quotes/john_c_maxwell_383606.
“Unrest and Civil War.” Encyclopaedia Britannica, 15 Oct. 2025,
www.britannica.com/biography/Bashar-al-Assad/Unrest-and-civil-war.
Sherman, Sariva. “The 8 Types of Power for Effective Leadership.” Tadabase, 18 Nov. 2024,
tadabase.io/blog/types-of-power-in-leadership.
“Rosa Parks.” Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia, 15 Oct. 2025,
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rosa_Parks.
“Salt March.” Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia, 15 Oct. 2025,
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salt_March.