Chapter 55
Coercive Power
The opposite side of Reward Power is Coercive Power. Any time you perceive someone as able to punish you, he has power over you. You know how awful you feel when the state trooper pulls you over to the side of the road and he’s standing there and can write you, or not write you, a ticket. The penalty may not be very great, but the level of intimidation is very great indeed.
Incidentally, in the real estate industry in California, there’s a joke about this. California has more 532,000 licensed real estate agents, which means every 50th person is either a broker or an agent. If you think you have competition in your industry, try California real estate. The joke is that a highway patrol officer pulls you over to the side ...
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