Insights from SALT CLCP and the Harvard Business School Course "Power and Influence for Positive Impact"

[Sadia Jafrin]

I’m deeply honored to have earned the eDiploma in Power and Influence for Positive Impact from Harvard Business School Online, made possible through a 97% scholarship from The Queen's Commonwealth Trust as a Youth Venture Program Awardee on behalf of Grow Your Reader Foundation. We are also proud to be part of the Global Fund For Children’s ARC initiative, where we apply the SALT CLCP approach for community engagement. Throughout the course, I found many parallels between SALT CLCP and the course content, which inspired me to write an article reflecting on these insights. Please feel free to read it.

The SALT CLCP approach (Community Life Competence Process), rooted in Support, Appreciate, Listen-Learn, and Transfer, can be closely connected to the key ideas of power, influence, and trust discussed in the course. The process is designed to empower communities to take ownership of their challenges and solutions, aligning with the principles of trust-building, relational power, and adaptability in leadership.

Here’s how the SALT CLCP approach relates to the concepts outlined in the module:

1. Misconceptions About Power and the SALT CLCP Approach:

• Power is not inherently dirty: Just as the “Power and Influence for Positive Impact” course suggests that power isn’t dirty, the SALT CLCP approach recognizes that power in communities should not be viewed as something negative. Communities should own their power to solve challenges and transform their lives. Rather than viewing power as a top-down, hierarchical concept, SALT encourages a more distributed and collective understanding of power where each community member plays a role in addressing challenges.
• Power is not something you possess: The CLCP approach reinforces the idea that power is not a possession but a process. It is about how communities come together, share resources, and learn from one another. Power in this course flows through relationships and collective actions, not individual control. It’s not a static commodity, but an evolving force that the community collectively wields.
• Power is not only for those at the top: SALT breaks down traditional power structures and empowers every member of the community, regardless of status or role. The SALT CLCP approach removes hierarchical barriers by promoting dialogue, collaboration, and mutual respect, ensuring that power is accessible and actionable for all members of the community.

2. Developmental Path to Power and SALT CLCP:

• The course stresses that engaging with power requires humility and empathy, as these are the antidotes to the risks of hubris (Hubris refers to excessive pride, arrogance, or self-confidence, often leading someone to overestimate their own abilities or powers) and self-focus. Similarly, in SALT, facilitators support communities by embodying a spirit of appreciation and listening, helping to foster humility within the group. When communities feel heard and appreciated, they are more likely to engage meaningfully and reflect on their limitations, learning from their challenges and experiences.

• Humility and empathy are key components of both the course and SALT. In SALT, listening and learning from one another (the “L” of SALT) cultivates empathy, and by supporting one another through action, communities develop humility in recognizing that challenges are shared, and success is a collective achievement.

3. Trust and Building Relationships:

• Building trust is essential in both SALT CLCP and the course. Trust allows communities to share resources, knowledge, and experience. The module emphasizes the need to earn trust by projecting warmth (good intentions) and competence (ability to deliver). In SALT, facilitators build trust by fostering supportive environments where communities feel safe to share and learn from each other.
• SALT's “Support” and “Appreciate” principles align with building the warmth that is necessary for trust. “Listen-Learn” cultivates the competence required to act on those intentions. By facilitating trust-building in non-hierarchical ways, SALT ensures that everyone has the opportunity to contribute, building relationships that empower communities to act collectively.

4. Influence Styles and Adaptability in SALT CLCP:

• The Situational Influence Model in the course teaches that influence styles should adapt to different contexts and situations. This mirrors SALT CLCP, where facilitators must be adaptable and responsive to the community's evolving needs and circumstances. In SALT, influence doesn’t come from authority but through supporting, appreciating, and listening to the community’s needs. This is about flexibly guiding and empowering the community rather than imposing power from above.
• As with the model's emphasis on a wide repertoire of influence styles, the SALT CLCP approach fosters a range of facilitative behaviors that suit diverse community dynamics. Facilitators must recognize when to step back and when to step forward, depending on what the community needs at each moment.

5. Humility and Empathy in Community Development:

• In SALT CLCP, humility and empathy play a vital role in community development. Facilitators must approach communities with humility, acknowledging that the community members are experts of their own lives. By listening empathetically to their needs and experiences, facilitators can help communities identify the solutions that are most relevant and sustainable for them. This process mirrors the course’s developmental path to power, where both humility and empathy are necessary to avoid the pitfalls of overconfidence and self-centeredness.

6. Sources of Power in SALT CLCP:

• The course identifies three sources of power: positional, personal, and relational. In SALT, power is understood as relational, with influence emerging from how people come together to solve problems, share knowledge, and collaborate. SALT does not prioritize positional power (formal roles) but instead values the relational dynamics of the group, echoing the course’s point that positional authority is not a guarantee of power.
• SALT CLCP recognizes that community members hold power in relationships and that this power is strengthened through shared actions. Facilitators play a key role in helping communities realize and harness their relational power, which aligns closely with the course’s emphasis on the importance of relational power and resource sharing.

7. External Checks and Balances:

• The course emphasizes that in addition to personal development, external checks on power are essential to prevent abuse. Similarly, in SALT, communities learn to create their own systems of accountability and transparency. The process of community-to-community transfer ensures that communities hold one another accountable, share knowledge, and collectively ensure that power is used responsibly and sustainably.

Conclusion:

In both the SALT CLCP approach and the course on power, the focus is on empowerment, collaboration, and responsible use of power. SALT CLCP encourages communities to take ownership of their challenges and solutions, aligning with the course's emphasis on trust-building, relational power, and influence. Both frameworks stress the importance of humility, empathy, and adaptability to avoid the dangers of power abuse, ensuring that power remains a force for positive change and collective growth.