In a world overloaded with leadership theories and vague management tips, Graham Hall and Kate Burklow’s Role Model Leadership offers actionable, real-world solutions that actually work.
The challenge of building authentic influence plagues leaders at every level. When should leaders rely on positional authority, and when should they inspire without it? Why do some leaders naturally command influence, while others struggle, despite their formal power?
These questions prompted Graham Hall and Kate Burklow to create practical leadership frameworks that tackle these real-world challenges. Drawing from Hall’s 19 years of military experience and Burklow’s corporate leadership journey at Amazon, they developed tools designed to help leaders navigate the complexities of organizational influence.
From Authority to Influence: A Journey of Discovery
“In both military and corporate settings, we noticed leaders often defaulting to positional power when they felt stuck,” explains Hall, former Training Director at the Royal Naval Leadership Academy and current Learning & Development leader at Amazon. “But authority alone rarely creates lasting impact or engagement.”
Burklow, who developed Amazon Grocery’s first leadership academy and currently serves as Sr. Program Manager for Grocery L&D, observed similar patterns in corporate leadership. “Many leaders mistakenly believe that influence is solely about formal authority or charisma. We wanted to broaden that view and provide practical tools for building sustainable influence,” she adds.
Introducing the Powerbases Model
Their Powerbases model, one of ten frameworks they’ve developed, dissects influence into six distinct sources: positional, expert, referent, informational, coercive, and reward power. While each power base plays a role, some are more sustainable than others.
“Think of these as tools in your leadership toolkit,” Hall says. “Positional power, your formal authority, is like a hammer. It’s useful in specific situations, but if that’s your only tool, you risk damaging relationships and limiting your effectiveness.”
The Powerbases model encourages leaders to cultivate more sustainable forms of influence. Expert power is derived from proven competence and specialized knowledge. Referent power builds through trust and genuine relationships. Informational power comes from sharing valuable insights that support others’ success. The aim for leaders is to become maximally powerful across every domain.
“The most effective leaders we’ve observed combine multiple power bases,” Burklow notes. “They use their expertise to solve problems, mentor their teams, and share critical information. This is far more impactful than simply saying, ‘Do this because I’m the boss.’”
These models are not theoretical fluff or recycled business school summaries. They are frameworks built on Hall and Burklow’s experience within Amazon, a company known for its high-velocity, high-pressure environment. These tools were crafted in the trenches, under real-world conditions, where the stakes were high, and the pressure to perform was constant.
“The key difference with these models is that they’re mental apps, not just poster-worthy theories,” Hall explains. “We created them to be used, to be applied in real time. They’re about solving problems on the fly, not waiting for the perfect moment.”
Free and Open-Source Leadership Tools
Hall and Burklow created RoleModelLeadership.com in their spare time and have made their core leadership models freely available, complete with detailed guides for understanding and developing each power base. The website allows users to access, share, and implement these tools with just one requirement: give credit.
“We created these models to help our colleagues, and we believe they can help others facing similar challenges,” Hall explains. “Right now, our focus is on sharing these tools widely.”
Each model on the website is accompanied by practical examples and clear applications. For instance, the Powerbases framework includes self-assessment tools to help leaders identify their dominant influence styles and areas for development.
A leader might discover they rely heavily on positional power and need to strengthen their expert and referent power. The model then offers specific actions to build these areas, such as leading knowledge-sharing sessions or investing time in one-on-one conversations to build genuine relationships.
Avoiding the Pitfalls of Coercive and Reward Power
The Powerbases framework also helps leaders avoid over-relying on coercive power (threats or punishment) or reward power (incentives and recognition). While these sources can drive short-term compliance, they often harm trust and engagement in the long term.
Complementary Models for Effective Leadership
In addition to the Powerbases framework, Hall and Burklow offer several complementary models that address other leadership challenges:
- Motivation Cube: A tool for diagnosing team disengagement.
- Caring Walrus: Guidelines for having difficult conversations with care and respect.
- Think Bigger: Methods for transforming small challenges into larger opportunities.
- Omni-Leadership: Finding leadership moments in everyday interactions.
- Critical Thinking: A framework for decision-making under pressure.
- Self-Awareness: Understanding your impact on others.
These models provide a holistic approach to leadership, helping leaders refine their skills in different areas and tackle common leadership hurdles.
Looking Ahead: Expanding Resources
While the core models will remain freely available, Hall and Burklow plan to expand their offerings with additional resources and materials to help leaders implement the models more effectively. Some future resources may be offered as premium content, but the core models will always be free to access and share.
For leaders interested in applying the tools, Hall and Burklow recommend starting with an honest self-assessment of their current influence style. “Spend a week noting how you typically influence others,” Burklow suggests. “Do you rely too heavily on positional power when other approaches might work better? Are you building sustainable bases of influence through expertise and relationships?”
A Continued Commitment to Better Leadership
Hall and Burklow continue to refine their models while maintaining their roles at Amazon. They are committed to sharing insights through RoleModelLeadership.com, believing that better leadership leads to better workplaces.
“Influence doesn’t have to be mysterious or manipulative,” Hall reflects. “It’s about being intentional in how we interact with others and choosing the right approach for each situation.”
For leaders eager to develop their influence, RoleModelLeadership.com provides free access to these models and supporting materials. The site emphasizes practical application over theory, helping leaders build sustainable, genuine influence using proven frameworks.
Through these tools, Hall and Burklow hope to help leaders extend their influence beyond positional power, fostering more engaging and effective workplaces. Their practical, intentional approach reflects their belief that thoughtful leadership can transform organizations at every level.
