Referent Power for Leaders

Referent power refers to the influence leaders have because people admire and look up to them. As French and Raven explain, when a follower likes a person and wants to be close to them (or maintain closeness), they will follow the leader's example. We see this in the power of celebrity endorsements. An influential person may not even realize that have referent power as the video explains. Clearly, referent power makes influencing people much easier than relying on some of the other bases of power.