The magic triad

Warmth, power & competence.

A note on attribution:

I’ve been using this model for so long now that I’m not actually sure where I got it from. It’s quite possible that I’ve made it up based on a collection of research I’ve read. I tried to find an original source, and found several of the elements (like Amy Cuddy’s work on competence and warmth), but none that contained all three elements combined in this way. So, let’s proceed on the basis that this is my spin on things, based on others’ research (see Further Reading below for some of my favourites).

The model

There are three key elements that pop up time and again in leadership and communication: warmth, power, and competence. These three things affect every interaction that we have, whether we mean them to or not. I think of them like ingredients - they can be used individually, or combined together to create different flavours of interactions.

A triangle with warmth, power and competence in each of the corners — **The magic triad**

**Warmth** signals benevolent intent.
**Competence** signals skills and intelligence.
**Power** signals action and influence.

How it works

Each of the elements is useful in different ways. Warmth brings people towards you and helps them feel safe in the interaction; Competence helps people believe you will be useful to them; and Power helps people believe that you will make things happen.

We each have preferences for using them ourselves, and for how others use them. In my experience, each of us will have a preference order for how we use them, that gives us our own unique flavour. Most people have one clear favourite, with a second used as backup. The third is typically overlooked, maligned or feels alien.

Warmth led people use body language and tone to signal that they care about you, and are safe to interact with. They’ll often focus on how they and others are feeling in a situation, and will look to care for the people first.

Competence led people like to let the work speak for itself. They tend to focus their attention on developing skills and knowledge, and applying their skills to do high quality work and solve problems.

Power led people use tone and body language to signal their strength and status. They like to make things happen, and to be seen. They tend to focus their attention on goals, results and a vision for the future.

Advantages and disadvantages

Like everything, each of the elements has its upsides and downsides. Some of the key advantages and disadvantages of each element are outlined below.

Combining the elements

It’s relatively easy to combine any two elements, and significantly harder to use all three. Learning to effectively use all three elements, and combine them together in different ways gives you a fabulous toolkit for leadership interactions.

When we think about combining the elements, it’s useful to consider the amount of each that is present. I typically think about this as which of the elements is the dominant one; and then how much of a second element has been added in to make this flavour. For now, we’ll leave the third element out. I use the following annotation to make it easier to describe: Dominant (backup).

Warmth (power)

Combining warmth and power results in charisma. It makes people remember you, want to be around you, and think you have high status. Interestingly, people will often think you are awesome without being able to describe exactly why, or what you are great at. The truth is you make them feel special.

Think Oprah. Oprah is an example of a warmth led person, with a strong power backup. She emanates friendly, safe, caring; while simultaneously signaling confidence, and a willingness to speak up. If you met Oprah, you would expect to be greeted with a smile, eye contact and maybe even a hug (warmth). And you’d also expect that if you stepped over the line, she’d politely escort you back to the correct side (power).

Power (warmth)

Power (warmth) has power in the lead, and warmth as the back up. This also results in charisma, but with a stronger element of cool, and less friendliness. Think Johnny Depp or Cate Blanchett. In both cases, the first impression we get is of confidence and high status.

Cate Blanchett has a strong power expression, with a quiet backup of warmth. In particular, her portrayal of Galadriel in Lord of the Rings amps up her expression of power. At no time do you think that she has nasty intentions (that’s the warmth), but she’s still pretty scary (that’s the power).

Johnny Depp is also power led, but with a bigger dose of warmth. His warmth comes through being quirky or a little messy. His portrayal of Jack Sparrow amps up his warmth a lot by adding drunkness and a lot of self-deprecating humour. And still, we don’t see him as weak, or soft, instead he comes across as cool. That’s due to a significant dose of power, delivered through confidence, daring and not giving a f*ck.

Warmth (competence)

Warmth (competence) has a large dose of warmth, backed up by competence. The result is in a very helpful vibe. Think Florence Nightingale or Mother Theresa. In both cases the first thing you feel is a sense of caring and selflessness. This is quickly followed by knowing that they will have things handled - that you can put yourself in their hands and they will have the skills to help you.

Competence (warmth)

Competence (warmth) has competence as the dominant feature, backed up by warmth. It results in a similar helpful vibe, but with practical or technical bent. Think Dr Karl or the Vet, Chris Brown. These two both come across as very useful - with Dr Karl leading with knowledge, and Dr Chris leading with skills. When you think of them, the first thing that comes to mind is what they could help with - you know instantly that you would go to Dr Karl to find things out, and Dr Chris to fix your pets. And you also feel like if you needed their help they would be open, friendly and willing.

Competence (power)

Competence (power) has a strong dose of skills and knowledge, backed up by the strength to get things done. The resulting vibe is extremely useful, but may be a bit challenging to interact with. Think Sherlock Holmes, especially Benedict Cumberbatch’s portrayal. Sherlock is so skilled and knowledgable that he’s the one you go to when nobody else can solve the mystery, and when he’s going after someone nothing will stop him. Interestingly, although he puts himself in harm’s way, it’s clear that this is in pursuit of the answers - not because he’s particularly courageous. That’s because he’s very competence heavy, with just enough power to get the job done. His power mostly comes through as disregard for rules and other’s status - he’s not wielding power over people, just over himself.

Power (competence)

Power (competence) combines a heavy dose of forcefulness, with enough skill or knowledge to make effective decisions. The result feels commanding. These folks are often not the one you would get to do the work, but you want them to direct it. Think Steve Jobs. You don’t expect him to be the most skilled designer, to know the most about the technology, or to write the software. But you absolutely expect that he knows enough about these things to select the most skilled people to do it. And you know that if he’s in the room, that everyone’s paying attention to him. You may not like him, but you certainly respect him.

The magic triad: using all three

The holy grail is to be able to flexibly combine all three elements in the right dosage for the situation. Think Gandalf from Lord of the Rings. In every case, when Gandalf is around, you just know things will be ok.

In the early stages of the journey, when he’s getting the hobbits on board he’s amped up the warmth. He takes things slowly, uses gentle tone, and focuses on connecting. Later, when fighting the Balrog he’s bringing up maximum power, and yet there’s enough competence that you believe he knows what to do, and he’s doing it to protect others (warmth).

When you can flexibly use all three, and apply the right dose of each for the situation it really does feel magical. Others will want you around, want you to lead, and will seek your counsel. They’ll just know that they can trust and rely on you to make things better. It’s certainly not easy to do, but it is learnable.

What about you?

What do you think your particular flavour is now? Which of the elements feels like it comes the most naturally for you? What do you use as a backup? Is there one that feels alien, yucky or impossible?

If you’d like to get a better perspective on yourself, try taking our quiz.

Take the Magic Triad Quiz

Develop your skills

Wondering how you can improve your ability to use warmth, power or competence? If getting to Gandalf level magic is your goal, then check out our full day training programs: