
“He chose money over power. In this town, a mistake nearly everyone makes. Money is the mansion in Sarasota that starts falling apartment after 10 years. Power is the old stone building that stands for centuries. I cannot respect someone who doesn’t see the difference.” Francis Underwood (Kevin Spacey), HOUSE OF CARDS
I admit I am a bit late to the game on watching House of Cards, but once I committed I think I watched all of the episodes in a 48 hour period. This quote about power stood out as one of the best quotes of the show. I think of Power, as influence, as in you have the ability to get things done either from your own resources or by using your influence over others to leverage theirs. Money is important. Heck it is very important. But influence, is the ability to get things done. Money + Influence = can be dangrously awesome because of what you can get done. Influence – Money = can still let you accomplish great things, this is the stuff legends is made of. Money – Influence = can let you direct a movie without an audience or fight a war without soldiers. Enuf, said.
The quest for power is often seen in a negative light, but I would challenge that assertion. No matter what realm you operate in, we all want influence. We want to be able to raise money for our charities, produce that documentary, get a bill passed, heck, get our kids to eat their vegetables. Don’t be afraid of your power and influence.
Recently, I did a quick power audit.
- Work – What was my ability to push my projects through my organization. Did I have any influence on getting them expedited or green lighted?
- Community – Can I bring people together for the causes I am interested in? A step further could I raise money from my communities?
- Friends – Did people respect me? Come to me with important matters? Was I someone they consulted with?
Okay, so I know what you are thinking and now you want to know, how to get more influence, which I promise to do a deep dive post on. But for now here are some of my favorite tenets as gleamed from this great book the 48 Rules of Power.
Be the expert: Know something that others don’t. In this instance, its better to have specialized knowledge than broad knowledge
Be part of a Mafia: Join organizations, get mentors, and network with people who have influence. Support them and make sure they support you.
Get a Board of Directors: Find people with more influence, or different spheres of influence invest in you as a person. They can pull strings that you will be unable to. Throughout history, the greats have come up through the help of people more powerful. Align carefully.
Know what People want - Sometimes, just knowing what motives people is half the battle. Giving and sometimes NOT giving them what they want can help your cause, but only when you know that that “thing” is.
Be Known for Something: Write a blog, get on local TV, support a specific charity, start a book club on some topic. Whatever it is, let it be known what your projects are. Remember people have short memories, find ways to remind people of what you are working on.
Create Dependency: Creating dependency does not have to be some big thing, if all you are known for is having the key to the bathroom at your desk, you still have more access and power than Jill Schmoe. No matter how small, create value and be very generous.
Be Generous: At the end of the day, we are not trying to be dictators of small countries (hopefully). Be generous in helping others and sharing what you know with others. Karma, it is a real thing.
Be Graceful: This is often a matter of style. But people tend to respect people whose talents look effortless. Don’t complain or share how freaking hard you are working. Keep all the negative stuff behind the curtain.
Sidebar – The book “48 Laws of Power” is totally Machiavellian, and reading it will make you grow hair on your chest and make you want to go to invade a small country, but if you use a discerning eye, some of the tenets can apply, say, to your everyday PTA group. It is worth a read, and if you are super lazy, just scan the outline.
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