To succeed you need power.
What do we mean by power? It can include the amount of money
and property you control. The number of people who you
influence. The groups or businesses you control. The number of
people in positions of power who listen to you. The size of your
game.
So how do you get more power? In most cases, you have to get
your power from others. And how you treat them determines the
amount of power you get.
For example, Mr. Green is the CEO of successful book publishing
company in New York City. He is retiring and needs to recommend
a new CEO to the Board of Directors. Mr. Green’s two best
managers are Steve, who runs the printing division, and Melissa,
who runs the editing division.
Steve has wanted to run the company for years. He tells his
staff, “Someday, I’ll be running things and we’ll come out of
the dark ages. Mr. Green’s a nice guy and all that, but he’s
old.”
Melissa is also interested in the CEO job. She tells her staff,
“Mr. Green is an outstanding leader. He’s taught me a great
deal. If I run things, I’ll try to be like Mr. Green.”
Steve likes to disagree with Mr. Green. “You don’t want me to
be a yes-man do you Mr. Green? We can’t always do things your
way. I have better ideas.”
Melissa prefers to support Mr. Green. “Tell me what you want
done and I’ll take care of it for you.”
Steve is shocked when Mr. Green recommends Melissa for the CEO
position.
Your Powers
Who are your “powers”? Who do you depend on for your success?
Certainly your boss, but also your customers, colleagues,
advisors, leaders of other groups you belong to, influential
friends or others.
Everyone depends on others for their power. Bosses depend on
their staff. Fathers and children depend on mothers. Young
politicians depend on senior politicians as well as voters and
financial contributors.
Make a list of those who you depend on for your success. People
who can help you or hurt you. These are your “powers.”
Now examine how you treat these powers. Do you build them up or
drag them down? Do you make them more powerful or less powerful.
Do you give them ease or give them stress?
How you treat people on whose power you depend may have more to
do with your success than you realize.
Pushing Power
“Always push power in the direction of anyone on whose power
you depend. It may be more money for the power or more ease or a
snarling defense of the power to a critic.”
“If you work like that and the power you are near or depend
upon is a power that has at least some inkling* about how to be
one and if you make others work like that, then the power-factor
expands and expands and expands and you too acquire a sphere of
power bigger than you would have if you worked alone.” — L. Ron
Hubbard
(*inkling: a slight idea)
Some movie actors find it hard to share the spotlight. They
think they will get ahead if they criticize others. When talking
about a movie director, they say things like, “He was the
toughest director I’ve ever worked for” or “She and I had
artistic differences.” These actors are often out of work.
When John Travolta was promoting his movie Pulp Fiction,
he spent most of his time complimenting and thanking
writer/director, Quentin Tarantino. John praised Quentin during
hundreds of interviews. Who was John flowing power to? What
happened to John’s career? It exploded! He became one of the
busiest, best-paid actors in history.
Have you heard about assistants, secretaries and clerks who
become millionaires? These workers flowed power to their bosses.
These powers hit it big. Since most bosses have an “inkling” of
how to be a power, they share their success with those who help
them succeed.
Employees who bite the hand that feeds them are soon looking
for work. Staff who do not defend their bosses when their bosses
are attacked often see their workplace become stressful and
unpleasant. Managers who do nothing while their company’s owners
have financial problems can forget their bonuses and job
security.
On the other hand, if you flow power to your powers, you make
them happier and more successful. These powers then have the
means and desire to help you. They can give you promotions,
raises, freedom, responsibilities and opportunities you would
not otherwise receive. They can help you succeed in more ways
than anyone else you know.
Ten Ways to Flow Power to Your Powers
- Do a better job for your power than he or she expects.
Surprise him or her with fast completions, incredible production
and amazing results. - Support the power’s ideas and requests as much as possible.
- When the power offers you more responsibility, grab it. Do
not hesitate or worry about the pay. - Give your powers the information they need. Hide bad news
you are sure they don’t need to know. If you need to tell the
power about a problem, include a solution as well. Better yet,
solve the problem so you can relay the problem and the fact that
it is now solved. - If you see your power is making a mistake, help him or her.
Give him or her the key information along with suggestions and
solutions. - Never miss a chance to make a gesture of support. For
example, insist on paying for the meal you share with a power,
even if he or she is wealthier than you. Never forget the
power’s birthday. Be generous with your time and favors. - If you hear criticism about one of your powers, jump in and
defend him or her. Change negative attitudes and encourage
others to support your power. - If your power is under stress, do what you can to reduce
that stress. Help him or her become cheerful and optimistic. - If one of your powers is being attacked, take some of the
heat. Get in front of your power and fight back. - If one of your powers does not have an inkling of how to be
a power, find another power to support.
Follow these recommendations and sooner or later, you will find
you are a bigger power than ever before.
Copyright © 2003 TipsForSuccess.org. All rights reserved.
Grateful acknowledgment is made to L. Ron Hubbard Library for
permission to reproduce selections from the copyrighted works of
L. Ron Hubbard. Programmed in the United States.
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