Sublime

Many people believe that they can stand out and be bold once they become successful and earn the right to do things differently. But once you are successful and powerful, you don’t need to stand out or worry about the competition. It’s early in your career when you are seeking initial positions that differentiating yourself from the competition is

When you do what the late Jack Valenti of the Motion Picture Association of America did—call people on the phone or go meet with them in person—you have much more influence and will be much more memorable—and powerful.

Institute for Corporate Productivity

intelligence seldom accounts for much more than 20 percent of the variation in work performance in any event, and the relationship between performance and attaining power is equally weak.

If acting is important as a leadership skill and for acquiring power, it is important to know how to perform. One principle is to act confident.

What sometimes gets in the way of putting ourselves in the shoes of others is too much focus on the end goal and our own objectives and not enough concern for recruiting others to our side—or at least curtailing the likelihood of their opposition.

The surest way to keep your position and to build a power base is to help those with more power enhance their positive feelings about themselves.

Second, you can’t get trapped into following the crowd and doing something just because everyone else is.

Your answer to this dilemma depends on the extent to which you are an organizational entrepreneur and risk taker. It also depends on whether you are satisfied being carried along by a powerful tide or you want to get ahead of the wave or create your own pond where you can stand out.