Power Play: Walk softly and carry a big, big, big stick

Power Players make it a point to walk softly. They honestly believe that there is no other way to walk.

They prefer the gentle touch and they’ve never seen any evidence that suggests being dictatorial is the way to go.

If they need to brief someone, they do it gently. If they need something fixed they do it softly. If they need great progress to be made, they make their point calmly.

But the caveat to this is that they carry a big, big stick. They don’t yell, rant or rave when someone has absolutely ignored all direction and dropped the ball in a major way; they simply use their big, big stick.

It may come in the form of removal from a project or the loss of one’s job. They don’t believe in making idle threats or ruling by fear. But they do believe in swift and decisive action when all hell breaks loose.

They do everything they can to walk around people rather than to walk all over them. But if that doesn’t work, the stick comes out. Firm but fair – and a classic Power Player move.