Power Play: Headphones are power

Sometimes the best thing you can do is to tune out the talk. This is why Power Players are not above carrying a pair of headphones and listening to some music or whatever else they have stored on their computer.

If you can’t control the noise, sometimes the best course of action is to create the silence.

I’ve watched a few Power Players in my time avoid whatever mess is looming on the horizon by placing a pair of magical headphones in their ears.

It does two things: it forces the speaker to stop speaking and go elsewhere and it also stops the Power Player from reacting in a way they know they’ll regret.

Headphones buy that one precious commodity all Power Players love: time.

Time buys them the chance to take a breath and stop themselves from saying anything they’ll regret. If you need to resort to headphones, do it. It can buy you the time you need to regroup and to keep calm and keep quiet.