The Power Blog

Dale Carnegie only had part of the equation figured out when it comes to wielding more power in this world: the gist of his message was “treat people how they would like to be treated.”

Now, I don’t have anything negative to say about the principles he laid down so long ago; most of them are absolutely valid.

But, if you want true influence, platitudes will take you only part of the way. There’s more to being an influential and powerful person.

To explain it in the simplest of terms, powerful people give off non-verbal cues that make them SEEM “powerful.” And, as a result of these indicators, they “naturally” draw in people who defer authority to them.

That is, if you seem like you have a position of authority, authority will be automatically given to you. Others will seek to make you their friend and/or mentor. Both the not-so-powerful and powerful benefit from your friendship; you are, after all, considered a mover and shaker who can “get things done.” You appeal to baser survival instincts of men and women alike.

So, what are these cues that trigger the authoritative role? Some we are in control of, and some we need to take control of (as much as we can). Not all of them are necessary to maintain the guise of authority/power; just a few of the indicators will do.

They are:

appearance (physique, style and facial features)
financial capability (a respectable job, excess cash, business acumen)
social fluidity and grace with both sexes (a man’s man AND a ladies’ man), authority over those men and women
mental capability (quick-wittedness and intelligence; capable of hypnotic languaging)

Appearance: You don’t have to look like Brad Pitt. But, if you don’t, you better dress your best. And go to the gym and get in shape. While plenty of ugly men have been in positions of power, it’s more often the more attractive ones that men defer their power to. It’s an unconscious response; humans seek out other attractive humans in both sexual and non-sexual interactions.

Finance: Money can’t buy happiness, but it opens a hell of a lot more doors than poverty. We automatically assume that those that make over $100,000 a year have a lot more capabilities in EVERYTHING than those that make $25,000.

Social Fluidity and Authority: it’s not enough to be at every party; you ought to be the person that picks which party to go to. Or, the one who’s throwing the party. The one who’s the center of the scene is the one with the most influence, even if he’s not the richest.

Mental capability: if you don’t have any of the other indicators, this one is your most important. Why? Because, with enough intelligence (and time), you can make it SEEM like you have everything else.

And, if you can’t, then you can come up with a solid enough reason why you don’t have it. If any cue is missing, make it look intentional (eg if you’re poor, develop a punk-rock aesthetic. Down with capitalism, you corporate whore).

The indicators are not necessities; they just make it easy for the outside world to determine whether you deserve their time/money/love/respect.

What is essential, however, is the attitude associated with being influential. Influential people know that they’re influential, and assume that everyone who meets them will automatically be drawn in.

You need to assume you already have the power. Once you truly believe that, it doesn’t really matter if the indicators are there. They’re incidental.

Assume you have power. Acquire as many indicators as you can, or manipulate it so that it looks like you have them (or that the lack is part of your plan). People will then seek you out, instead of the other way around.

In the next blog post, I’ll tell you some “less friendly” pieces of the mindset to adopt (power doesn’t necessarily make you friends). If you want more control in your life, more things done your way, you’ll probably make some enemies. I’ll tell you how to do that next time!

Yours for more Power,
Lucas West

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This entry was posted on Saturday, May 27th, 2006 at 3:35 am and is filed under Self-Change. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.