The Three Keys to Winning the Power Game: Part 3

In my last two posts, I talked about the first and second rules of the Power Game:

Rule 1 The game is played in the moment

Rule 2 Always face down challenges right away

What these rules tell us is that the power game is played in conversation and interactions, so you have to be ready to rise to the occasion or shut bad behavior down in any moment. Once you are comfortable doing so, you will feel much more at ease even in fraught situations, and truly able to see workplace power as just a game, separate from you.

That doesn’t mean that the game will be easy. As you master the power game, you may find yourself advancing in the ways you want to. You may also find yourself locked in constant battle for advancement and fighting for the rewards you deserve. And this is where the third rule of the power game comes in: Don’t stick around waiting for people to change.

Once you have a read on a situation, act. Your job as a power player is to respond to what people do and say, not to what you wish they would do and say.

Let’s say, for example, that after learning to play the power game, you receive a long-deserved promotion. The problem is, your fellow executives withhold key information from you. After having to battle your way to the top, it’s now clear that every day at the top will be a battle.

Would it be nice if your executive teammates worked together with you for the benefit of all? Sure, but this isn’t going to happen. And it’s not because of any deficit on your part. Your colleagues’ actions tell you who they are, and your job in the face of it is to act strategically in a way that advantages you.

You may decide that in spite of the constant battling, your title and position are worth it, and so you will put your game face on every day. Or maybe you decide that you will leverage your new position to seek a similar position elsewhere.

Whatever you choose, do it with your eyes wide open, understanding that waiting for the other guy to change actually gives your power away. Sometimes we simply have to make difficult choices with the options we have in the face of situations that seem unfair. And own them. That’s the only way to remain powerful. And in the long run, being powerful is the only way to win the game.