{I am sure you can identify with those who play these power games in YOUR organization}
Never outshine the master
-Always make people above you superior. Create image of your master as more brilliant than they are. Be careful, in your desire and exuberance to showcase your talents and impress your master ; you might accomplish the opposite that is inspire fear and insecurity.
How Marans forgot that they owe their position due to their grand uncle- Karunanidhi and paid the price
Never put too much trust in friends, learn how to use enemies
There is a chance that friends might betray you as they are easily swayed by envy. But if you hire a former enemy he/she will be more loyal as he/she has a point to prove that you can trust him/her. Also they are grateful to you. In fact you have to fear more from friends than enemies. Enemies are predictable, friends are not.
Conceal your Intentions
Keep people guessing and off balance by never revealing the purpose behind the action. If your opponents have no clue of what you are up to they cannot prepare for defence. Lead them to a wrong path , envelope them in the smoke.
Mayawati plays this role to perfection, nobody can guess her actions and the purpose behind it.
Always speak less than necessary
When you are trying to impress people with words, less is more. The more you speak, more common you will appear. Powerful people impress by saying less.
Kumble just by staying quiet during the Indo-Australia series gained the upper hand.
Your reputation is your asset- guard it with your life
Reputation is the cornerstone of your success. With reputation you can impress, intimidate. The reputation need to be unassailable. Reputation, once it is damaged, a person appears to be vulnerable.
Advani's reputation of being a firm and hardliner leader has taken a beating by him acting like Vajapayee.
Court attention at all costs
It is the generation of packaging. Stand out, the attention span is short. Make yourself the magnet of attention by being different, big, eye catching or mysterious.
Lalu Yadav by adopting different mannerism, language has become more popular than the more sophisticated leaders/ministers like Chidambaram or Kamal Nath.
Delegate what can be done by the others but take the credit
Use the wisdom, knowledge, of other people to further your cause or reach your goal. You cannot do everything yourself. Delegate wherever possible.
Lalu Yadav has taken the credit for the turn around of the railways
Make other people come to you-use bait if necessary
When you force the other person to abandon their plan and come to you. You radiate power. Lure them with the biggest gains.
Future group CEO Kishore Biyani or Ambanis lure the top most consultants and highly regarded professionals by throwing the top dollar salaries.
Win through your action not through arguments
Any victory gained through the argument is a temporary. The resentment and ill will that is caused by the argument will remain there. It is much more powerful to get your way by actions rather than by argument.
The pesticide controversy harmed the colas company as they argued and questioned the veracity of the reports rather than showing some action.
Learn to keep people dependent on you
Always remain relevant to others. They should always feel you're your contributions are valuable you. Never teach them enough that they don't feel the need of you. Always update yourself with the latest happening, learn the news skills.
How communist parties are keeping the Congress party dependent on themselves by raising one issue after the another?
Use selective honesty and generosity to disarm your victim
Open hearted gestures of honesty and generosity can disarm the most trenchant and suspicious people.
Remember the Trojan horse story where the opponents were fooled by the gift of the free wodden horse.
When asking for help- appeal for the self interest and not for mercy and gratitude
If you want help do not appeal for gratitude or your past assistance and good deeds. Find out what will help the person, emphasis and appeal to his/her self interest
Modi by appealing to the self interest of the Gujarati people(pride) was able to win handsomely in the recent election in Gujarat
Pose as a friend, work as a spy
Knowing about the rival is critical. Use spies to gather valuable information. Probe, ask indirect information to get people to reveal their weakness and intentions.
Ambani by discussing the tie up with Biyani for the retail venture, understood the dynamics of the whole retail industry.
Use absence to increase respect and honour
Make yourself scarce to make you valuable. Too much of being seen and heard lowers the image. Scarcity makes you more wanted. Overexposure leads to people getting bored with you.
Sonia Gandhi during the run up to last election kept quiet and mantained the dignity to all the noises made by the BJP leaders on the foreign origin issue.
Keep others in suspended terror, cultivate an air of unpredictability
The unpredictability of your actions should keep the opponents unbalance. If people can predict your actions than they will have control over you.
Sonia Gandhi by renouncing the prime- ministership at the last moment literaaly took the wind out of the sail from all the BJPs rhetoric.
Do not build fortresses to protect yourself-Isolation is dangerous
Many people by building the fortress found themselves are isolated . It cuts of you from reality and feedback. You start living in the fantasy world shown to you by your well wishers and followers.
The NDA government fell as they promoted the India Shining campaign by taking the advise of the armchair advisors without realising that the rural people have not benefittd by the economic growth
Know who you are dealing with - Do not offend the wrong persons
Choose your opponents and victim with care. A wrongly chosen rival or a victim can strike back so ferociously that you will spend the entire life defending yourself.
Dhirubhai Ambani retaliated to the brokers(bear cartels)who tried to hammered the Reliance scrip. Most of the brokers got bankrupt and the BSE had to shut down before Dhiru bhai relented.
Do not commit to anyone
Do not rush to take the sides. Wait fort he scenario to unfold. Let the parties be uncertain. Commitment if done before the right time might results in people taking you for granted.
Play a sucker to catch a sucker
Make your victim feel smarter. This will lull them and they will not suspect your ulterior motive.
Hindustan Lever was fooled by Nirma founder Karsanbhai Patel who thought of him as an upstart guy.
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