Pull out the big guns, but only if you need them

Like the boy scouts, Power Players are always prepared. If they need to pull out the big guns, they do. Though they only do this if they are prepared to use them.

Never pull the proverbial gun on someone unless you are willing to fire it. Power Players know that idle threats weaken their power and make them look petty. Moreover, Power Players rarely threaten unless they follow through and they never use it as sport.

Every now and then talk won’t get the job done. You have to be prepared to cut loose and end whatever mess is on your desk. Swiftly and definitely.

Power Players don’t drag it out. They don’t hope it will go away. They man (or woman) up and they hit it head on. But it’s never an empty gesture. And they never use blank threats either. If they pull out the big guns, the other person is dead in the water.

And if Power Players choose this course of action, it is always warranted. And the decision is never taken lightly. Learn from this. And do the same when you need to.

Entrepreneur, strategist and author Rose Herceg co-founded Pophouse, specialising in social forecasting, market research and business strategy in 1998 before selling it to STW in 2006.

Until recently Rose was strategy director of the STW Group, working across 70 companies on strategy, social forecasting, trends analysis and innovation.

She is currently developing several online start-ups in media and media content.