I learned about power and influence in the workplace years ago. I was a Senior Buyer at the time in a large Aerospace company, when all of a sudden I inherited a new boss (from the outside). He was about 8 years younger (around 28 years old) than I was. The odd part was that my current boss was doing a great job, but he was basically forced out of his position (to make room for my new boss) and politely asked to take a leadership position on an IT project. I learned later that my new boss was very good friends with our newish VP of Operations and that obviously helped him land the job. That particular VP had huge influence and power which propelled him to become a CEO at a massive corporation with a $22 million dollar salary (including stock options) and eventually left with a $195 million dollar severance package after 6 years as CEO. He also brought along my young boss for the ride and he eventually became a President of a large corporation himself.
I use this story as an interesting example of how power, influence and money are deeply intertwined. I also dealt directly with both these guys and I felt I came out on the winning end (long story), but I have yet to figure out how to collect a $195 million dollar severance like one of them did.
Fast forward to today and as I search for my next contract as a senior Project Manager (and President of my tiny corporation) I have given much thought to power and influence. To reach the high rungs of a corporation or make your company a success, you need the right skills to harness power (or influence). There are terrible bosses that use power to instill fear and hammer at people (look at the White House) and others that have the genetic or learned ability to use positive influence (Warren Buffet) to maximize their opportunities. Power is easy if you have lots of money. Building influence takes time and it really helps if you have a supporting tribe to help you. It’s not what you know but who you know has enormous truths in it.
Learning to harness and use power and influence was not something that came naturally to me. I was brought up by strict and authoritative parents who believed that you always played by society’s rules and kept out of trouble. Richard Branson mentions that his mother was a very nurturing and positive guide in his life, forever supporting his creative efforts. My mother taught me that elders were always right, life was hard and I would receive a smack across the head if I was not in line with their beliefs. I was forced to learn about my personal power when I became a Senior Buyer. I had plenty of power over all my suppliers and I was responsible for millions of dollars as well as on time delivery of aircraft engines. It made me learn fast.
My career as led me to become a consultant (and business owner) and as a consultant I am hired to provide expertise based on experience, education and a sparkling personality. I am not particularly interested in exerting power to lord over my minions, but I am very interested in influence, hence why I constantly explore the subject through reading and writing. As a consultant I often deal with executives and clients who can wield absolute power over me. Fortunately I have only had to quit one client because of nasty power dynamics and quitting preserved my last shreds of sanity. Tolerating years of an asshole boss or client will only leave you with health problems and nothing else. I know some pretty tough consultants whose health went downhill because a client was unrelentingly negative and abusive.
There have been other occasions where I have provided expert “consulting” advice (as an employee) and the executive’s in my company went another direction, resulting in losing millions of dollars and horrendous problems with the government (in my humble opinion). Once again executive power and influence were front and center of these decisions. Influencing stubborn executives can be a very difficult task as some egos can become hyper-inflated as they climb the company hierarchy. Convincing an inflexible VP or CEO to do things your way is one of the best skills a high end consultant can possess.
I also have a dark side to my personality. I can be pretentious, cutting, vicious or feel a full on rage build inside of me. But I never allow (almost never) that part of me to come to the surface. Negative emotions can quickly destroy thoughtful and collaborative decision making or good relationships. It’s easy to hammer on people (especially on social media). I’d much rather use influence. The time I had to wield power (as opposed to influence) the most was as a senior buyer at that aerospace company I mentioned. My job was to address vendor shortages so we could deliver million dollar engines to our customers. I was ruthless at times and dragged CEO’s out of meetings or barked orders at factory workers to get what I wanted. I didn’t always have time for influence, so I used my power. I understand power very well. It was also the most stressful job I have ever had, and the best thing I did was find a new career in IT and Project Management.
As I interview with potential clients and re-visit all my accomplishments I am extremely proud of how far I have come. I don’t have a 100 million dollars in the bank but I have found profound meaning and purpose in my career. I have helped people and businesses grow substantially, while remaining a positive person and I believe that has rubbed off on some of my clients. I believe profound and positive meaning and purpose drive moments of happiness and even awe at times.
If I ever choose to retire from being a consultant it will never be over new and confusing technology or trying to find technical answers. That is the easy part. I will retire from the stress and weariness of dealing with people that yield power or influence in an abusive and negative manner. The best example of this is the current White House. Plenty of very qualified people have quit for these very reasons. They also wanted to save their dignity from a lunatic that tweets derogatory names and hurls insults at anyone that disagrees with him.
Power or influence, which one counts most while on the road to wealth and happiness?
Terry Vermeylen is President of Terry Vermeylen Enterprises and owns Worldclasssupplychain.com and Mylifechanges.com He is also a Senior Project Manager, Business Optimization expert, and SAP and Supply Chain specialist that has advised the US Navy, spoken at conferences, lost his soul a few times, and inspired teams to the point that they want to hug him.