Chapter 59

Combinations of Power

Now I’ve taught you the eight elements that give you power over the other person. To recap, they are the following: 1) Legitimate Power (the power of your title or your position in the marketplace), 2) Reward and Coercive Power (nearly always perception, not reality), 3) Reverent Power (the ability to project a consistent set of values), 4) Charismatic Power (the power of the personality), 5) Expertise Power, 6) Situation Power and 7) Information Power.

Take the time to rate yourself in each of those elements—not as you see yourself, or maybe not even as you really are, but as you think other people see you. How do people with whom you negotiate perceive you in each of these eight areas? Give yourself a score from one to 10 in each area, with one being very weak and ten being very strong. The potential maximum score is 80. If your score comes out in the 60s, that’s a very good number for a Power Negotiator. You have Power, but you still have empathy for the other side. If your score is higher than 70, I’d be a concerned that you’re too intimidating when you’re dealing with people. Less than 60 and you have some weak spots. Examine those elements for which you gave yourself a low rating, and see what you can do to get yourself close to a ten.

As you review this list, remember that these eight power elements are also the ways that the other side can intimidate you into thinking that you don’t have any power. So the next time you’re negotiating and you feel that you’ve lost control—that they’re beginning to intimidate you—identify which of those elements is getting to you. Identifying it will help you handle it.

Now let’s look at special combinations of these eight powers. First begin with Reverent Power, Charismatic Power, and Expertise Power.

Power Negotiators know that these first three combinations are critical if you are to control the negotiations. Do you know somebody who seems to have a much easier time persuading people to go along with his suggestions? Perhaps you’ve sat in on a negotiation with your boss and he made it look so easy. He sat down with the other person and chatted with her for 15 or 20 minutes. He didn’t appear to be talking about anything of consequence, but at the end of that time the other person said, “What do we have to do here? Do we need to go with the top of the line or can we get by with the standard? You tell us, you’re the expert.”

Here’s how he got that much power over the other side: He did a good job of projecting Reverent Power, Charismatic Power, and Expertise Power. Reverent Power: “I won’t do anything that is not in your best interest, regardless of the gain to me.” That builds trust, doesn’t it? Charismatic Power: He has a likable personality. And Expertise Power: Your manager projected to the other side, without it becoming overbearing, that he knew more about it that she did. When you put those three together, you’re very close to controlling the negotiations. You’re very close to the point at which the other side will defer the decision. “Well,” she’ll say, “What do you think we should do?” And she has surrendered control of the negotiation to your side.

Another combination of the eight components of personal power is of particular importance to Power Negotiators. The effects of these critical elements together are overwhelming. When these four come together in one person, it what happens is incredible. The four are: Legitimate Power (the power of the title), Reward Power (the ability to reward people), Reverent Power (the consistent set of values: I’m not going to deviate from this regardless of what happens), and Charismatic Power (the personality: the pizzazz with which to put it across).

When these four come together in one person, the effect is phenomenal whether it is used for good or evil. This is what gave Adolf Hitler control of Germany in the 1930s. He kept stressing the title—Fuhrer! Fuhrer! Fuhrer! He kept stressing Reward Power. He kept saying to the German people: If we do this, if we invade Czechoslovakia and Poland, this is what we’ll get. The dictatorial Reverent Power—we’ll never deviate from this. Hitler also had hypnotic Charismatic Power. He could hold tens of thousands of people mesmerized with his oratory.

You Can’t Get Any More Consistent Than This

It is fascinating to me that Adolf Hitler, who completed his autobiography Mein Kampf (My Struggle) in 1926, wrote in it every detail of what would follow, including the expansion of Germany through Czechoslovakia and Poland into the Ukraine. Although more than five million copies had been circulated in Germany before the start of World War II, it was never translated into any other language. Hitler tightly controlled circulation of his book to within the borders of Germany, but it is hard for me to believe that some copies were not smuggled out of the country and translated. Perhaps the people who translated it simply could not believe the enormity of what he planned to do. Perhaps we needed Hitler too much as a bulwark against communism. Perhaps they dismissed it as the ravings of a mad man. But had we have taken it seriously, we would have known every detail of his plans. Because he never deviated from his original intent.

This was also the way that David Koresh got control over the Branch Davidians in Waco, Texas, and had so much control over them that they wanted him to tell them not only where to live, what to think, and what to say, but also when to die. David Koresh told his people that he was God. That’s a pretty good title—you can’t do much better than that! He kept stressing Reward Power: If you stay with me, you’re going to heaven. If you go with them, you’re going to jail. Reverent Power: We don’t care what the rest of the world thinks. This is what we believe. Charismatic Power: He had the hypnotic personality that is the trademark of all cult leaders.

On the good side of the coin is when you get a John F. Kennedy. Every president has the power of the title. Every president is able to reward, but not every president is able to project the consistent set of values. This was Jimmy Carter’s undoing and is Bill Clinton’s albatross, because they appeared to vacillate. It was Richard Nixon’s undoing at the end.

Not every president is able to project Charismatic Power. This was Gerald Ford’s problem. He had the other three elements in abundance, but he didn’t have the personality with which to put it across. Throughout his career, Richard Nixon, although he was brilliant, was dogged by the fact that few people liked him. I think that it was George Bush’s downfall also, particularly since he followed Ronald Reagan, who was so charismatic. Remember that picture of Bush during the debate at Williamsburg? With 94 million people watching on television, Bush was standing there looking at his watch and looking totally bored with the entire process. Meanwhile, Clinton leaned into the audience to tell them how much he felt their pain that a loaf of bread now cost $1.75.

John F. Kennedy and Ronald Reagan both had these four powers in great abundance, which made them the most popular presidents in modern history. You can have that kind of power if you concentrate on developing those four elements of personal power. When you do, I promise you that you’ll see a remarkable transformation in your ability to influence people.