Sixteen Rules for Influencing Powerful People

Influencing Power
People book

In the new business management book Influencing Powerful People by Dirk Schilmm, 16 chapters provide different rules regarding engagement of strong leadership. The book in broken into 4 sections: attributes of these people, building a relationship with them, specific work functions for someone working with them, and learning your personal power in helping build their legacy or eventually one of your own. Multiple examples of people who have shown they possessed the necessary skills in dealing with others are given using people famous in business or for leadership roles.


Below are the 16 rules in summary form, as I understood them to be.

Understanding attributes of powerful people
1. Get ready for a potent mix of brilliance and drive, because they are smarter and more ambitious.
2. Know how to manage the supremely confident and when to exercise smart influence, stand up for ideas, or help out.

Building your relationship with powerful people
3. Master the art of first impressions, because powerful people make decisions quickly.
4. Know what you are doing by taking assignments you are competent for and that utilize your strengths.
5. Save energy for when it counts, because working with them requires preparation and stamina.
6. Practice humility and admit mistakes if you are a team player, remember the limelight belongs to the powerful person.
7. Show appreciation with active listening and reflection of the powerful person’s communication style.
8. Sidestep power with diplomacy by questioning in private rather than confronting in a meeting or group.
9. Remain committed, but guard your independence in finances, actions, and personal ethics.

Working with or for powerful people
10. Get results as quickly as possible and communicate plans and problems to reduce their desire to micromanage.
11. With a differing skill set, you can cover their weaknesses as a complimentary strength, but make sure your job is valued.
12. Facilitate the impact of raw power by translating the powerful person’s vision into workable action plans and being willing to clean-up if necessary.
13. When appropriate, ask questions and provide advise to get them to think before they act
14. With the right relationships, you can get them to rethink, slow down on, or stop potentially bad decisions.
15. They are coachable only for new tasks, roles, or meetings; otherwise use caution and beware of using formal feedback tools.

Learning your own personal power
16. Keep it real and learn to use your own power well.