The New Power Base Selling: Master The Politics, Create Unexpected Value and Higher Margins, and Outsmart the Competition

CHAPTER 5

Power Base Types and Implications

Sticks in a bundle are unbreakable.

—Kenyan Proverb

The previous chapter explained how Foxes appropriately leverage influence and authority to win with style. This simply means that they plan ahead and see around corners in order to achieve their goals without expending unnecessary effort or causing conflict. In fact, they even manage to build goodwill along the way.

Foxes are successful in part because they are able to work discreetly to predetermine critical decisions. What enables these powerful Foxes to work quietly behind the scenes while less skillful corporate players engage in noisy public confrontations? It is their ability to expand their personal capacity for achievement by delegating to people who have proven themselves. This process of delegation results in a network of high-performing individuals who revolve around the Fox. In other words:

Foxes create Power Bases.

This network of individuals becomes the organization’s political structure—the Power Base—because they all have one thing in common: a significant amount of influence. A Power Base is a powerful force within any organization, capable of reaching across departmental and geographical lines where each Power Base member possesses the strength or influence of the entire Power Base. Some of this influence is derived from the authority that accompanies a person’s position within a company. However, what can be even more important is the influence that Power Base members ...