Here's a Dirk Schlimm quote that goes beyond 'influencing powerful people':

“Use every opportunity to observe and learn. It is a lot less costly to learn from the mistakes of others than from your own!”

On the other hand...

When we make mistakes with powerful people they often respond with more-poignant lessons than less-powerful people. Most powerful people do not want to suffer fools. Powerful people raise the standard beyond 'fools'. Powerful people do not want to suffer normal folks and powerful people rarely suffer bright folks who don't add clear and immediate value. And, powerful people provide hard-knocks lessons to people who disagree with them...especially, if that disagreement is expressed in public. 

A family-business perspective -

In family businesses, often, parents hold positions of power over children. Often, parents are bosses and children report to parents. Also, parents possess other forms of power - expertise power [specialized talents, knowledge and skills], financial power [control of money and rewards], relationship power [with the 'old guard' at the company and long-term clients] , and many other types of power. And, frequently, parents have trouble letting go of their power.

Some could argue - in family businesses, there are less opportunities for following-generation people to observe and learn from other's mistakes. Some could argue the exact opposite. For example, I've met with younger brothers who have learned from older brothers' mistakes. These mistakes can create complications where children must choose between a parent and a sibling. That can tear families apart. 

Families who work together find themselves in a unique 'power situation'.  To thrive in that unique situation, people will benefit from 'influencing powerful people' education.

Good news - Dirk Schlimm is visiting CFFB on April 26th...less than 3 weeks from today!

“Understand that powerful people think of others as their helpers first and foremost. Let them know that this is what you are there to do. However, don’t let the helper paradigm stifle your creativity and ambition to lead.”

Dirk Schlimm

'Influencing Powerful People', (2011)

"Powerful People" - they hold 'position power' over other people, the power bosses hold over subordinates. They hold other types of power...as examples, the power tied to having control of money and the power tied to a track record of setting goals, influencing results and meeting goals.

Powerful people exist in every successful business. 

Business founders hold special power. Business founders saw market needs, stepped up to address those needs and influenced others to join their businesses. If they succeeded in their business then their power was effective and put to good use. If they failed in business their power was, for one reason or another, ineffective. 

Sometimes we judge business leaders harshly because they don't treat us the way we want. Instead of shifting our 'mindset paradigm' to consider the opportunities that exist in the leader's view of our role, we refuse to align with the leader...sometimes, we resist subversively. When our mindsets are in resistance mode, we have allowed the leader's character and style to bring out the worst in us. With our mindsets focused on resistance, we choose to bury our curiosity. When we make that choice, we stifle our own attention to opportunities and we stifle our own creativity.

We must not blame powerful people for our choices; we must learn how to make and implement better choices when we deal with powerful people. In his book and his teaching, Dirk helps us learn how to make and implement better choices.

This week's Dirk Schlimm quote - 

“Remember that powerful people identify greatly with their work and their enterprise. They expect the same from you. Show them that you take your work seriously and that you are striving to make a contribution, rather than just do a job.”

As I re-read this quote, I think of heroes I admire and how I feel when I hear people bad-mouthing those heroes. I remember people obsessing about and picking away at heroes' faults. As examples, I think about:

• people criticizing Bill Gates' autocratic style [while ignoring the fact this man is the force behind mega-$Billion charitable donations
• people criticizing Winston Churchill's autocratic style [while ignoring the fact this man wrote and delivered some of the most-influential messages known to man
• people criticizing their bosses [while ignoring the fact these bosses, certainly, must have at least one good quality which could be discussed from time to time]