Do You Have Clout In The Office?

Influence is a tool – it can sway minds and affect company policy positively or negatively. Another term for it is clout, and this is where this new special feature comes in. Do You Have Clout In The Office? shows how anybody can become detached, ice-cool professionals in the face of pressures and office politics.

Clout is best understood in the immortal dictum of Teddy RooseveltTeddy Roosevelt – the visionary action-man US President who almost single-handedly transformed America into a world superpower – “Speak softly but carry a big stick.”

Here are some ways to gain clout, from career (and relationships) counselor Joyce Brothers.

1. Act “As If.” William JamesWilliam James’ “As if” principle means that if you feel nervous, you act as if you’re not. Rick Price sings in Heaven Knows: “And all the time I act so brave I’m shaking inside…”

2. Have Ace On Your Sleeve. Alfred HitchcockAlfred Hitchcock was being defied by Ingrid BergmanIngrid Bergman for a scene, and the cinematic genius blandly drawled, “Do whatever you want because, you see, there’s always the cutting-room floor.”

3. Control Your Emotions. Lorna Tolentino adamantly refuses to share her boyfriend with her sister in Nagbabagang Luha. “I’ll die if he leaves me!” cries Alice Dixson, and she replies coolly, “I’ll bury you.”

4) Do The Unexpected. Ronald ReaganRonald Reagan broke tradition by giving Congress simple proposals in his first 100 days in office, mainly on tax cuts, tax breaks and bureaucratic streamlining, but they were all passed – and he got everything he wanted.