Managing With Power

12

Timing Is (Almost) Everything

In utilizing the strategies and tactics of power and influence, it is crucial to determine not only what to do but when to do it. This chapter considers the important but often neglected dimension of timing. Actions that are well-timed may succeed, while the same actions, undertaken at a less opportune moment, may have no chance of success. In considering strategies associated with timing, we will examine the advantages and costs of taking early, first action; strategies associated with delay; how waiting is used to signify and build power; how deadlines affect what is decided; how what is decided depends on the order in which it is considered; and finally, the importance of intervening when the time is ripe. ...