- Ralph Gun Hoy Siu - The Craft of Power

Ralph Gun Hoy Siu

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THE CRAFT OF POWER

THE

CRAFT

OF POWER

R.GM. SIU

/Qui

Quill New York 1984 IA Cole-Berens Book

PREFACE

This book is directed primarily to executives seeking to expand theirpersonal power. It is not a discourse with managers about the art ofleadership but an exposition for aspirants to power about the underly-ing craft. To be sure, there is much in common between the two groups.But persons of power are driven by ulterior motives completely differ-ent from those of conventional executives. The strategies and tactics ofthe former go far beyond the usual competencies of the latter.

Immediate application for most of what is presented can be foundby those who have built at least a moderate base of followers andlegitimated authority. A word of caution should be offered, however,for those who have not yet crossed this threshold: "Diligently observethe arts of the masters, so that you will be effectively facile with themshould the time come in your future career. Meanwhile, be patientlyprudent as you rise in the formal and informal hierarchy throughnonthreatening visibility and contributions to the powers-that-be. Donot try to fly higher than fitly fledged. There is nothing more fatal for afledgling than being swooped upon by an angry hawk. Reminders willbe inserted throughout this book in the form of adjustments suitablefor your own particular station in the sting and tang of competition."Finally, to readers who have eschewed the path of power and find thecontents unsettling, we would nonetheless recommend a clear view ofthe reality, which they seek to transcend. Empathy always comeseasier with understanding, and efforts toward the ideal become morepractically productive.

Here, then, are a power posture and operational specifics that haveworked from the days of Genesis and J Ching to The Prince and TheNew York Times. An armamentarium for great power. Straight. Un-varnished. To be diluted and painted by the reader as suits his or herown purposes.

R. G. H. SlU

Washington, D. C.August 1978

PARTI POWER POSTURE / 1 CONTENTS

PART II OPERATIONAL SPECIFICS / 29

ENTERING THE ARENA I 31

1. Nature of power / 31

2. Minidemocracies / 34

3. Executives and persons of power / 35

4. Theories on power / 37

5. Justifications / 41

LEARNING THE FUNDAMENTALS 145

6. Professionalism / 45

7. Skepticism and vigilance / 47

8. The big game / 49

9. King makers / 53

10. Capacity limitations / 56

11. Illicit means/58

12. Legal porosity and elasticity / 60

13. Associated sufferings / 62

14. Custom / 63

15. Myth / 64

16. Efficiency / 67

17. Time constraints / 69

18. Indices of progress / 71

19. Levelheadedness / 73

20. Mortgage payments / 75

21. Treatment of cadre / 77

22. Constituency / 83

HONING STRATEGIES AND TACTICS I 87

23. The eight axioms / 87

24. Offense/89

25. Defense / 93

26. Interstitialist / 101

27. Subterranean/ 102

28. Opportunist / 106

29. Permeator/ 107

30. Coalition / 109

VECTORING RESOURCES /111

31. Paraproprietary control /111

32. People/113

33. Money/118

34. Indentitive inducements / 121

35. Push-pull/122

36. Nonviolence/124

37. Gut feeling/124

SHAPING COMMUNICATIONS 1127

38. Need to know/127

39. Private channels/128

40. Data translation /129

41. Intelligence/130

42. Integrative principle /132

43. Orthopraxy/134

44. Propaganda methods /135

ORCHESTRATING CEREMONIES 1143

45. Strategy reinforcement /143

46. Participation /145

47. Credibility/146

48. Reasonableness /148

49. Consensus/150

50. Objective expertise /151

51. Legitimacy / 152

52. Loftiness / 154

53. Higher authority /156

54. A winner /157

MANEUVERING AND STRIKING 1161

55. Ready flexibility /161

56. Propitiousness /163

57. Three sets of three questions /165

58. AT-cushion billiard / 166

59. Injected hopelessness /169

60. Concomitant blame /170

61. Adaptive centrality / 171

62. Multifaceted speed / 173

63. Surprise/174

64. Chinese baseball /177

65. Antisocial context /179

66. Interpretive prerogative /181

67. Law of reversal /182

68. Consolidation/183

69. Instant focus of relevant totality /184

NEGOTIATING AND PRESSING ON 1187

70. Cessation of active confrontation /187

71. Conduct of negotiation /188

72. Consummation /190

73. Continuum of power /193

REFLECTING ON MORALITY 1195

74. Ends and means/ 195

75. Bigness / 196

76. Institutional power amplification / 200

77. Depersonalization / 202

78. Personal options / 204

79. Duty/206

80. Compassion / 209

81. Nobility/210

SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY / 213

INDEX/217

I

POWERPOSTURE

From all appearances, this brief part is a summary of what is tofollow. But its objective is much more important. I would like toinvite your closest collaboration. If we are successful, you will bewell on your way toward developing the kind of readiness reflexfrom which durable power springs.

There are two essential facets to this potential. The first is acontinuing feel for the relevant totality, so that you always in-stinctively react in consonance with the enveloping whole,thereby infusing your own actions with its orchestrated resilienceand concerted force. The pithy brevity of this part has been

2 Power posture

adapted to stimulate this sensing of the totality at one glance, asit were. The second is an intuitive facility in sensing the hiddenagendas, being aware of what is not said, and quickening to whathas not yet happened. Hence, as an introductory exercise, thestyle of presentation: allusive, epigrammatic.

The following approach has proved worthwhile for manyreaders. You may wish to try it. Pick up the book on a relaxedoccasion, when you can devote forty minutes or so to it. Ignoringthe bracketed numbers for the time being, leisurely go over thispart as written in one sitting. In the process, let the words enteryour eyes freely and fully, without being concerned about whatthey may mean in particular. Let the thoughts and sensationscome as they will. Then lay the book aside for several days ormore. Return to it at another relaxing opportunity. Give Part I a"once over quickly" from beginning to end. After that, peruse hereand there within it at random: muse, contemplate, think as youplease, but do not argue. Now lay the book aside for another weekor more. After that, feel free to proceed in whatever way comesnaturally to you. You will be appropriately prepared to get themost out of the Operational Specificsto note the cross-linkagesof the various aspects of power, to feel at relative ease with voidsand strangeness, to criticize profitably what has been written, tomodify and embellish, and to incorporate whatever is valuableinto your own repertory.