Call Me Ted

Ted Turner's life is very instructional, and his book is terrific. He is a tremendous power player.

What rules is he using? He has a flair for theatrics and drama, and only mentions how hard he worked a few times.

Law 6 Court Attention at all Cost Shenanigans on the baseball field annoyed the baseball establishment, but helped improve the recognition of the Braves.

Law 9 Win through your Actions, Never through Argument We saw this in the episode of trying to buy back the business after his dad died.

Law 28 Enter Action with Boldness

Law 30 Make your Accomplishments Seem Effortless

Law 37 Create Compelling Spectacles

Facebook and the rule of saying the least amount

Facebook can be a very dangerous place. I would urge people to strongly consider law four before posting anything on there:


Law 4: Always Say Less than Necessary

People have done these things on Facebook, that I know of:

1. Reveal that they hid their travel from family. For example, you visit Sheboygan without calling your Aunt Edna who lives there.

2. Reveal that they traveled with part of a group, but not another part.

3. Reveal that they drank more than they should have, either in their writing or their photos.

4. Fixate on material possessions.

5. Criticize people when they should have kept their mouths shut. Read this: Facebook post gets worker fired Oops.

Facebook is a loaded weapon, people. When you post something up there, pretty much everyone you have ever known will see it. It's easy to forget that, since our human tendency is to grow accustomed to our tools. So please treat Facebook with the respect it deserves, and it will reward you as the powerful social resource it really is.

Poker and the forty eight laws

Which of the forty eight laws do you need to put into play while at the poker table? Experienced poker players say it's this one:

Law 4: Always Say Less than Necessary

So many people around the poker table like to talk, kibbitz, or compare hands after the game is over. Resist the temptation. People try to draw you out, get you to make verbal mistakes so that you will make monetary mistakes.

Concentrating around the poker table is hard enough, let alone having to concentrate and maintain harmless conversation. It's often better to just say nothing.

We are social animals, so needless to say it's very tough to maintain complete silence at the table for hours on end. But the closer you come to this ideal, the better your chances for a big payoff.

The story of Dr. Walker, the legendary attending at Emory University Department of Medicine, applies here. He was known for his unorthodox powers of persuasion, and the most unnerving of these was his silence. He could sit across from you and smile and say nothing for at least a few minutes. He could reduce you practically to tears without saying a word! By the time I was at Emory, he was no longer chair of the residency program, but he still held a commanding presence in the administrative office. I will never forget his penetrating gaze, or the valuable lesson it teaches. I still admire his self-control, at being able to stare anyone down for as long as they could manage to remain silent.

Schmuck

Schmuck (pejorative), an insulting term for a stupid person or dimwitted fool or an unwanted guest

In other words, what do you call a guy that cost himself $7.5 million for using a banned substance, and cost his team potentially far more in lost post-season opportunities and marketing?

Which Law of Power did he break?

Law 5 So Much Depends on Reputation – Guard it with your Life