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Business Rule #25:
Use Perceived Weakness to
Your Advantage
April 16, 2005
by Caroline Pfouts
Make assumptions about your competition at your own risk. That’s what Net Worth learned this week. When Chris Shelton and Alex Thomason invited Bren Olswanger to join their team, this threesome felt pretty confident in the power of their new boys club. Stoking them even more, the task of creating a brochure for a hot new sports car seemed ideal for the “guys” team. They laughed together, getting a charge out of finally having a chance to work together. It sure was a great start. Until that is, Bren gloated over Net Worth’s imagined edge. “We’re three guys, and it’s a car. They’re two chicks and one guy over at Magna Corp.” By giving themselves too much credit for their testosterone quotient, the Net Worth boys tripped over their own arrogance.
On the other hand, Magna’s Project Manager, Kendra Todd, was young and female: not the traditional image of a powerful business person. In spite of her unassuming and demure appearance, she had enough guts and experience to pull off a major coup: her team designed a brochure for the new Solstice roadster that Pontiac actually plans to use in its sales campaign.
Kendra had a couple of secret weapons that Net Worth didn’t count on. For one, she had some prior experience with publishing. She not only knew how long it takes to put a brochure together, she knew how to choose images that are compelling and use language to evoke excitement. She knew how to sell with a few well-chosen words and pictures.
She also had enormous determination. She was not going to let anything get in the way of her success. Kendra’s teammates didn’t appreciate her view of the project. It's true, she could have directed her teammates with more clarity and specificity. Craig Williams, who has a history of bickering with Kendra, either just didn’t get the concept behind her vision or refused to accept it.
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When push came to shove and the project ran late into the night though, Craig headed off to bed along with Tana Goertz, placing all the work left to be done squarely on their Project Manager's shoulders. Kendra’s drive kept her up into the wee hours of the morning to finish the brochure on her own. She may have resented having so much of the work fall on her, but worse things can happen to a manager. There’s an old saying that goes, “Lead, follow, or get out of the way.” At least Tana and Craig got out of Kendra’s way and let her get the job done.
Fortunately for Kendra—and for anyone who isn’t a tall, white male for that matter—being underestimated can be an advantage in business. It’s like being a comic book hero with a secret super power. If the people you’re negotiating with or competing against aren’t smart enough to see how capable you are, go ahead, show them what you’re made of. They’re asking for it.
A few years ago, I was shopping for a used car at a dealership. I found a suitable sedan, and, in the course of negotiating with the salesman, he brought his manager into the deal. While we were chatting, the Manager asked me, “What do you do for a living?”
“I work for a bank.” I waited for him to ask what I did there. He didn’t. I knew he probably assumed that a woman who works for a bank was a teller. I didn’t see any reason to set him straight. I knew it would work to my advantage.
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Being underestimated can
