Whether you’re seeking to advance your career or grow your business, making progress toward your goals can come down to your ability to enlist the help of others—often through activating one’s personal power bases. Perhaps you need to ask for a raise or a promotion, or maybe you need to request funding to kick off an exciting new project or cover the cost of new hires. Whatever the case, understanding how to get others on board is critical to achieving the outcome you’re hoping for. But if you’re low on the totem pole or just beginning to establish your fledgling business, asking others to reward you with money, time, or increased responsibility can feel like a David vs. Goliath scenario.

Don’t underestimate yourself, though: you may have a lot more personal power than you think. A person’s power bases are the sources from which they draw credibility, influence, and character, traits that can be assets when asking others to help your cause. Power bases can come in many forms, and you may have more than one effective power base to draw from. You simply need to learn how to identify your power bases and use them to your advantage. By recognizing the sources of your power, you can feel more confident as you ask for the things you need to achieve your goals.

Personal Power Bases You May Not Realize You Have:

1. Physical Power: Some people have an effect on others using nothing more than their physical presence. People who are very tall, muscular, or physically imposing, possess the power to inspire or motivate others simply through the space they occupy. If a giant, hulking wrestler tells you to get moving, you will!
2. Resource Power: Power isn’t always about who you are. Sometimes, power can come from what you have access to. Obviously, political candidates who have access to large sums of money can be more influential than those who have no advertising budget at all. Resource power can also come from the people you know. Actors and aspiring directors in the Hollywood system have recognized that it’s all about “who you know” for decades. Knowing the right people or having the right insider information can be a game changer. As you create your strategy for growth, you should consider which relationships you may be able to lean on to give you an edge.
3. Position Power: We all know that the boss is the one in charge. Position power comes from having authority over others. But you don’t have to be the CEO to exercise position power. Having seniority in your role at an organization, for instance, could be a source of position power.
4. Expert Power: Having a specialized college degree, a unique set of skills or experience, or knowledge specific to a role or project could offer you expert power you can use to your advantage. Expert power encompasses your qualifications and you may possess more expert power than you realize. As you seek out the things you need to take your career or company to the next level, think about the expertise and knowledge that will be valuable assets and boost your chances of success.
5. Personality Power: The reputation you’ve built for being an honest, hardworking, leader might also be a factor in your ability to influence others. Personality power comes from one’s character. It’s easy to see how people with natural charisma can capture the attention of a room and inspire others. By the same token, even if you’re not a superstar, aspects of your personality might offer huge advantages as you seek to grow your career or business. Perhaps you are extremely friendly and likable, or maybe you can tell a good joke. These same character traits that make you easy to get along with might also make you an appealing job candidate or business partner. Don’t forget to call on your sparkling personality when it’s time to impress others.
6. Information Power: This kind of power comes from what you know or information that only you have access to. An example of information power might be someone who has gathered a large amount of valuable data through research of some kind. Consider those white papers companies use to gather prospects for their businesses. Companies know that readers and potential clients will want access to the information they’ve gathered, so they use that information power to request customer contact information in exchange for that data. What valuable information might you have that you can offer in exchange for the opportunities or funding you’re looking for?
7. Reward Power: People who have the power to reward or bonus someone else have this kind of power. A manager has the power to promote an employee who performs well, or a parent can reward a well behaving child with extra spending money or a trip to Disneyland. When you are a customer, you have the power to reward companies, products, and salespeople by giving them your business. While trying to grow your business, you can use your power to reward your employees to incentivize them to push even harder to help your company reach its goals.
8. Network Power: Remember all that time you’ve spent shaking hands and collecting business contacts? Building a strong network has boosted your power to influence, because you can now call on those connections to support you in any number of ways. Clients can provide testimonials that will add credibility. Mentors can offer valuable advice to help you overcome challenges, or a connection might call you first when an opportunity arises to submit a proposal. Your network power is one of the sources of power you can most easily grow and impact, so don’t overlook the importance of building strong relationships.

Recognizing your personal sources of power is critical to your ability to collaborate with others and ask for the resources and opportunities you’ll need to grow your company and advance your career. It’s easy to underestimate oneself and overlook how much you have to bring to the table. Success in business requires constant negotiation, and by understanding your own power to get others on your side, you improve your chances of achieving the results you’re hoping for and reaching your goals.

It’s not always what you say that makes the biggest impression. Before you even open your mouth, nonverbal habits you’re not even aware of could jeopardize your ability to make a good impression, close a deal, get promoted, or earn a new customer. Professional body language is critical to any business exchange, and it’s just as important to be aware of the things you’re not saying as it is to be aware of what you are. In other words, through your posture, body language, habits, and tone, you may be speaking volumes without even uttering a word.

The following eight professional body language mistakes might be making you look bad even when you’re saying all the right things:

1. Slouch. Didn't your mother always tell you to sit up straight? Mom was on to something. Not only does slouching make you seem detached and uninterested, but it’s also high school behavior. You’ll feel and look better if you sit up.
2. Drum your fingers. This is one of those unconscious habits that is immediately obvious to everyone except the perpetrator. It says that you can’t wait for the meeting to end. Don’t be the finger drummer in the room.
3. Avoid making eye contact. If you’re hoping to forge a connection or further a relationship, you need to make eye contact. Not doing so implies that you have something to hide or that you are not open or trustworthy. People hear with their ears, but they remember with their eyes.
4. Make too much eye contact. On the other hand, maintaining prolonged or constant eye contact can be perceived as threatening, uncomfortable, or just plain creepy. No one likes to feel like they are under a microscope. Communication is a give-and-take experience, and if the conversation, presentation, or interaction is authentic, the appropriate amount of eye contact will take place in a natural way.
5. Check the time incessantly. Nothing takes the focus out of the moment like a glance at the clock or your wristwatch. This essentially says, “I am not engaged in what you are talking about. I am instead thinking about what I’ll be doing as soon as this meeting is over.” Resist the urge to check the time and focus on the conversation instead.
6. Check your phone or email. Rude as it may be, we’ve all done it at least once. Get caught, and you telegraph disinterest, lack of focus, and disengagement. Avoid the temptation to go down the smartphone rabbit hole during a meeting. While checking email is bad form, responding to an email is a more egregious infraction, to be sure.
7. Act invisible. Want to stand a ghost of a chance of getting ahead? Don’t attempt to fly under the radar. That just makes you look unsure of yourself. Stay engaged and establish a physical presence as well. Taking up space in the room shows power and confidence. Lean forward while seated. Widen your arms and place them on the table. When standing, widen your stance. Legs too close together can make you look unsure, hesitant, or wobbly. Widening your stance can help you look stable, grounded, and confident.
8. Fidget. Don’t bounce your knees, twirl your hair, click your pen, touch your face, or rub your hands together. While these habits might calm your nerves, they also paint you as uncertain, uncomfortable, and not credible.

Body language in meetings and exchanges can make a world of difference in your business conversations. Everything we do communicates something, so why not communicate as clearly as possible. Avoid these eight body language mistakes during your next meeting, and when you do have the opportunity to speak, your words will have the impact you’re hoping for.

Like it or not, being on time matters. In fact, it matters a lot. It communicates to others whether they can trust and rely on you. It gives others insight into how you view them and how you view yourself. Being chronically late can have countless unintended consequences, and it’s a seemingly small thing that can have a huge and lasting negative effect on your career. By contrast, learning the importance of punctuality – or being consistently on-time, or even early – is an incredibly simple way to set yourself apart from the crowd. It allows you to make an instant good impression, and it can help you reach your goals faster by helping others see you as someone worth listening to.

There is no excuse for being late. Barring true emergencies, being on time is completely within your control. Taking ownership of your time, knowing the importance of punctuality, and choosing never to be late again, is one easy thing you can do to change your life and career for the better.

In case you still need reasons to be on time, here are 7 big ones:

1. Being Late Weakens Your Position: When you’re late, you’re starting off on the wrong foot. Nobody wants to start an important business meeting with an apology. You may also be stressed and scattered, which may make the other person question their choice to work with you. If you can’t even be trusted to be on time, why would a customer trust you with their money?

• How to flip it: When you know the importance of punctuality, it puts you in the driver’s seat. Being on time helps you be cool, calm, and collected, and you make a great impression by showing the other person you respect their valuable time. By arriving early, you allow yourself a few extra minutes to think through your argument, and you appear more confident, poised, and in control.

2. When You’re Not on Time, You’re Stealing: If time is money, then by arriving five minutes late you’ve just stolen something of value from the other person, which is NOT a great way to start any important business negotiation. The other person feels like they’ve already given you something, so they’re not going to be as likely to give you more.

• How to flip it: Being on time instantly makes the person feel valued and appreciative, which could make them more open to your sales pitch.

3. Being Late Communicates a Lot…and None of it is Good: Being late tells others a lot about you, your integrity, and your respect for other people. It tells them you think your time is more important than theirs, and whatever you are doing is more important than what they could be doing. It shows disrespect and disregard, and it tells the other person you’re totally unreliable, careless, and disorganized.

• How to flip it: Being on time tells others that you’re trustworthy, considerate, and prepared. You’re showing them they are important to you and you are bringing your A-game.  

4. There’s No Good Excuse: Other than a real emergency – and no, sleeping late and traffic don’t count – being on time is 100% within your control, and it’s easy! Sure, staying on schedule does take some planning and organization, but compared to almost every other challenge you could face at work, being on time is a cakewalk. Being late is like shooting yourself in the foot.

• How to flip it: Being on time is an incredibly simple way to impress others, make people like you, and make yourself look good. Why wouldn’t you do it?

5. Being Late Wastes Time: When you’re late, you’re not buying yourself a few “extra minutes” you’re throwing away those minutes on things that could have been accounted for with a little planning. Being late often forces you to do extra work by scheduling follow-up meetings when you can’t finish your whole agenda, or by slowing you down on a project because you haven’t organized your thoughts ahead of time.

• How to flip it: Knowing the importance of punctuality, on the other hand, saves you time. Good time management makes you more efficient, which means you can leave work right at 5 pm to make it to your child’s baseball game or get in that evening workout you’ve been skipping.

6. Being Late Wastes Money: Ever miss a flight or a show because you were running late? Ever have to pay extra for parking because your meeting ran over? Does your child’s daycare charge you by the minute when you don’t pick up your kid on time? Being late can lead to some costly mistakes.

• How to flip it: Always being on time can save you from a wide variety of late fees and penalties, and it can help you catch those precious first-come, first-served deals.

7. Being Late Makes You Scatterbrained: The stress you feel when you’re constantly running late interferes with your ability to make decisions, think and speak clearly, perform with precision, and get things done with a winning attitude.

• How to flip it: By being on time, you’re able to start meetings, projects, and your work day clear-headed and free from the nagging emotional distractions.

Being on time doesn’t come naturally to everyone, but it doesn’t have to. Even those of us who struggle with punctuality will admit that being on time just takes a little planning, and most importantly, admitting to ourselves that being on time matters. Just think about it. When you really care about being somewhere on time, you’re able to make it happen. Right? That’s because the biggest trick for improving your time management isn’t a trick at all. It’s just knowing the importance of punctuality.