Ever look at the four kings in a pack of playing cards?

They’re not just random pictures. Each represents an emperor. King of Clubs? Alexander the Great. Diamonds? Julius Caesar. Hearts and Spades? Charlemagne and the Bible’s David.

All powerful leaders, all different in their style and temperament and empires (not to mention beards).  But they had some core things in common, and these can serve you well. Here are three.

1. Know your Rubicon
You probably know the story. Caesar, returning from war, approaches the boundary of the Roman empire. His intent, to remove the corrupt leaders and establish himself as its dictator. As he came to the river that marked the boundary of the Republic, he paused. This was the moment. This, should he keep on, was commitment (see Ernest Shackleton’s commitment). He spurred his horse on, crossed the Rubicon followed by his troops. The die had been cast and history unfolded.

Many of us are a little fuzzy about our borders – we don’t have that nice, obvious river that marks the difference between In and Out, between Yes and No. And life brings a constant tugging, pulling us off centre and tempting us to add more, do more and pile things on. And as things pile up, you begin to see the fuzziness that breeds distraction and confusion and exhaustion. (Take it from me – I hang out in those fuzzy places a little too often.)

Action
I shared some strategies for prioritizing your projects in the last newsletter, and if you’d like you can check them out again.

Here’s another approach – not delicate, but powerful. On separate index cards or post-it notes, write out all the projects you’re working on, everything that’s on your plate. (The more you can “projectize” your work, the easier it is to manage.) Lay them out nicely on a table or stick them up on a wall.

Appoint some as The Eviscerator. At Box of Crayons, that’s Marcella our VP of Everything Else. Her job, and she does it well, is to point at project cards and ask, “Why the hell are you doing that?” If you can make a convincing argument for a project move it into a Yes pile. If you can’t, move it into a No pile. And if your defense falls somewhere in the middle, move it into the Maybe pile.

Clearly your Yes Pile is within the Empire. And the No Pile is out. The other pile – the Maybe Pile – you get to revisit and reassign. I’d work on the assumption that it’s a No rather than a Yes.

That way you keep your Empire a little more contained and the boundaries – for now – are clear.

2. Build your army
It’s not much of an empire if it’s just you and your shadow. Or maybe it is, but the conversations don’t amount to much.

So who are the champions of your empire? Who are the people who will join forces, wave the flag, shout hurrah.

For those of us in a team, there’s an easy starting point of course – your fellow teammates. And no doubt there’s good stuff to be done in getting clearer (on what the point is) and cleaner (on how you work with together).

All well and good, and I think there’s also much to be said for going beyond the obvious. These days the most interesting, influential or critical people in your army are often not in your army at all. They’re from all over the place, what someone called the “weak connections”.

That’s not to say you need to now devote your entire life to Twitter or FaceBook as you try and connect with your 4,000 friends. I would encourage you to think about  who are the “critical few” that could make the most difference for you and a particular project. You’re after a small but powerful list…

Action
Download the free map templates from DoMoreGreatWork.com and take a look at the only-online Map #16, Who Really Matters?

You might also like to check out a terrific new book, The New How by Nilofer Merchant. It’s about the importance of co-creating strategy and avoiding the dreaded ‘air sandwich”. I heard her speak at the Rotman School recently, and not only is her material spot-on, but she’s also a fabulous presenter.

3. Put on your crown
If you cast your eye back to those playing cards again, you’ll see the kings are each differently attired, each with their own style.

Part of what will help you claim your empire is by following The First Irresistible Principle of Fun – Stop hiding who you are. The more you know about what you’re like when you’re in a regal mood and at your kingly best – and the more time you spend behaving like that – the more impact and influence you’ll have.

Turn up the volume on who you are. You’re playing it softly right now. Make some noise.

Action
Take a look at Map #3 from the Do More Great Work worksheet template. The “This/Not That” exercise is a fantastic way to get clear on what you’re like at your most powerful, most authentic and most engaged.

If you enjoyed this post, you'll also like:

1. Build Your Own Empire with Chris Guillebeau
2. 4 Fundamental Ways to Increase Your Influence
3. 5 Ways to Get to What Matters Most

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