4 Ways to Show You’re a Power Player at Work (Without Saying a Single Word)

Being a power player at work isn’t about being the loudest or the one who is most in the spotlight. Rather, it’s about letting your behavior and emotional intelligence do the talking. After all, it’s not so much about what you say, but about how you show up that determines how people perceive you. 

The following behaviors will help you walk the talk and establish yourself as a confident and reliable presence in the workplace.

1. Own Your Mistakes and Oversights

Owning your mistakes instead of making excuses shows that you’re self-aware, courageous and humble. More importantly, you show that you’re the kind of person who takes responsibility for their actions instead of trying to dodge it through excuses. This not only inspires respect, but also sets the tone for a work culture in which honesty and accountability matter more than just trying to “look good.”

How to own your mistakes like a power player:

• Embrace discomfort. Saying that you missed a deadline because of an emergency might save face, but most people can see through those excuses, and they will lose respect for you if they think you lied. So don’t try to dodge the awkwardness (looking at you, INFP and ISFP, as you tend to avoid these kinds of uncomfortable situations at all costs). Embarrassment is temporary, but the respect you’ll earn for your honesty will be long-lasting.
• Offer a solution. Owning your mistakes is one thing, but offering a solution is a whole other level of power play. For example, let’s say you failed to complete a task on schedule because you just never got around to it. Instead of coming up with an excuse, you own it and offer a solution by saying something like, “I take full responsibility for it. I lost track of time, but I’ll stay late today to finish it by tomorrow.”

2. Assert Your Boundaries

You can’t be seen as a power player if you allow people to walk all over you by interrupting, talking over you, taking credit for your work, or just not being considerate of your time and work-life balance. That’s why being able to assert your boundaries is a power play. But it’s not just about speaking up when your boundaries are crossed. It’s about doing it with empathy and tact—that is, being assertive without going overboard and ending up alienating others.

How to assert your boundaries like a power player: 

• Don’t be a jerk: You can assert your boundaries without making the other person feel dismissed. For example, if a colleague keeps messaging you outside of work hours, you could respond with something like, “I get the task is important so I'll take a look today, but let’s try to handle approvals during the work hours moving forward.”
• Use “I” statements: Frame your boundary in a way that highlights your perspective rather than pointing fingers. Saying, “I need to focus on personal time after work” comes across much better than, “I noticed you often reach out after work hours.”

3. Don’t Overpromise

Power players never bite off more than they can chew. They know the limits of what they can handle because they’re self-aware and realistic. So when they say they’ll get something done, they have 100% confidence they can deliver. And if they can’t take something on, they aren’t afraid to say so. That’s because they don’t need to rely on grand promises they aren’t sure they can fulfill to prove their worth. They already know they are worthy, and it shows in the quality of their work and the results they bring.

How to own your promises like a power player:

• Pause to think things through. This might sound like common sense, but many people jump into commitments without taking a second to consider if they even have the bandwidth for them! Usually, they do it because they want to appear more competent or please others, which is the opposite of what a power player does. ESFJs and ENFJs need to be especially mindful of this because they may overcommit to avoid disappointing others. Instead, take a moment to think before you agree to do something. And show your competence through the quality of the work that you actually do rather than the quantity of work you promise you’ll do. 
• Know yourself. If you often overpromise or agree to things you aren’t sure you can follow through on, it’s worth digging deeper into this pattern. Do you feel like you need to prove yourself? Do you have a problem saying “no” because you’re afraid of letting people down? Perhaps a bit of both? Either way, this is a deep-seated issue so you can’t fix it overnight. But getting to the bottom of it is the first step. Once you tackle that, you’ll become a true power player—not just at work, but in life, in general.

4. Stay Calm Under Pressure

When things get hectic, power players don’t let their emotions get the better of them. They know that panicking will only thwart their ability to handle the situation effectively. Plus, they understand that staying calm puts everyone else at ease too. And when everyone is keeping their cool and not flying off the hinges, it's much easier to solve problems and navigate difficult situations. 

How to stay calm under pressure like a power player:

• Maintain perspective: When the pressure is on, it’s easy to get caught up in all the chaos that’s happening around you. For example, if your team is racing against a tight deadline and the client suddenly asks for last-minute changes, you need to be on high alert. But as counterintuitive as it may sound, it’s best not to focus too much on the situation at hand, or you risk spiraling into panic mode. Instead, zoom out and ask yourself: “Will this even matter a month from now?” Chances are, it won’t. It's just one project in the grand scheme of your tenure. INTJs and ENTJs may especially benefit from this advice. They can become hyperfocused on the goal at hand, and the most efficient way of achieving it, forgetting to zoom out and see that others are involved in the process.
• Reappraise the Situation: When stress hits, the stakes often seem higher than they actually  are. That’s because stress clouds your judgment and skews your perception of reality. To avoid this trap, analyze both extremes—the worst-case and best-case scenarios—and then settle on the middle ground. For example, if you're worried you’ll miss the deadline, you might think to yourself: "What if my boss demotes me? Or worse, fires me?” Instead of spiraling, reframe your thinking: “If I miss the deadline, my boss will be disappointed, but the chances he’ll demote or fire me are too slim to get worked up about.” Suddenly, you're back in the realistic middle ground.