FUQ! why now?
Frequently Unasked Questions: Timing, power and the risk leaders create before they speak
FUQ! why now?
Frequently Unasked Questions: Timing, power, and the risk leaders create before they speak
FREQUENTLY UNASKED QUESTION – WHY NOW?
Most of us watch leaders and ask what they’re doing. The more curious ask why they’re doing it.
But the question that reveals power – and exposes risk – is: why now?
Timing isn’t a footnote. It’s the lever that changes the room before the conversation starts. In governance terms, it can shift an issue from choice to constraint overnight. It can turn a negotiation into a rescue mission. It can force stakeholders into positions they didn’t pick – and then pretend the outcome was “inevitable”.
Here’s the pattern.
An world leader announces a 100% tariff hike on a critical import – not during negotiations, but weeks before a visiting leader arrives. One move, one moment, and the meeting is no longer about policy. It’s about relief.
That’s not an accident. That’s choreography.
Through a French & Raven lens, you can see the stack:
- legitimate power (I can do this because I hold the authority)
- sharpened with Coercive power (I’ll create pain first, so you arrive already managing loss)
- often coated in Referent power (the performance of strength, defiance, “I don’t blink”)
- and some claimed Expert power (whether it’s real or theatre).
But the real pivot isn’t the tariff. It’s the timing. Timing changes the psychological terrain before anyone opens their mouth.
And this is where boards and executives need to pay attention: timing is often the first sign of intent.
It tells you whether someone is trying to collaborate, corner, distract, delay, or dominate the narrative. It tells you what kind of relationship they’re trying to build – and what kind of damage they’re willing to tolerate to “win” the moment.
Most people recognise these moves when they hit the headlines. Fewer stop to name them. That matters, because if you can’t name the dynamic, you’ll respond on instinct – and instinct is easy to manipulate.
Influence at senior levels demands more than confidence. It demands:
- pattern recognition (what game is being played)
- emotional control (don’t take the bait)
- and discipline with timing (don’t hand them the agenda)
These dynamics aren’t “theory”. They’re live demonstrations of power in complex systems – and they show up in organisations every day: enterprise bargaining, regulator engagement, cyber incidents, restructures, supplier disputes, activist pressure, CEO succession, culture blow-ups.
TAKE-OUTS FOR BOARDS, CEOs AND PEOPLE LEADERS
1) Name the power at play.
If you can’t name the power base, you’re probably using it unconsciously – or reacting to it unconsciously. Both are expensive. Unconscious power is where trust gets shredded “by accident”.
2) Treat timing as a strategic choice – with consequences.
Leaders obsess over the message and forget the moment. A well-timed move frames the entire conversation. A poorly timed one hardens resistance before you speak, spooks markets, triggers team anxiety, or boxes the board into a position it didn’t choose.
3) Ask: what constraint is being manufactured?
Good advisory work distinguishes between real constraints and created constraints. Timing is a common way to manufacture urgency, inevitability, or fear – and then claim there were “no options”.
4) Balance power with emotional intelligence – or expect fallout.
Power without EQ produces compliance and resentment. Power with EQ produces influence and durability. Boards don’t just need outcomes. They need outcomes that don’t rot the system underneath them.
5) Make the invisible visible – early.
This is where HR, Risk and People leaders can add genuine enterprise value: surfacing coercive patterns, agenda control, and timing games before they become culture problems, psychosocial risk, attrition, or reputational damage.
6) Watch tone and timing together – they signal intent.
Legitimate authority can invite dialogue or shut it down. The same decision, delivered at a different moment, can either build alignment or trigger resistance. If you want to know what a leader really intends, don’t just listen to the words. Watch the timing.
FINAL THOUGHT
Power isn’t inherently good or bad. It’s a tool. But timing is the blade edge. Leaders who learn to see – and choose – the invisible levers have a better chance of shaping outcomes with integrity rather than brute force.
SIDEBAR: POWER MOVES – A QUICK DIAGNOSTIC
When you see a puzzling or provocative move, pause before reacting. Run this:
Who holds what power?
Role/authority/resources – plus relationships, reputation, information, and timing.
What’s the visible move?
Decision, announcement, delay, concession, threat, silence.
Why now?
What does the moment reveal about leverage, intent, or optics?
What’s the underlying intent?
Gain advantage, pre-empt scrutiny, save face, signal strength, stall, force urgency.
Which powers are being used?
Legitimate, reward, coercive, expert, referent – plus agenda-setting and information control.
How will it land over time?
Immediate reaction and second-order impacts: trust, retention, regulator posture, stakeholder response.
What’s the smartest response?
Instinct plays into their move. A deliberate response considers timing, tone, and the relationship you’ll need tomorrow.