Right now Olivia Pope is in a royal mess. Her recent antics have left us feeling like someone needs to Pope it for Olivia Pope. Still, even on her worst day, we wouldn’t mind receiving some Olivia Pope advice.

Luckily her fierce doppelganger Kerry Washington shares her top 5 power player tips in this month’s InStyle Magazine. Kerry Washington is an entrepreneur, mom, actor, speaker, and activist. Yes, she is a Sacred Bombshell o be reckoned with. Here’s her advice...

How to be a Power Player by Kerry Washington

1. Know thy audience.

Do your research.

Figure out who you’re talking to, especially if their way of thinking is not the same as yours.

Photo credit: “Kerry Washington At The 2014 SAG Awards (12023978934)” by Neon Tommy. Uploaded by stemoc. Licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons.

2.  Be clear about your goals.

If you aren’t sure what you are trying to achieve, you won’t be able to measure if you’ve been successful.

Photo credit: “Kerry Washington Django avp” by Georges Biard. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons.

3. Dress the part.

Kerry says: I dress differently when presenting at the MTV Movie Awards than when I’m speaking at the Democratic National Committee. You should too.

Photo credit: “Kerry Washington LF” by lukeford.net – Licensed under CC BY-SA 2.5 via Wikimedia Commons.

4. Remember to breathe.

The first thing people do when they get nervous is to breathe shallowly.

Breathing deeply is a big help.

Photo credit: Featured Kerry Washington Photo Credit: “Kerry Washington 4 Met Opera 2010 Shankbone” by David Shankbone – Own work. Licensed under CC BY 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons.

5. Find the joy.

Look for humor when making your point. It makes people feel less attacked. Don’t be afraid to show your own vulnerability.

Photo credit: “Kerry Washington George Washington University” by www.GlynLowe.com from Hamburg, Germany. University’s commencement 2013. Licensed under CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons.

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