"Build alliances before you need them to succeed Gaius' path to power was secured in large part because Macro and Enya worked to build alliances with the Senate in Rome well in advance, "anticipating the reward of considerable advancement for herself and her husband if they succeeded." The lesson is that political and professional capital must be assembled long before a crisis or opportunity arrives — waiting until you need allies guarantees you will not have them. People who systematically invest in relationships and mutual benefit when the stakes are low are the ones who can call in support when the stakes are high. Source: Kings and Generals, Kings and Generals Podcast, Caligula: The Mad Emperor Explained"