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Rules 4 (Build a Powerful Brand) and 5 (Network Relentlessly) are straightforward, while Rule 6 (Use Your Power) trips people up for the same reason as Rules 1 and 2 - they don't believe they have the right to use power so they don't. Those that have the will to use their power achieve greater results, which leads to more power, leading to the depressing Rule 7: Success Excuses (Almost) Everything. Pfeffer makes the case that once you have power, you keep power, because people want to associate with power, and you can rewrite the story of how you got the power (the people you exploited and the rules you broke). Success excuses almost everything you may have done to acquire power. “Power generally insulates people from suffering too greatly for the consequences of their actions,” Pfeffer observes. (p. 151) That’s “partly because people want to be close to money and power and are therefore willing either to forgive those who have them or avert their gaze from their possessors' misdeeds.” (p. 151) Power is not something like a bottle of water that gets used up the more you drink it. It’s something that gets created the more effectively you use it. Some of the advice in this book is unobjectionable, but then it's standard stuff that can be found in countless other management/leadership books. I have mixed feelings towards the book. Some chapters are pretty useful and can be applied well without questioning about it’s ethics. However I am still not convinced with some sections and research author has linked that sums up the person to be perceived with “power”
A brilliantly written and concisely researched read with a classic approach. It was somehow an interesting read for me though I haven't read any of the author's previous works but now I want to and will be looking to read in the near future. If you're a curious thinker and want to understand the psychology behind power then this might be a perfect choice for you. Another thought, there is an idea that power cultivation is a class issue. Power is for high class individuals and the moral arguments against gathering power are often used to keep you within your class... now that is an enticing idea... Stacy Brown-Philpot, former CEO, TaskRabbit, Board member, HP, Inc., and Nordstrom, Forbes 40 under 40; former head of Google’s online sales and operations in India Recommend? YES. If you haven’t read anything on Power, this is where you should start with. As a beginner, you can read this book, and if you are someone who believes that one should not be in pursuit of power in the material world, this book might change that. Rule of Power is an extraordinary book that talks about, of course, Power, how to acquire it, how to use it, how to build a powerful personal brand, and more.What they need from you is inspiration. They need energy, even if you’re not feeling energetic that day. They need guidance. They need information. They need you to behave like a leader. What I tell people is, if you want to be authentic, you can be as authentic as you need or want to be, but you need to be authentic to what the people around you need from you. You don’t need to be authentic to how you’re feeling. The rules are very simple - easy to recollect and keep tabs - but execution in my view seems to be a huge task. So only those who are clear in their goals and need the power will go the long haul. Rules like ‘get out of your own way’, ‘break the rules’, ‘appear powerful’, …’success excuses almost everything else’, are powerful yet simple. After a lifetime of being the collaborator, team player, and ‘nice’ person, Pfeffer’s 7 Rules of Power taught me that power is not about control or greed--it is about effectiveness . . . The lessons have been transformational in my venture capital career and continue to guide my personal and professional path.”
Marta Milkowska, Stanford GSB 2020; Consultant at Boston Consulting Group, Interim CEO at Reveri Health, Founder of Dtx Future, first Stanford platform on digital therapeutics I am so tired of "self help", books and speeches from big, powerful people who pretend that it's all about being nice and show sympathy, when it's inevitable for them to have only been using those strategies to get them where they are. I am a positive, optimistic person who likes to see the good in people - one thing I do despise, though, is people who portray themselves as angels when they've gotten a good dose of help from being strategic and other powerful people. Some people do philanthropy after they get rich, but examples of that in this book are used to illustrate how to do public relations to boost your image after criminal convictions or other scandals. Break the rules. “Violating norms, rules, and social conventions can make rule breakers seem more powerful and thereby create power for them,” Pfeffer writes. (p. 48) Rule-breaking surprises people, which causes them to pay more attention to you. And, as is often said, it’s easier to ask for forgiveness than for permission, as Moses did in starting work on New York City development projects before having the permits for them. There are books on asymmetric warfare that say, when the weak play by the strong’s rules they lose, but when they play by and make up rules that favor their particular capacities and capabilities, they win.I don’t think you need to bring your whole self to work. I think you need to bring the parts of yourself to work that will help you get the job done. This must be one of the most important books I've read not just this year, but during my almost 25 years of existence.
When I started reading 7 Rules of Power, I had a long list of assumptions about leadership and building influence. With each chapter, more pieces of the power puzzle fell into place. By trying the strategies from the book, I founded a consulting company where I leveraged my 20+ years of professional experience to provide research, innovation, and strategy advice.” Power is absolute, it's the necessity of each living organism, without it you're nothing and with it you're everything, on whatsoever you go you can see the necessity of it and get only a handful people have it. Regardless of the perspective we need power in each and every step of our life. Dr. Pfeffer has written the ultimate book on power that avoids the traps of conventional theories on leadership . . . Beautifully written and full of poignant stories and examples, 7 Rules of Power is my recommended read for anyone looking to radically change the trajectory of their life for good.” The author is a professor of Organizational Behavior at the Standford Graduate of Business and he writes about 7 rules that have given life-changing results. No matter how many research from social science is being quoted, i am not taking it if some suggestions personally doesn’t resonate or I can’t work with (like for Eg using anger as indication of power). Especially knowing power is subject dependant as well.
Success!
With 7 Rules of Power, you’ll learn, through both numerous examples as well as research evidence, how to accomplish change in your organization, your life, the lives of others, and the world. These rules won’t just work by reading them but we have to reread this book and these rules to understand them better and implement them in our lives. The author provides us with ample practical tips and advice. Jeffrey Pfeffer is the Thomas D. Dee II Professor of Organizational Behavior at the Graduate School of Business, Stanford University where he has taught since 1979. He is the author or co-author of thirteen books including The Human Equation: Building Profits by Putting People First; Managing with Power; The Knowing-Doing Gap: How Smart Companies Turn Knowledge Into Action; Hidden Value: How Great Companies Achieve Extraordinary Results with Ordinary People; Hard Facts, Dangerous Half-Truths, and Total Nonsense: Profiting from Evidence-Based Management; and What Were They Thinking? Unconventional Wisdom About Management, as well as more than 150 articles and book chapters. Pfeffer’s latest book, entitled Power: Why Some People Have It—And Others Don’t was published in 2010 by Harper Business. I really liked the chapters: ‘Get Out of Your Own Way’, ‘Appear Powerful’, ‘Build a Powerful Brand’, and ‘Network Relentlessly’. Ultimately this book will help you people better understand the everyday dynamics and political truths of organizations of all types, public and private. The objective of this book is to make people learn how to apply these 7 Rules of Power and achieve their desirable goal, or moreover have a clarification at least.
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