7 Rules of Power: Surprising--but True--Advice on How to Get Things Done and Advance Your Career

The 7 Rules of Power is a must-read book for everyone wanting to improve their career. Buy it. Read it. Implement its teachings. More power to you. Most leadership books and courses tell you how to lead in a parallel universe where things are how they ought to be – nice, and all that. Unfortunately, I don’t live there. This book tells of the cold hard reality of our actual corporate environments and how to get stuff done. In the main, this book does three things: (1) It tells you what is going on, (2) provides scientific evidence as to the causal mechanisms at work, and (3) derives practical actions that you can take to advance your career. And yes, I mean practical. Not the kind of practical that demands an unrealistic dramatic change of lifestyle but rather totally realistic small transformations that you can make without blowing up your life. The main angle taken is career advancement. Leadership of your team and the team’s success follow as a byline. First, power is morally neutral even though the word may leave a bitter taste at first hearing. Letting this go and realizing that you need to seek power to get your positive and wholesome goal accomplished is the first step. Second, most significant accomplishments were step changes and so changed the game in some way. Therefore, following all established conventions is unlikely to accomplish it. Break some of the rules. Third, fake it till you make it. Once you make it, all the faking is forgotten and so pretend to be powerful already and power will find you. Fourth, there can be no power without communicating that power in a coherent consistent way, which you may call a brand. Fifth, communication requires an audience and this is best obtained and nurtured personally. Networking in a structured way is the best way to do that. Sixth, power is a renewable energy that grows through use. So use it. Seventh, the manner in which you acquired power no longer matters once you have that power. When I first heard about these seven concepts from Jeffrey over dinner one night, I immediately realized the value of this framework. Weeks later when the book was in print, I had the book in my hand and read it right away. It is different from most other such books in two important ways. It does not try to conjure a counterfactual world but deals with the imperfect reality we have with a lot of scientific evidence that proves that the world does in fact act like that, and then it gives realistic advice. So, as a scientist, I figured let’s do an experiment. While I will not tell the story at this time as the details are still unfolding, it is very clear that the rules and the advice are working very well. From my personal experience therefore, I recommend not only reading this book, but doing what it says.

Not your average book about power. I have read many, and was always turned off by the masculine tone, focus and references. This one reads like it was written by a Stanford professor. Oh wait, it was. But I appreciate the female nod, references and intellectual content.

Well written, provocative. Yet to be tested (and replicated) in non-western contexts

"Leadership is not a moral pursuit". It is above all about the pragmatics of making things happen whether they be moral, immoral, or amoral. I struggled for a long time with my inner sense of justice, relating leadership to morality. One does not necessarily go hand in hand with the other. Only until I accepted this fact, could I open my mind to understanding why some of the worst people on the planet obtain positions of leadership and clout. Professor Jeffrey Pfeffer teaches his class on power at Stanford University and the seats in his class are rarely, if ever, empty. He brings the principles that he teaches from the classroom to the pages of this book! These 7 rules are practical and laid out in a manner that operates regardless of moral aptitude. Since morality is subjective, it would be wise to approach this book by suspending your handle on morality and look at each rule objectively. The examples that Pfeffer provides help you understand that the way you use these rules are up to you, however you decide to use them. Liken unto Robert Greene's '48 Laws of Power', Jeffrey Pfeffer's concise rules will have you seeking opportunities to harness and grow your own power.

Wished I had read this book years ago...

Finally, a book that talks about the gritty, sometimes unpleasant aspects of acquiring and maintaining power. I shared some of his insights with a nephew and said power can be used for good. He asked, “But that rarely happens.” In response, I shared what Pfeffer said/wrote: for power to be used for good, good people need to attain power. I especially liked some of the parting wisdom - that applying this information can be hard because it goes against some of the values and principles (or ideals) we’ve been raised on. These aren’t lessons that will be easily implemented, so the next step is to find a way to actively implement them.

Easy read. Great tips. I'm going to sign up for his workshop now.

I'm not one to lie cheat and steal to get ahead. Although the book has other practical advice, it does encourage a certain level of vile that I can't be on board with. Read it. Take the good and leave the bad.

Gostei muito ! Creio que abre nossos olhos e perspectiva com relação a negócios e relacionamentos Confirma muitas coisas que ocorrem no dia a dia e a esperança que temos de um mundo justo e correto ofuscam essa realidade… Pfeffer menciona tudo isso em seu livro… um estudo e análise que podem nos ajudar a entender melhor o jogo e como participar mantendo a nossa integridade ou como ele menciona… usando o poder para o bem

Nice book

A busca pelo poder está presente em todas as organizações. Trabalho com projetos ligados ao setor público onde o tema de poder é mais presente. Sempre quis entender melhor como isso funciona dado que as pessoas tendem a ligar uma percepção negativa ao poder. O livro vai nas entranhas do que é o poder.