Power by Jeffrey Pfeffer: Book Overview and Takeaways

Do you wish you were more confident in your personal and professional lives? What’s Power by Jeffrey Pfeffer about?

In Power, Jeffrey Pfeffer gives his own definition of power and explains why you should seek it. He also shares his advice on how to gain power, including where to start, how to network effectively, and how to appear powerful.

Read below for a brief overview of Jeffrey Pfeffer’s Power.

Overview of Power by Jeffrey Pfeffer

In Power, Jeffrey Pfeffer explores the nature of power and explains how you can gain and use it effectively. He says power is an essential part of success: Whether you’re trying to get promoted at work or change the world, the more power you have, the more likely you are to succeed. Because of this, it’s important to know how power works and what you can do to achieve it.

Published in 2010, Power is a culmination of the organizational knowledge Pfeffer has gained throughout his career as a businessman, management expert, and professor. He’s given management seminars around the globe, written for publications such as Business 2.0 and Fortune, and published other business books such as Leadership BS (2018). 

What Power Is and Why You Need It

In simple terms, Pfeffer says that power is the ability to control the world around you. Having power means being able to influence others, distribute resources as you see fit, make important decisions, and ultimately get what you want. 

He adds that, while power can help you achieve your personal goals, it’s also key to improving and prolonging your life. This is because having a sense of control over your surroundings makes you healthier and happier. Conversely, a lack of control over your environment makes you feel vulnerable and anxious. That constant feeling of stress, in turn, harms you both physically and mentally. 

Another reason you should seek power is that you need it to have a significant impact on the world. Whether you want to reform the political system, raise money for a worthy cause, or fight injustice, you need influence and control—without power, you’ll never be able to accomplish more than you can do on your own. 

For example, suppose you want to support a particular charity. If you have little or no power, you can only contribute as much money as you’re willing to give. However, if you’re an influential figure at your workplace or in your local community, then you can encourage others to add their own donations. By doing so, you could multiply your impact many times over.

You Need Power Because the World Is Not Fair

Pfeffer adds that many people don’t seek out power (or actively avoid it) because they think that the world is an essentially fair place. Therefore, they believe that if they live well—such as by working hard, following the rules, and perhaps doing a good deed from time to time—then they’ll be rewarded with safety and prosperity. 

However, Pfeffer says this is a myth—the world is actually brutal and unfair. People don’t get what they deserve; they only get what they can take for themselves, or what more powerful people force upon them.

Becoming a Powerful Person

Now that you understand Pfeffer’s ideas about what power is and why it’s important, let’s explore how to become powerful. The author says that nearly all powerful people share three crucial traits that help them to build and retain their influence: They’re determined, confident, and charismatic.

Powerful People Are Determined

First of all, the author notes that building power isn’t easy—it takes hard work, sacrifice, and a relentless desire to achieve your goals. This is because you’ll be in constant competition with the people around you, many of whom also want to build their power and influence. 

Therefore, if you’re not fully committed to becoming powerful, you will fail to do so. Whether you’re trying to gain power in politics, the business world, or at your local sports club, you need to have the energy and motivation to overcome obstacles and gain influence among your peers.

Powerful People Are Confident

Pfeffer says that power and confidence go hand in hand. When a powerful person walks into a room, they exude confidence; conversely, if someone gives off an air of confidence, people will assume they’re powerful. 

Therefore, if you wish to become more powerful, you need to appear confident and knowledgeable in front of your peers. In other words, if you act as though you’re already powerful, people will treat you accordingly, and they’ll give you the power that you were only pretending to have.

For example, if you ask a coworker whether they can do a particular task for you, they might say yes or they might say no. However, if you approach that same person with an air of confidence—acting as though you have every right to ask for this favor and that you already expect them to say yes—they’re much more likely to agree to what you’re asking.

Powerful People Are Charismatic

Finally, gaining power requires the ability to understand people and win them over. This is because other people are both the greatest source of power and the biggest potential impediment to it. Pfeffer explains that if you can get people to support you and do what you want, you’ll be much more powerful than you could ever be on your own. Conversely, if you don’t understand other people, you’re likely to find them working against you and undermining your efforts. 

Taking this perspective, Pfeffer argues that power is less about objective performance and more about standing out from your peers to impress the higher-ups. Therefore, to move up in an organization, you need to understand the people above you (your superiors) and the people around you (your coworkers): Learn their motivations, their likes and dislikes, and their strengths and weaknesses. 

For instance, say you’re trying to get a promotion at work. The better you understand your boss, the more likely you are to know how to impress them and get on their good side. The better you understand your coworkers (your competition for the promotion), the easier it will be to stand out from them—perhaps by demonstrating that you excel at something a rival struggles with, or by convincing a coworker that the new position wouldn’t be a good fit for them. 

How to Manage Conflict and Failure

Pfeffer says that on your journey to gain power, there will be conflicts and failures so it’s important to learn how to manage and deal with such obstacles. Because gaining power involves competition among people with conflicting goals and ideals, you need to learn how to deal with conflict effectively. And since no one is perfect, you’re bound to experience setbacks and failures as well, so knowing how to overcome these is also crucial. Let’s look at some of Pfeffer’s advice on managing conflict and failure.

Choose your battles: Though conflict is inevitable, Pfeffer argues that it’s best to avoid it when possible. You don’t want to make too many adversaries along your path to power because you need allies in order to succeed, and having too many people against you will hurt you in the long run. 

Therefore, only engage in a conflict if winning it will help you gain substantial power or influence. For instance, fighting with your coworkers over a promotion is probably worth it; fighting them over where to order lunch from is probably not.

Be relentless: When facing competition, the ability to be unrelenting in pursuit of your goals will give you a massive advantage. You’ll eventually wear down less-determined opponents and build a reputation as a formidable person—someone whom it’s better to support than to cross. Furthermore, this kind of determination will help you bounce back from inevitable setbacks and failures. 

For example, say you’re on the board of an organization where you and another board member have put forward conflicting plans for the upcoming year. Pfeffer would advise you to relentlessly promote your own plan while pointing out flaws in the other plan, and do so every chance you get (at board meetings, through emails and phone calls, and so on). It’s very likely that your opponent will eventually back down, or that you’ll sway the other board members to your side, ensuring that your own plan gets approved.

Stay on your chosen path: When facing a major setback or failure, Pfeffer says that you shouldn’t let it deter you from moving forward. Sometimes, people are so demoralized by failure that they decide to start over, whether at a different organization or an entirely new line of work. 

However, this is usually the wrong move, especially if you’ve gathered a decent amount of experience or power in your current position. Starting over can seem attractive, but it’s better not to throw away what you’ve worked so hard for.

Building a Powerful Career

We’ve gone over how powerful people think and act. Now let’s discuss how people build up their power by choosing the right career path and then excelling in it. 

In this section, we’ll discuss how to find the right starting point for your career, how to advance in your career by standing out from your peers, and how to increase your power through effective networking. 

Finding Your Starting Point

When it comes to having a successful career in which you can gain power quickly and consistently, making an informed decision on where to begin is vital. 

First of all, whether you’re just beginning your career or moving to a different company, Pfeffer says you should try to join the most powerful department within that organization. He also recommends looking at a few factors to determine which department holds the most sway in any given company:

Starting salary: Companies pay proportionately to how important they consider positions to be. So, if the salary for an entry-level job is higher for one department over another, the company is showing you which department it values more.

Location: The closer a department is to the people at the top of the company, the better. For instance, this might mean that a department’s floor is closer to the top of the building where the executive offices are, or that the building housing a department is closer to the company’s main headquarters. 

The department head: The last clue Pfeffer discusses is the power of the department’s leader—the most powerful person within that department. If the head of the HR department also has a spot on the company’s executive board, for example, then you know that HR is a powerful department in that company. On the other hand, if a department head is still subordinate to the heads of many other departments, that will not be a valuable starting point for someone who’s looking to build as much power as possible. 

With all of this said, note that there will probably be more competition in more powerful departments, which could limit your ability to move up in the company. For example, if a company puts a high value on its finance department (and hires and pays accordingly), you’ll have to compete with a lot of people both to get the job and to advance within that department. Therefore, Pfeffer adds that in some cases it’s actually better to look for a job that has less power initially, but offers an easier climb up the corporate ladder.

How to Stand Out

Once you’ve decided where to start your career, it’s time to start building power within your organization. To do this, Pfeffer says you need to find a way to stand out from your competition, which requires you to be unafraid to do two things: Ask for help from your superiors, and break the rules. 

How to Network

It’s common knowledge that networking skills are an important part of building a successful career. Networking, according to Pfeffer, involves building, maintaining, and using informal relationships to gain power. Some jobs, like project management, are what Pfeffer calls “networking jobs,” as they involve connecting people from different parts of the company and facilitating relationships. But whether your job directly involves networking or not, the ability to network will help in almost any career path you choose. Furthermore, though some people are naturally gifted at networking and social engagements, anyone can learn how to network. 

The Drawbacks of Power

Though obtaining power is good for you and your career, there are significant downsides to power, says Pfeffer. He argues that the positives of power outweigh the negatives, but you should still be aware of the potential price you may have to pay when seeking power. We’ll go over three major drawbacks of power: You’re always in the spotlight, you don’t know who you can trust, and you may become obsessed with gaining more and more power.

Drawback #1: Unwanted Attention 

When you hold a high-level position, your words and actions will be watched carefully at all times. The author warns that if you hold a lot of power, every aspect of your public and private life will be studied and criticized, not just your job performance. For example, many people now have strong opinions about billionaire tech entrepreneur Elon Musk that have nothing to do with his career, such as criticizing his politics and his relationships with his children. 

Though this constant scrutiny can help motivate some people to always do their best work, it can also be extremely stressful and distracting, making it difficult to perform to the best of your ability. So, if you seek power, you need to be aware of the scrutiny and criticisms you’ll likely face, and learn to ignore others’ judgments and condemnations of you. 

Drawback #2: Trust Issues 

Pfeffer says another problem that comes with power is it can make it difficult to know who to trust. If you have a lot of sway and influence, people will want to be close to you and get on your good side. To do this, they might act differently in front of you, say what you want to hear, or withhold criticisms because they don’t want to be the bearer of bad news. 

When you hold a job that other people want, it’s nearly impossible to know who is being genuine and who is trying to curry favor to gain power for themselves. As such, it’s not uncommon that the people closest to you are actually after your job, or are simply trying to get favors from you. Therefore, Pfeffer says that if you get into a position of power, it’s best not to put too much trust into any one person within the organization—you must always be on your guard to keep the power you worked so hard to build. 

Drawback #3: Power Is Addictive 

Pfeffer claims that the addiction to power is surprisingly similar to drug addiction. With power comes all sorts of highs: money, recognition, self-esteem, and so on. These things are why we want power in the first place. However, as you gain power, you get used to making important decisions and having people hang on to your every word. This often makes you crave more and more power, and can make it extremely difficult to leave a position of power. 

Pfeffer also says that leaving a high-status job or position can, like a drug addiction, lead to withdrawal symptoms. For example, CEOs who have stepped down from their companies often report declines in mental and physical health as they try to get used to life without the power they’ve held for so long.