PDF Summary:Power, by Jeffrey Pfeffer

In Power, management expert and business professor 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 how to increase your own power.

In this guide, we’ll explore Pfeffer’s definition of power and explain why you should seek it. We’ll then share his advice on how to gain power, including where to start, how to network effectively, and how to appear powerful. We’ll also look at how to deal with the failures and conflicts that come with seeking power and the negative consequences power can bring. In our commentary, we’ll dive deeper into the dynamics of power and compare Pfeffer’s advice to that of other self-help, business, and leadership experts.

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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.

(Shortform note: Pfeffer warns against unnecessary conflicts because you don’t want to make more enemies than you have to. However, in Verbal Judo, tactical communications expert George Thompson says that you can often navigate conflicts in ways that don’t feel like a fight, allowing you to debate difficult subjects without making enemies. To do this, Thompson says that you must first analyze the situation: Who are you talking to, what do they want, and why do they think you’re opposing them? Next, use active listening skills to understand the other person’s argument—repeat it back to them to show that you’re listening and to ensure that you understood. Finally, present your own arguments calmly and impersonally, no matter how angry or insulting the other person is toward you.)

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.

(Shortform note: A reputation for assertiveness and stubbornness may be beneficial for a man like Pfeffer, but research has shown that such behavior is often detrimental to a woman’s career. This is particularly true for women who show their anger or frustration (recall that intentionally getting angry is another piece of advice that Pfeffer gives). Researchers believe that this double standard comes, at least in part, from gendered ideas about anger and aggressive behavior: It’s socially acceptable for men to behave aggressively, and male anger is often forgiven as merely a sign of stress. On the other hand, it’s considered improper for a woman to be assertive or aggressive—anger in particular is viewed as a personal failing in women, rather than a natural response to their environment.)

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.

(Shortform note: The decision to walk away from a job or a career is often motivated by embarrassment or shame over a failure. In Ego Is the Enemy, Ryan Holiday explains that this happens because of pride; a prideful person views failure as an attack against their identity, prompting them to avoid future attacks (failures) by simply giving up. Holiday also says that the most successful people are those who can swallow their pride and view failure as a lesson, rather than as a threat. So, by examining the mistakes that led to your failure, you can learn how to do even better in your chosen field rather than abandoning it to start over.)

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.

(Shortform note: In addition to the factors Pfeffer lists, also consider which departments will make the best use of your natural interests and abilities—it doesn’t matter if you get into the most powerful department of a company if you’re not able to excel in your role there. A Harvard psychologist identified eight different types of intelligence and suggests that you honestly rate yourself in each of those eight categories to determine where your strengths lie. For example, you might have determined that finance is the most powerful department within the company you’re interested in, but if logical-mathematical intelligence is your weakest category, you’ll struggle to build power by working in finance.)

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.

(Shortform note: One effective way to gauge your advancement opportunities and the competition for them is simply to ask the hiring manager during an interview. Asking questions about possible career paths and what it takes to succeed in that department can actually help you leave a good impression on your interviewer. This is because such inquiries show that you’re confident in your abilities and interested in the company and your place in it, and that you’re hoping to work there long-term rather than just looking for a “right now” type of job.)

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.

Requirement #1: Asking for Help

The more you interact with powerful people like your boss and company executives, the more you’ll stand out in their minds. One very easy way to interact with such people is to ask them for help and advice.

Pfeffer adds that many people don’t like to ask for help for several reasons, all of which are wrong more often than not. Let’s review two of the most common reasons:

1) People want to be independent, or to be seen as independent. Admitting that you need help can be a blow to your ego, but trying to protect your pride often does more harm than good—for instance, doing your job badly will be much more embarrassing than simply asking someone to check your work. You might also be worried that others will start thinking you can’t handle situations on your own. However, asking your superiors questions will often have the opposite effect: They’ll see you as humble and eager to learn, which will improve their opinion of you rather than worsening it.

(Shortform note: In A More Beautiful Question, journalist Warren Berger offers another possible explanation for why people are afraid to ask for help or advice: because school counterproductively trains us not to ask questions. He explains that students are expected to sit quietly and memorize whatever information their teachers provide, and are then tested on how well they can recall that information. This rote learning approach stifles curiosity and creativity, creating adults who don’t even realize that they have the option of asking questions like “Would this approach work?” or “Could you check this over for me?”)

2) People are afraid of rejection. You might hesitate to ask for help because you’re afraid of being told “no.” Rejection can hurt your self-esteem, so many people try to avoid it. This is especially common when asking for help from very powerful people, like a company CEO—you might think they’re much too busy to help you or that you’re simply beneath their notice, but Pfeffer urges you to ask anyway. Even if they really are unwilling or unable to help, the mere act of asking suggests that you look up to the other person. That will give them a small ego boost and create a positive association with you in their mind. Therefore, even if you don’t get the immediate guidance you’re hoping for, taking that chance can pay off in the long run.

(Shortform note: In Transcend, cognitive scientist Scott Barry Kaufman says that our fear of rejection is an evolutionary holdover; for our ancient ancestors, being rejected by their community would most likely be a death sentence. However, that’s no longer the case—while it can be unpleasant and upsetting, rejection isn’t actually dangerous to us anymore. Therefore, one way to overcome your fear of rejection is to remember why you fear it in the first place, and realize that your fear isn’t an accurate reflection of your present-day situation.)

Requirement #2: Breaking the Rules

Pfeffer says that on top of asking for help, you have to be willing to stand out in other ways, and this often means breaking rules or social norms to do so. After all, you can’t expect to stand out by doing the same things everyone else does.

He explains that rules tend to benefit the people who make them at everyone else’s expense—and, by definition, the people who are already in power are the ones who make the rules. Therefore, it stands to reason that to gain power of your own you’ll have to bend or break those rules. For instance, breaking rules to stand out might mean personally asking the CEO of your company for a favor, or it could mean performing duties outside of your job description.

A Word of Warning: Make Sure to Break the Right Rules

Bending rules can be a good way to draw attention to yourself, but depending on which rules you break and how badly you break them, this strategy can easily backfire. In Humanocracy, business consultants Gary Hamel and Michele Zanini point out that compliance (which is to say, obeying the rules) is the most basic need of any organization. If employees feel free to break rules and ignore procedures whenever they want, the company won’t be able to function.

Therefore, you have to strike a careful balance between compliance and rule-breaking to ensure that your actions get you praised, instead of getting you reprimanded or worse. For instance, Pfeffer suggests taking on additional tasks outside of your job description. This can be a good way to get attention—unless there’s a good reason why you weren’t assigned those tasks, such as needing special training to perform them. In that case, your efforts to contribute more will only cause problems for your superiors, who are likely to reprimand you instead of praising you as a result.

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.

To help you build a large and powerful network, Pfeffer provides some helpful tips:

Tip #1: Make Networking a Priority

Pfeffer claims that, for various reasons, many people just don’t put in the necessary time and effort to network and gain social capital. Some people think it’s more advantageous to spend their time on the job itself rather than networking, while others feel it’s unethical to build relationships for such selfish reasons.

However, numerous studies show that networking is a crucial part of progressing your career. The author therefore argues that you need to get over your qualms and put in the effort to build social ties.

(Shortform note: Beyond career advancement, networking offers several additional advantages. For instance, it allows for people with diverse backgrounds and skill sets to exchange knowledge and ideas, which can lead to new innovations. Social ties are also a key source of emotional support, which can be crucial for personal development and resilience in challenging work environments. Finally, connections with important people in an industry will help you stay informed about market trends and opportunities, improving your ability to navigate and adapt to changes in the job market.)

With that said, networking doesn’t always mean going out of your way to attend events and conventions, or to ingratiate yourself with prominent people in your field. In fact, Pfeffer says that the easiest way to forge new connections is simply to be kind and generous in your day-to-day life.

So, when someone is talking to you, listen actively and ask questions to show you’re interested. Invite a coworker to have lunch with you, accept invitations to social events, or offer to buy your colleagues a round of drinks after work. Small acts like these will go a long way toward building a relationship, and thus expanding your network.

(Shortform note: While it’s certainly useful to have people who like you on a personal level, the benefits of kindness and generosity go well beyond having individual people owe you favors. In Thou Shall Prosper, Rabbi Daniel Lapin explains that a good reputation is one of the most profitable “assets” you can have. This is because people whom you haven’t directly helped will be more willing to do business with you and support your ideas if you’re known for being a good person. Furthermore, the opposite is also true: If you have a reputation for being selfish or cruel, that can discourage people from working with you and severely undermine your power.)

Tip #2: Focus on Quantity Over Quality

Finally, Pfeffer argues that your networking should prioritize building “weak ties”—meaning casual relationships that don’t involve too much interaction—with as many people as possible.

The author says that weak ties are more valuable to your career for two key reasons. Firstly, weak ties are likely to introduce you to new people and organizations that will increase your social capital. Secondly, it takes minimal time and effort to create a weak tie with someone, meaning you can gather a large number of weak ties that connect you to a vast and diverse network.

As an additional tip, don’t restrict yourself to forming ties only within your own industry because you never know which ties could prove useful later. For example, say you volunteer for a local charity and get to know a few of the board members. Then, if your boss mentions that she’d like to host a charity event, you can offer to connect her with the executives of that charity. Now the power you built outside of your company is helping you build power inside of it as well.

(Shortform note: In addition to the practical benefits Pfeffer discusses here, casual acquaintances—what he calls “weak ties”—can have unexpected mental and emotional benefits as well. Some studies have shown the positive impact that such relationships have on people’s happiness: The more acquaintances you have, and the more frequently you interact with them, the more likely you are to feel happy and satisfied with your life. Therefore, even if it never ends up helping your career, a friendly conversation with someone like a bartender or another congregant at your church can improve your life in other ways.)

Conversely, “strong ties” refers to your relationships with your family and closest friends. Such relationships are certainly rewarding in their own ways, but they aren’t a good way to build power.

Pfeffer explains that this is largely because your closest friends and family probably have similar social circles to you, meaning they won’t help your influence spread as far. Therefore, trying to build power by forging strong connections is very inefficient—you’ll spend a great deal of time and effort maintaining those close friendships, yet end up with a relatively small network.

(Shortform note: While relying only on strong ties for networking would be slow and ineffective, your closest relationships can still be invaluable to your life and your career success. In Thou Shall Prosper, Orthodox rabbi Daniel Lapin says that Judaism views such strong bonds as crucial sources of support and motivation; you’ll be much more likely to succeed if you know that your family and close friends believe in what you’re doing. Furthermore, it’s a longstanding tradition in Judaism for friends to fiercely debate one another, giving rise to greater understanding and new insights for everyone involved. This principle also applies in business, where a powerful person’s friends and family can point out mistakes and offer suggestions that others might be too intimidated to bring up.)

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.

(Shortform note: While scrutiny from the public can certainly be stressful and tiresome, powerful people often also face scrutiny from law enforcement agencies, which is a much greater threat. In Gambler, Billy Walters—likely the most successful sports gambler in history—explains that he had to spend many years of his life dealing with investigations and indictments from the FBI. Federal agents believed that he must be part of a massive illegal gambling operation, and later they also accused him of money laundering. They weren’t able to prove either accusation. However, in 2017, Walters was finally convicted and imprisoned for insider trading; according to Walters, that was the culmination of what amounted to an FBI vendetta against him.)

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.

(Shortform note: It can be hard to know whether someone is being genuinely friendly or just trying to use you—or worse, to hurt you. Therefore, when dealing with other people, your intuition is often your best guide. This is because a “gut feeling” comes from you subconsciously noticing warning signs that your rational mind hasn’t processed. For instance, if you feel like a friend or romantic partner is taking advantage of you, there’s a good chance that they really are. Similarly, in The Gift of Fear, security specialist Gavin de Becker writes that you should always trust your instincts when they tell you a person or situation is dangerous; your survival instincts were honed by millions of years of evolution, and they’re much more accurate than many modern people give them credit for.)

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.

Recognize When Power Isn’t Satisfying Anymore

This is similar to a warning that Felix Dennis gives in How to Get Rich. Dennis cautions that money (which is, as Pfeffer notes, one form of power) often drives people into patterns of self-indulgent and ultimately self-destructive behaviors, such as reckless spending and drug abuse. In short, people who become rich get addicted to the thrill of buying whatever they want, whenever they want it, just like people get addicted to the perks of power.

Dennis’s advice is to indulge yourself for a while, but also to stay vigilant and recognize when those indulgences aren’t making you happy anymore. By doing so, you can move through that self-indulgent phase as quickly as possible and refocus on important things, like your health and your family.

So, if you find yourself seeking power for its own sake or for purely self-indulgent reasons—rather than because you need more power to accomplish your goals—it’s time to think seriously about what you’re doing and whether it’s making you happy. If you realize that your pursuit of power isn’t satisfying anymore, consider what else you could use your energy and influence for. For example, perhaps you could offer support to friends who need it, strengthen your relationships with your spouse and children, or start looking for a new hobby or cause that sparks your passion.