Business Book Review: 7 Rules of Power by Jeffrey Pfeffer
7 Rules of Power is the must-read playbook for aspiring leaders. Master Pfeffer’s rules to power up your career.
My Rating: ★★★★★
Length: 266
Publisher: Swift Press
Released: 2022
Key Takeaway for Personal Branding
The blatant pursuit of power is an uncomfortable conversation for most. Not for Jeffrey Pfeffer. The Professor from the Standard Graduate School of Business is putting power into your hands.
Why dare to reveal what some would call the ‘dirty’ secret of business? Pfeffer says it best in the quote that begins the book.
If you want power to be used for good, more good people need to have power.
Personal branding is often misunderstood as an act of vanity. But, like power, it is about serving others.
Personal branding itself makes a star appearance as the foundation of Rule 4 - Build a Powerful Brand.
To make an impact on society, you first need to have power. Among other things, this is created by the way you behave, talk and look. And most importantly, by the relationships you make.
Social norms and demographics can impact your tendency towards or away from obtaining power. This is why Rule 1 asks you to first get out of your own way.
Pfeffer shares these seven rules to enhance your performance:
Rule 1: Get Out of Your Own Way
Rule 2: Break the Rules
Rule 3: Appear Powerful
Rule 4: Build a Powerful Brand
Rule 5: Network Relentlessly
Rule 6: Use Your Power
Rule 7: Success Excuses (Almost) Everything
Favourite Quotes
Possibly the single biggest barrier to having power is ourselves.
Leaders need allies and supporters; one of the primary tasks of a leader is to recruit both.
If people blend in too perfectly, they become unnoticeable, undifferentiated from those around them competing for promotions.
Most importantly, powerful speech repeats ideas and themes.
Be sure to create value for others—or why would people want to be connected to you?
Set Up a Personal Board of Directors…What does a good, well-functioning board do for a company? It provides fresh perspectives, different information, and, in the best of cases, holds the leadership team responsible for results.
This is not your usual MBA’s required reading. Pfeffer shares the uncomfortable truths about the importance of leaders pursuing power. And does so with a highly practical framework.
7 Rules of Power is well-researched and firmly rooted in social science. The results from students of his course speak for themselves. With some referring to it as the most significant of any class they took. If Pfeffer’s eye-opening power plays are well-executed, it’s easy to see why.
7 Rules of Power by Jeffrey Pfeffer: Available on Amazon.
