Jeffrey Pfeffer Power Quotes

The sun’s rays, focused, are much more powerful than they are without focus. The same is true for people seeking power.

Being memorable equals getting picked.

Believing that the world is fair, people fail to note the various land mines in the environment that can undermine their careers.

The two fundamental dimensions that distinguish people who rise to great heights and accomplish amazing things are will, the drive to take on big challenges, and skill, the capabilities required to turn ambition into accomplishment. The three personal qualities embodied in will are ambition, energy, and focus. The four skills useful in acquiring power are self-knowledge and a reflective mind-set, confidence and the ability to project self-assurance, the ability to read others and empathize with their point of view, and a capacity to tolerate conflict.

If you want power to be used for good, more good people need to have power.

Condoleezza Rice is right: people will join your side if you have power and are willing to use it, not just because they are afraid of your hurting them but also because they want to be close to your power and success.

if power is to be used for good, more good people need power.

The first rule of power is about acknowledging and accepting who you are but not letting that identity define who you will be forever. It is about understanding the importance of social connection but not letting the need for acceptance overwhelm what you want to get done, and the necessity of pursuing your own interests and agenda. It is, in short, about getting out of your own way and getting on with the task of building the power base that will provide you the leverage to accomplish your goals.

The dilemma is that while people want to fit in and be accepted and not ostracized for violating social norms, people also want to stand out. If people blend in too perfectly, they become unnoticeable, undifferentiated from those around them competing for promotions. People also want to excel, and to excel is to be, almost by definition, different.

the behaviors required to ascend hierarchies may differ greatly from the optimal behaviors for someone ensconced in power.

In a world of conceptual frameworks, fancy graphics presentations, and, in general, lots of words, there is much too little appreciation for the power, and indeed the necessity, of not just talking and thinking but of doing—and this includes explaining and teaching—as a way of knowing. Rajat

Schoorman asked

the higher one rises in an organization, the more likely it is that people will tell you you’re right. People will agree with powerful leaders as a strategy of ingratiation, as nothing is as flattering as others’ telling you how right and how smart you are.

when times are bad, administrators, closer to the locus of decision-making and with more power, protect their jobs disproportionately,

Moving to something else, whatever else the virtues of that new career path, will rob you of the resources and competence you have built doing what you do.

What sometimes gets in the way of putting ourselves in the shoes of others is too much focus on the end goal and our own objectives and not enough concern for recruiting others to our side—or at least curtailing the likelihood of their opposition.

People who are exceptionally smart think they can do everything on their own and do it better than everyone else. Consequently, they may fail to bring others along with them, leaving their potential allies in the dark about their plans and thinking.

Being recognized as exceptionally smart can cause overconfidence and even arrogance, which, as we will see in more detail later, can lead to the loss of power.

If you want to get rid of impostor syndrome, stop acting like an impostor.

The first rule of power is about acknowledging and accepting who you are but not letting that identity define who you will be forever. It is about understanding the importance of social connection but not letting the need for acceptance overwhelm what you want to get done

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