Power: Why Some People Have It and Others Don't

This, at heart, is what the book "Power" is all about. The author teaches us how to handle the political battles we're inevitably going to face as we work our way to the top. If we don't learn how, he says, we'll be stepped on and bowled over by those who are willing to use any means necessary to get what they want.

Now, we'll come right out and say it. "Power" is a book that's not for everyone. There are some uncomfortable facts and messages in the book that many readers might find downright distasteful. In fact, some of these messages might make you angry or upset. The author definitely defies convention with this book.

Here at Mind Tools, we always recommend leaders and team members act with the good of their team – and organization – in mind. And there's no doubt that many of the messages in this book openly go against this philosophy.

So why should you bother reading it? Well, you can bet many other people are going to read it. And we feel it's helpful to know how these people think. Even if you're not into playing political games to get ahead, many other people are – including people you work with. Reading this book is an easy way to get into their mindset and see why they may be acting the way they are.

Now, you might be thinking that you don't want to play the power game. You don't even want to hear about it. Don't worry. We felt that way too, just reading the Introduction.

In his provocative way, the author says this is an example of a scientific phenomenon called self-handicapping. He argues that, as human beings, we want to feel good about ourselves and what we can do. But often, we'll do things to sabotage our success in order to preserve our self-esteem.

For instance, we might not study for a test that would accurately demonstrate our true IQ. When we don't study, we have an excuse that the result doesn't reflect our natural abilities. We can say we didn't do well because we didn't try, not because we're inherently stupid.

The author says people look at power the same way. When people don't play the power game, or they say they don't want to, they're protected by their conscious choice, not by failing in the effort.

Yeah, that's the kind of frankness we're talking about here. There were several times during our reading we wanted to chuck the book right out the window.

At this point you might be wondering if you should even keep listening to this podcast.

We think yes. Even though some of the lessons and messages in this book rampage across the bounds of ethical behavior, the author does give some good advice. There's no doubt you can learn some valuable lessons if you stick it out.

For instance, you'll learn how to identify your own sources of power and how to develop them. You'll learn how to fight and cope with opposition, and how to act and speak with power.

Our view is that if you can keep an open mind and use your own judgment, you can still take and apply many of these lessons and strategies to benefit your career – and you can stay true to your values. In other words, you can personalize the author's message.

And as you heard earlier, we do think the book can be a useful tool to help you get into the minds of others on your team, who are into using power to get what they want.

The author relies on science and hard data when making claims and talking about strategy. Human beings' thirst for power, and our ability to get it and keep it, has been studied and researched extensively. And there's no doubt the data is fascinating at points. He also uses many real-life examples from some of the world's leading executives and political players.

The author, Jeffrey Pfeffer, is a professor of Organizational Behavior at Stanford University, and is the author of thirteen other books.

So keep listening to find out one of the biggest wrong assumptions we make about how to get promoted, why you need to get noticed, and why you should spend time finding out what your boss really cares about.

"Power" is divided into 13 chapters. And the hard lessons start straight off the bat in chapter one, when the author says this: Most of the time, whether we keep or lose our jobs has nothing to do with our performance. It has to do with how happy we've kept our boss, or their boss.

One of the biggest mistakes we make is to think good performance will get us the promotions we want. Good performance is often necessary, of course, but it's nowhere near enough.

This is a really bold statement. But the author backs up this claim with plenty of research which proves he may have a point.

Scientists call this phenomenon "behavioral commitment." Once someone, like your boss, has made a judgment about you, whether it's positive or negative, that judgment is going to color your performance appraisals. Your performance counts for much less than your relationship with your boss.

Conversely, great performance can even hurt your chances for promotion. The author tells the true story of Glenda, who had a special genius for bonding with front-line employees and turning around troubled plants. Her job evaluations were great, and she received regular bonuses and raises.

But when she asked for a promotion, she was always turned down. Why? Because senior executives did not want to lose her abilities in her current role. So, she was trapped.

One way to get power is to get noticed. People already in power are really busy, and they're not going to pay much attention to you unless you make them. You have to stand up and tell them about the great things you're doing – and could be doing in a more senior position.

The author does make a good point here. He says people always want to choose what's known and familiar to them. You may be doing great work, but if you're doing it unnoticed, and a new position opens up, your boss or senior executives are more likely to choose someone who has openly positioned themselves for that role. Why? People like what they remember. It's comfortable, and it reduces uncertainty.

One way to overcome this is to know what matters to your boss. After all, the things that matter to you are probably not the same things that matter to your boss.

And don't assume you know what your boss cares about. Instead, ask. Ask her what aspects of the job she thinks are most crucial. Ask her what she thinks you ought to be doing. Ask for help when you need it, and ask her advice. And, make sure you act on what she tells you if you feel it's right.

There are many other tips in this chapter, including why you should never criticize anyone who is similar to your boss if you want to get ahead, and why flattery is so important to those in power.

That's one of those tips that some people will find distasteful. After all, who wants to be a brownnoser? But research shows it often works. In fact, one researcher the author interviewed said she experimented to find out if you could overdo flattery, and have it backfire. She couldn't find any data to prove that would happen.

Our view is that it's okay to flatter people, as long as you actually mean what you say. Most of us can think of at least one positive attribute to sincerely complement someone else on.

Another chapter worth mentioning is chapter four, titled Getting In: Standing Out and Breaking Some Rules.

With a title like that, you can bet this one's going to be a bit controversial. And, you'd be right, in a sense.

In the previous chapter, the author covered how important it is to know what we want, so we can identify how to get there. In this chapter, he covers the action we need to take to get what we want. And a sizeable portion of getting what we want has to do with standing out and asking for it.

The author says most people are afraid of standing out too much, because they worry about being rejected. They worry about others resenting or disliking their behavior, or seeing them as too self-promotional.

The author puts it bluntly here. We need to get over this. Likeability is not important on our path to power. If we don't put ourselves forward, no one else will. We just have to get over being uncomfortable asking for what we want.

Research proves that we vastly underestimate how willing people are to help.

Think about what happens to the other person when you ask them for a favor, help or advice. Most of us have been trained since childhood to be generous. We often say yes automatically.

Furthermore, being able to grant help or a favor reinforces the other person's position of power.

So how should we ask for help?

We should start by asking in a way that enhances the other person's feelings or self-esteem. When we mention the importance and accomplishments of the person we're asking for help from, we flatter them into saying yes.

The other half of this chapter has to do with standing out, why it's important, and how to do it. For most people, the thought of standing out is terrifying. After all, if we stand out we have further to fall, right? And people won't like us if we do things differently. Or, we think, we'll be bold and stand out when we get to our position of power.

The author points out that it's early on our career when we need to be the most bold. We need to start now, not put it off until someday, because our boldness is what will, in part, get us what we want.

What's it take for us to stand out? The author says we need to be interesting and memorable. We need to be the kind of person other people want to know.

We also can't be afraid to bend or break the rules, he says. Why? Because as the old adage goes, those with the power write the rules. So of course, the rules always favor those who are at the top. If you want to get where they are, you can't be afraid to bend the rules when you need to.

Of course, you need to use your judgment here. Some rules are vital for keeping us safe and healthy. Other rules are bureaucratic, and can easily be bent in order for positive change to take place.

For instance, you may work for an organization that provides assistance to needy families. Applications for aid can take months to process, but if there's a family in desperate need you could bend the rules by fast-forwarding their application process.

The author's advice is to take rule-following with a grain of salt if you want power. Our advice? It pays to be more nuanced. You may want to bend the rules when the payoff may greatly benefit someone else – but only when this rule-bending does no harm to your team or organization.

Another area covered in this chapter has to do with likeability. Studies have shown that the two most universal dimensions used to assess people are warmth and competence.

But studies also show that being mean can actually make others see you as more competent than someone who is nice. Yeah, we were rolling our eyes at this one too. But here's the author's point.

He says niceness frequently comes across as weakness, or even a lack of intelligence. But being tough, blunt or critical can actually cause others to see you as more intelligent and worthy of recognition.

We strongly disagree with the author here. Being mean to others just so you look more intelligent is an awful way to go through life, and can certainly be counterproductive. Stepping on, or demeaning, others on your team is something that should be avoided at all costs.

So what's our last word on "Power?"

Well, although it's a difficult subject, there is some good information here. However, the book is very frank. If you want power, and you want to get to the top, come what may, this book is going to show you how to get there. End of story.

Some of the author's strategies are without any moral scruples at all. If you have no problem putting aside your values in order to rise to the top, that's your call. But many readers will, quite rightly, blanche at some of these strategies.

It probably goes without saying, but you don't have to follow everything the author says. Our advice is this. Learn about the science of power and how to get it, and recognize that some of the people around you may be behaving like this. However, think for yourself about how you want to live your life: do you want success, bought at the cost of amoral or evil behavior? Or do you want to live your life with integrity, recognizing that some opportunities may pass you by?

The author was really smart to use scientific data to back up his claims. If he hadn't, he would have come across as a power-hungry, cynical jerk. Instead, the science proves his claims about human nature, and how to get ahead, are true.

In spite of the profoundly uncomfortable nature of the book, it is highly readable. Many parts were interesting. And, we feel it's worth the read.

"Power," by Jeffery Pfeffer, is published by HarperCollins.

That's the end of this episode of Book Insights. Click here to buy the book from Amazon. Thanks for listening.