The Rules of Power

Hello, I hope that you’re doing great!  Almost 1,000 people came to the Forward Webinar event last week – it was a phenomenal gathering.  I also met with supporters in Philadelphia which was a lot of fun.
 
This week on the podcast I interview Jeffrey Pfeffer, one of the most popular and influential professors at Stanford who teaches a course called “Paths to Power.”  He has written several books about how to advance professionally based on social science and evidence-based studies. 

His latest book, “7 Rules of Power: Surprising-but True – Advice on How to Get Things Done and Advance Your Career” is a fascinating read.  First, Jeffrey acknowledges that some people express mixed emotions about even learning about power and its acquisition.  They find it ‘depressing’ or ‘dark.’  Jeffrey points out that research shows that health is related to a sense of control in one’s job or life, and that understanding how things work in organizations can actually make one happier and healthier.  Jeff’s book opens with this quote:  “If you want power to be used for good, more good people need to have power.”   
 
He has a tip about how to approach this discussion: become less judgmental.  “Judgment gets in the way of building helpful interpersonal relationships and sets us up for unhappiness, which is why eschewing judgment is so frequently recommended.”  Pretty good words to live by.    
 
The 7 Rules Jeff outlines in his book are: 
 
Get out of your own way. 
Break the rules. 
Appear powerful.
Build a powerful brand. 
Network relentlessly.
Use your power. 
Success excuses almost everything you may have done to acquire power. 
 
Some of these may seem intuitive.  Others far less so.  Jeff backs each up with studies and examples.  One common belief is that “If I work hard, my work will speak for itself.”  Unfortunately, that’s not how it works in many companies.  Letting people know that you did something can sometimes be as important as doing it. 
 
How can breaking the rules facilitate accruing power?  One of the biggest unspoken rules out there is to not ask people for things; advice, money, time.  Those who become comfortable asking for help can find themselves with new insight, relationships and resources.  I remember when I started Venture for America; becoming comfortable asking for things was a huge part of the growth process. 
 
Most people regard networking as painful.  But it can simply mean keeping up with people and helping out where you can.  Studies show that ‘weak ties’ – that is, people who are a little bit further out in your network that you don’t see often – are more useful than people you see all of the time, largely because they may be exposed to opportunities and information that you aren’t. 

Indeed, connecting people actually ends up developing a stronger network, not the opposite.  It's not, "I have connections, so I can ask people."  It's, "I can ask people, so I have connections."   
 
I grew up an introvert – I started putting myself out there more when I co-founded a company in my twenties because it felt necessary.  The same was true when I started Venture for America; one of my staffers told me that speaking at conferences and promoting myself was going to be good for the organization.  He wasn’t wrong.  And then of course after I became a presidential candidate I had to adopt all sorts of new behaviors at the age of 43. 
 
But I think some of the best training I got was throwing parties as a nightclub promoter in my twenties.  I did it because I was living in a small apartment with a roommate, and it was a handy way to host a large gathering.  Just putting your name on something and trying to get people to come is a valuable experience that I’ve drawn on many times.  It doesn’t need to be big or world-changing; simply getting people together can lead to great things. 
 
Perhaps one of the most compelling findings Jeffrey shares is that people with more of a collective orientation become more comfortable engaging in leadership behaviors when the gains are going to be used for the benefit of others.  Sometimes, helping people means putting yourself out there.  I think that’s a great message we can all appreciate. 
 
Happy Holidays! 
 
For Jeff’s book click here and for our podcast interview click here.  To make a year-end donation to Forward click here.  Asking is power!  :)