Power

Why do some people rise swiftly through the ranks while others—with equal or even greater talent—struggle in obscurity? In Power: Why Some People Have It and Others Don’t, Stanford professor Jeffrey Pfeffer tackles this question head-on. He argues that success in modern organizations depends far less on talent, intelligence, or hard work than we like to think. The real determinant of career success is power—how to get it, use it, and keep it. But because many of us are taught to view power as manipulative or unethical, we fail to play the very game that defines who wins.

Pfeffer’s central claim is both unsettling and liberating: organizations are political arenas, not meritocracies. Those who understand this reality—and act on it strategically—can not only survive but thrive. Those who cling to fantasies about fairness or justice often end up sidelined, bitter, or burned out. Pfeffer blends decades of research, case studies, and personal stories from corporate, academic, and political worlds to map a concrete path for anyone who wants to rise in influence without compromising their sense of self.

A World That Rewards Power, Not Merit

At the heart of Pfeffer’s argument is a vital observation: doing your job well isn’t nearly enough. As stories like Rudy Crew, the award-winning superintendent fired despite excellent results, or Jamie Dimon, who lost his job at Citigroup despite stellar performance, reveal, power and perception matter more than results. Promotions, opportunities, and survival hinge on relationships, visibility, and your boss’s interests—not objective metrics of success. Pfeffer shows that assuming the world is fair or that merit will be rewarded is a dangerous illusion—a concept psychologists call the just-world hypothesis.

This illusion, he warns, “anaesthetizes” people to the real political landmines around them, leaving them unprepared. Whether you’re in a start-up, government, hospital, or university, Pfeffer argues, the laws of power—visibility, alliances, reputation—govern outcomes more than job performance. Once you accept this, you can learn to navigate, rather than protest, the system.

Power as Survival, Health, and Fulfillment

Surprisingly, Pfeffer insists that power isn’t just about ego or money—it’s about control and well-being. Drawing on Michael Marmot’s studies of British civil servants, he demonstrates that people at the bottom of hierarchies not only feel more stress but literally die earlier. Those with decision-making authority live longer and healthier lives, even after accounting for factors like smoking or diet. “Seek power as if your life depends on it,” Pfeffer concludes, “because it does.”

Beyond health, power brings autonomy and influence over one’s destiny—freedom to shape one’s work, environment, and career. It’s not an evil to be avoided but a skill to be mastered. And unlike raw intelligence or charisma, power skills can be learned, practiced, and refined.

Breaking the Myths: Why Leadership Books Mislead You

Pfeffer takes aim at what he calls the “toxic optimism” of most leadership literature. Books that preach authenticity, humility, and virtue as keys to success, he argues, promote comforting fantasies rather than useful truths. CEOs love to portray their success as the result of integrity and modesty when, in reality, they often maneuvered politically and aggressively to reach the top. We prefer these sanitized stories because they confirm our moral worldview. Yet Pfeffer shows how this wishful thinking keeps people powerless.

He advises readers to trust not the leadership self-help genre but empirical evidence and lived observation. Watch how powerful people actually operate in your organization—not how they describe themselves—and you’ll start to see patterns: they build allies, control information, cultivate reputation, and mitigate risks. They also confront, rather than deny, the political nature of organizational life.

The Inner Enemy: Overcoming Self-Sabotage

Perhaps the biggest barrier to gaining power, Pfeffer argues, is not external politics but internal psychology. People often self-handicap—they downplay their ambitions, refuse to “play the game,” or avoid risk to protect their self-image. He gives examples of professionals like Beth, a high-achieving executive who stalled because she found politics distasteful and didn’t want to appear “calculating.” By avoiding the power game, she inadvertently ensured her own marginalization. Meanwhile, those like Anne, a strategist in Silicon Valley, learned to engage politically and rose rapidly by taking initiative, asserting authority, and seizing opportunities others ignored.

Pfeffer’s message is provocative but liberating: ambition and self-promotion don’t make you unethical—they make you effective. The real danger lies in giving away your power through timidity or denial. As he reminds us with Eleanor Roosevelt’s words, “No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.”

From Awareness to Action

The book’s thirteen chapters outline a hands-on journey—what Pfeffer calls the path to power. You learn how to build credibility, leverage personal qualities like will, focus, and energy, choose the right organizational environment, master networks, act and speak with authority, build a reputation, and withstand inevitable backlash and setbacks. He combines blunt realism with surprisingly compassionate advice: play the game, but play it well—and never surrender your agency by waiting for fairness that will never arrive.

Ultimately, Pfeffer’s message is neither cynical nor ruthless. It is practical humanism grounded in empirical truth. Life inside organizations is political—but once you understand the rules, you can stop resenting them and start playing to win. As Pfeffer concludes, “If you don’t like the news, go out and make some of your own.”

One of Pfeffer’s most sobering insights is that great performance often goes unrewarded. You might think being the smartest or hardest-working person in the room guarantees recognition—but in the corporate world, that’s rarely true. Promotions and security depend on politics and perception, not merit. In one striking example, Rudy Crew, a national award–winning superintendent, was removed despite record improvements in Miami’s schools. Similarly, Ken Kizer revolutionized the Veterans Health Administration—only to be pushed out when his success clashed with congressional interests.

The Weak Link Between Performance and Rewards

Studies back Pfeffer’s point: performance ratings correlate weakly with promotions and salary increases. Research shows that tenure, educational credentials, and office politics often matter more. In other words, your future is determined not by excellence but by visibility and relationships. As Pfeffer says, bosses promote those who make them feel good and support their agendas—not necessarily those who produce the best results.

Consider “Glenda,” a manufacturing executive who succeeded in every tough assignment but never advanced because her superiors didn’t want to lose her in her current role. Or “Phil,” a technology manager whose superb project outcomes made his boss look brilliant—so brilliant that the boss refused to let him transfer elsewhere. In both cases, great performance became a trap.

Define What Counts as Success

Pfeffer advises that you don’t just perform well—you must define the metrics that make your performance visible and meaningful. You can often guide the criteria by which you’re evaluated. He cites Tina Brown, the influential magazine editor, who framed her legacy around “buzz” and circulation growth, even as profits lagged. By reframing the scoreboard, she retained prestige and influence.

Get Noticed and Manage Up

Positive deeds unobserved don’t count. Pfeffer calls this mistake “the foundation guy” syndrome—quiet performers who are invisible until they’re gone. To build power, you must ensure your contributions are seen and remembered. Make your boss’s life easier, align with their priorities, and manage their ego. When your boss feels competent, admired, and supported, you gain influence. As one executive told Pfeffer, “The people above you are responsible for your career—not you.”

“Help those in power feel good about themselves and they will help you rise.”

Flattery, Pfeffer insists, isn’t manipulation—it’s social intelligence. People want to believe compliments are sincere because it affirms their self-worth. The late Jack Valenti, head of the Motion Picture Association of America and aide to President Lyndon Johnson, mastered this art. His habit of genuine praise earned loyalty from some of the most ego-driven men in America. As psychologist Robert Cialdini showed, flattery triggers reciprocity—the desire to return the favor.

Ultimately, Pfeffer leaves you with a harsh but freeing truth: performance alone will never secure power. To build lasting influence, you must control narratives, nurture your boss’s ego, and ensure your visibility. Excellence is just the beginning; power is what translates it into results.

If organizations are political arenas, your personal qualities are your toolkit for survival and influence. According to Pfeffer, successful people master two dimensions: will—the drive to achieve—and skill—the capacity to navigate people and situations effectively. These translate into seven key qualities anyone can develop: ambition, energy, focus, self-knowledge, confidence, empathy, and the ability to tolerate conflict.

Ambition Fuels Persistence

Ambition isn’t arrogance—it’s endurance. From Abraham Lincoln’s relentless rise from obscurity to Mayor Richard Daley’s decades-long wait for power, Pfeffer shows that ambition gives people the resilience to outlast setbacks and cynicism. Without a burning goal, the frustration and pettiness of organizational life will derail you.

Energy Attracts Attention

Energy, Pfeffer says, is contagious. Leaders like Laura Esserman, the pioneering cancer surgeon who transformed UCSF’s breast center, or Lyndon Johnson, who outworked everyone on Capitol Hill, mobilized others through sheer stamina. The ability to keep going when others stop is itself a signal of commitment and capability. You can develop energy through discipline—exercise, enthusiasm, and connection to something meaningful.

Focus Creates Power

Focus means concentrating resources on what matters most. Like a magnifying glass turning sunlight into fire, focus turns effort into results. Choosing one field, company, or niche gives you deep expertise and dense networks. Pfeffer cites Bruce Cozadd of Jazz Pharmaceuticals, who built his entire career within one industry, and Melinda, a credit card vice president who advanced by mastering a narrow but crucial segment of her firm. In contrast, most drift with trends—into finance, into tech—without considering whether the environment fits their personality or skills.

Confidence and Self-Knowledge

Confidence may be the most visible trait of powerful people. Like Frances Conley, a pioneering neurosurgeon who exuded authority with patients despite uncertainty, you must project belief even when you’re unsure. As studies show, observers equate confidence with competence. Pfeffer adds that accurate self-knowledge underpins confidence—you must know your limits and your strengths. Executives like Joe Beneducci of Fireman’s Fund used journaling and reflection after every meeting to learn from experience—a simple but rare habit that transforms insight into influence.

Empathy and Conflict Tolerance

The ability to see the world through others’ eyes—empathic accuracy—is another source of power. Lyndon Johnson famously catalogued every senator’s needs and vices to predict their votes. Empathy helps you recruit support or defuse opposition. Yet empathy’s twin is toughness: the ability to endure disagreement. Pfeffer highlights figures like Rahm Emanuel and Lee Kuan Yew, who wielded conflict as a political tool. Most people avoid conflict to stay “nice,” but those who can face resistance with grace and persistence gain lasting authority.

Developing these attributes isn’t about changing who you are overnight. It’s about practice. As Pfeffer says, “You learned to ski; you can learn power.” With reflection, feedback, and controlled risk-taking, anyone can cultivate the personal foundations of influence.

Even your brilliance will fail if you’re on the wrong stage. Pfeffer shows how careers soar or die depending on where they begin. Some departments, roles, and industries naturally offer more exposure, access, and opportunity. The secret is choosing—or moving into—those power centers deliberately rather than by inertia.

Departments as Power Bases

The surest predictor of advancement is starting in a powerful department. Pfeffer cites studies across universities and corporations showing that people who begin in high-powered units—like finance or operations—advance faster and earn more. The organizational equivalent of winning geography, these units control crucial resources or solve urgent problems. As Ford Motor Company’s “Whiz Kids” learned after World War II, joining finance during a time of fiscal crisis gave them unmatched influence—eventually propelling Robert McNamara to the CEO role.

Timing and Change

Power shifts as industries evolve. Pfeffer’s case of Zia Yusuf at SAP illustrates this perfectly. Yusuf wasn’t a technologist but a strategist who joined just as SAP needed to expand beyond engineering into marketing and partnerships. By positioning himself in emerging areas—corporate strategy and ecosystems—he rode the firm’s changing priorities straight to the executive suite.

Balancing Risk and Competition

High-power departments attract heavy competition. Lesser-known areas carry less prestige but offer greater room to differentiate yourself. Ann Moore, who rose from an obscure finance job to become CEO of Time Inc., took charge of the “dying” magazine division rather than the glamorous cable unit. Her courage to go where others wouldn’t eventually made her indispensable. Pfeffer likens such choices to investing early in undervalued assets—when you help an emerging function succeed, its power (and yours) compound exponentially.

Cultural and Political Fit

Equally vital is matching your temperament to the political demands of a job. Pfeffer retells the cautionary tale of a woman who joined a university as assistant to a new president, only to be caught in a destructive power struggle among trustees. The president never took office, and her job evaporated. In contrast, those who assess political risks—like who controls resources, alliances, and visibility—choose roles tailored to their aptitude for influence.

The message is clear: don’t follow the crowd, follow power. Seek where opportunity is growing, where problems are pressing, and where your combination of ambition and skills can matter most. Careers are not found—they are constructed strategically.

Power accumulates through people. Pfeffer devotes a major section to networking—building, maintaining, and using informal relationships. Drawing from research by Ronald Burt and others, he explains how social capital—your access to information, allies, and goodwill—predicts promotions and influence far more than individual talent. Networking isn’t manipulation; it’s the infrastructure of opportunity.

Weak Ties and Structural Holes

Sociologist Mark Granovetter showed long ago that most jobs come through “weak ties”—casual acquaintances who connect us to new worlds. Pfeffer builds on this: maintaining many loose connections across diverse groups offers fresh information and visibility. Equally important is bridging what Burt calls structural holes—gaps between disconnected networks. People who link engineering to marketing, or headquarters to field offices, become indispensable brokers of knowledge and influence.

Building Networks That Work

Heidi Roizen, the Silicon Valley investor and former Apple executive profiled in Harvard Business School cases, epitomizes strategic networking. Her degree was in English, not computer science, yet she built global influence by connecting entrepreneurs, investors, and engineers. Similarly, Zia Yusuf expanded SAP’s reach by cultivating networks with developers and partners worldwide—turning relationships into resources. Networks thrive on reciprocity: helping others, sharing credit, and staying visible.

Overcoming the “Networking Guilt”

Many people feel icky about networking, equating it with insincerity. Pfeffer dismantles this myth. Social relationships underpin every cooperative system—from politics to science. Research shows you can learn networking like any other skill. Raytheon executives who trained in network analysis improved their performance ratings and promotions dramatically. Networking, done right, is an act of mutual empowerment.

Investing in Relationships

Pfeffer offers tactical advice: platform your visibility. Attend events, publish insights, reach across departments. Use downtime—meals, exercise—to build ties (“Never eat alone,” echoes Keith Ferrazzi). His story of Ignacio, a young consultant in Argentina who founded a network linking MBA candidates, shows how small initiatives compound into influence. Within two years, Ignacio became his firm’s public face with broad regional connections. Networking doesn’t require charm—it requires consistency.

In short, your network is your net worth. Cultivate wide, diverse, and giving relationships, and visibility will follow. As Pfeffer reminds us, survival inside organizations isn’t about knowing everything—but about knowing everyone who matters.

Attitude isn’t optional—it’s the language of authority. Pfeffer demonstrates how physical presence, tone, and body language often outrank logic in shaping influence. Using examples like Oliver North’s televised testimony and Donald Kennedy’s failed response to a university scandal, he proves that power often belongs to those who can perform it convincingly.

Performance Is Perception

In his congressional hearing on the Iran-Contra scandal, North appeared in full uniform, took responsibility without apology, and radiated confidence—even as he admitted illegal acts. He became a national hero. Kennedy, by contrast, appeared uncertain and deferential—soon losing both credibility and his job. The takeaway: style translates into status. People evaluate confidence as competence and dominance as leadership.

Theater of Leadership

Pfeffer calls leadership “an act of performance.” Figures from Andy Grove to Atoosa Rubenstein mastered the art of enacting authority. Grove told managers to “fake it until you become it,” noting how pretending confidence eventually produces it. Rubenstein rose at Hearst by dressing and acting like the powerful editor she intended to be. Emotions, Pfeffer explains, are contagious—display confidence, and others reflect it back, reinforcing your image.

Anger Beats Sadness

Anger, expressed strategically, signals power. Studies show angry individuals are seen as stronger and more competent than sad or remorseful ones. Leaders from Rahm Emanuel to Condoleezza Rice wield controlled aggression to command respect. Pfeffer warns that for women, the effect can be double-edged—social norms punish angry women more—but competence still outweighs likability in most contexts.

Managing Presence

Small cues—eye contact, posture, voice—carry enormous weight. Stand tall, move with deliberate gestures, and pause before responding. Creating a sense of control invites others to follow your lead. Likewise, the physical environment matters: powerful offices, controlled settings, or even strategic seating increase authority. Pfeffer includes Peter Ueberroth’s redesign of baseball owners’ meetings to give himself control of the room—a subtle masterclass in situational dominance.

In essence, leadership is theater—and the stage is always open. As Pfeffer quips, “Authority is 20 percent given, 80 percent taken.” If you act powerful, over time, people will treat you as powerful—and power will follow.

Pfeffer reminds us that success is less about what you achieve and more about what others believe you’ve achieved. Reputation, once built, becomes self-reinforcing—it determines opportunities, credibility, and protection. In his words, “Perception is reality.”

First Impressions Stick

Judgements form in milliseconds and rarely change. Studies show that even short silent clips predict people’s long-term evaluations. That’s why first impressions, though fleeting, become destiny. Pfeffer advises making strong openings, then reinforcing them through consistent visibility. If your image is tarnished, sometimes it’s best to start fresh elsewhere rather than fight entrenched perceptions.

Crafting Your Image

Legendary leaders orchestrate their persona deliberately. Lord John Browne at BP used his intelligence, hard work, and cultivated mystique to appear omniscient and indispensable. Similarly, Barack Obama meticulously built his identity in Chicago politics—choosing his church, colleagues, and even courses to construct a cross-cultural appeal that later carried him to the presidency. Success isn’t accidental; it’s branded.

Use the Media, or It Will Use You

Pfeffer highlights Marcelo, a young Brazilian executive who became CFO at 27 by actively courting the press. Writing articles, offering interviews, and aligning with journalists built his credibility faster than years of internal toil. Likewise, Nuria Chinchilla in Spain used media engagement to become Europe’s voice on work–family issues. Pfeffer argues every professional today is a media brand—and invisibility is risk.

Managing the Self-Promotion Dilemma

Self-praise can seem arrogant, yet silence makes you invisible. The solution: get others to champion you. Agents, mentors, or even PR professionals externalize promotion while boosting credibility. Pfeffer’s studies show that when others brag on your behalf, audiences find you both more competent and likable. Counterintuitively, owning minor flaws can also increase authenticity—think Larry Summers, whose known brashness didn’t hinder his career because supporters saw it as “just who he is.”

Reputation creates opportunity before competence proves it. Whether in Harvard classrooms, Silicon Valley boardrooms, or congressional hearings, being seen as capable makes you capable in others’ eyes. Build your myth while living it—and let perception amplify your impact.

Power brings freedom—but also fatigue, scrutiny, and risk. Pfeffer warns that the higher you climb, the more visible, vulnerable, and addictive the role becomes. Many lose power not because of enemies, but because of arrogance, complacency, or exhaustion.

The Visibility Trap

The powerful live on a stage with no curtain. Boeing CEO Harry Stonecipher lost his job over a private affair that would have gone unnoticed at lower levels. Every decision, from your car to your dinner companions, draws judgment. Public scrutiny amplifies pressure and deters risk-taking, often stifling innovation. Pfeffer calls this the “social facilitation effect”: being watched can enhance habitual tasks but cripple creative judgment.

Overconfidence and Betrayal

“Power corrupts” because it dulls empathy. Studies show that power reduces inhibition and increases risk-taking. Executives stop hearing dissent, trusting flattery instead. Pfeffer uses David Coulter’s downfall at Bank of America and Lee Kuan Yew’s shrewd pragmatism in Singapore to show opposite fates: trust blindly and you’re outmaneuvered; stay alert and survive. Always remember—loyal subordinates often want your job.

Patience and Perspective

Endurance distinguishes survivors from casualties. Leaders like Mitch Maidique of Florida International University balanced charm with discipline to hold power for decades, while others like Rudy Crew lost patience and fell. Maintaining perspective requires connecting with people who see you beyond your title—to counter the ego inflation power induces.

Leave Before the Party’s Over

Inevitably, power fades. Pfeffer cites Jack Welch’s graceful GE exit as a model versus Armand Hammer’s refusal to let go at Occidental Petroleum. He notes the healthiest leaders plan succession and reinvent themselves—authoring books, teaching, or mentoring others. The worst cling to power’s addiction, like Nick Binkley, who described his post-CEO withdrawal as “like braking a car from ninety to zero.” Awareness of these pitfalls is the first antidote.

Power’s price is real—exhaustion, scrutiny, envy—but so are its rewards: impact, autonomy, and legacy. Pfeffer’s closing reminder: seek power wisely, hold it humbly, and, when the time comes, step aside gracefully.

No matter the setting—corporate, academic, or nonprofit—politics are inescapable. Pfeffer argues that rather than complaining about them, you must learn to survive and thrive within them. Hierarchies, alliances, and agendas are built into human nature. Those who wish for politics to vanish misunderstand how power binds organizations together.

Politics as a Natural System

Power struggles, Pfeffer explains, are not dysfunction—they’re the social equivalent of gravity. Every workplace has hierarchies because people crave order and predictability. Studies show even fish form hierarchies. When groups work together, status differences emerge spontaneously. This recognition frees you from frustration: politics aren’t obstacles, they’re part of the operating system.

Self-Protection and Reciprocity

Organizations rarely protect you, Pfeffer warns, so you must protect yourself. Companies cut pensions, friends become rivals, and partners turn political. His case of the Venrock venture firm—where long-time partners were forced out in an internal coup—shows loyalty’s limits. Adopt “free-agent thinking”: build portability and visibility that transcend your employer. If the company doesn’t look out for you, you must.

Political Skill as Survival Skill

Political savvy isn’t optional—it’s a survival mechanism. Matrix organizations, cross-functional projects, and dotted-line roles all demand influence without authority. Pfeffer notes Zia Yusuf’s success at SAP came from mastering politics of persuasion and collaboration, not formal power. Influence skills are the currency of productivity.

The Wisdom of Crowds Inside Companies

While hierarchy feels efficient, Pfeffer echoes James Surowiecki’s argument that collective intelligence often outperforms lone authority. Politics create healthy debate and multiple perspectives—much like democracy fosters better decisions than dictatorship. The goal isn’t to eliminate politics, but to make them transparent and inclusive.

Ultimately, Pfeffer brings the story full circle: power isn’t a corrupting force but an organizing principle of human life. By learning how influence works—and playing the long game of alliances, credibility, and resilience—you not only safeguard your career but also lead more effectively within the reality that truly governs organizations.