Power
by Jeffrey Pfeffer
A Stanford professor's unsentimental account of how power is really acquired: visibility, resources, networks, reputation, and a willingness to act in ways nice people avoid. Pfeffer backs his claims with research and is candid that the advice is not always comfortable. It is a useful corrective to the belief that good work speaks for itself.
Read it if…
you do excellent work and watch less capable people get promoted.
Skip it if…
you are uncomfortable with any strategic self-advocacy; the book will annoy you.
Three things you will actually use
- Performance is necessary and not sufficient; build visibility.
- Build a network beyond your team on purpose.
- Act with confidence before you feel it; people read the signal.
Do this first
List the three people whose opinion most affects your career and when you last made your work visible to them.
Our verdict
Unsentimental and well-researched; the honest version of career advice.
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