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Jeffrey Pfeffer

Episode #141

Professor of Organizational Behavior

Stanford Graduate School of Business

🚀Career & Leadership

📝Full Transcript

14,613 words
Lenny Rachitsky (00:00:00): We're going to be talking about how to grow your power. Jeffrey Pfeffer (00:00:02): The reason why you should pay attention to this is because it leads to a lot of good things, salary, getting promoted, being happy in your career, being less stressed. Lenny Rachitsky (00:00:11): You're not describing how the world should work. This is just how it is. Jeffrey Pfeffer (00:00:15): Not only is, but how it was and how it will be. Lenny Rachitsky (00:00:20): The Seven Rules of Power, get out of your own way, break the rules, show up in a powerful fashion, create a powerful brand, network relentlessly, use your power, and understand that once you've acquired power, what you did to get there will be forgiven, forgotten, or both. Jeffrey Pfeffer (00:00:32): This is not about personality. These are skills they can be mastered. Lenny Rachitsky (00:00:35): People might be hearing this and they're like, "I don't want to be this person." Jeffrey Pfeffer (00:00:38): Well, you already have done a fabulous job of illustrating principle one. That is one way to get in our own way. If I think power is dirty, the first thing that's going to happen is I'm not going to do what I need to do to be successful in my career. Lenny Rachitsky (00:00:52): The opening quote to your book that I have here, if you want power to be used for good, more good people need to have power. Jeffrey Pfeffer (00:00:58): That's exactly right. Lenny Rachitsky (00:01:03): Today, my guest is Jeffrey Pfeffer. Jeffrey is a Professor of Organizational Behavior at Stanford's graduate School of Business, and teaches one of the two most popular and oversubscribed courses in all of the MBA program, called the Paths to Power. The other class, by the way, is Touchy-Feely, which we dove into last month. In his class and in his recent book, the Seven Rules of Power, Jeffrey teaches the things that you can do in your life and in your work to build your power, and through that get things do...

💡 Key Takeaways

  • 1Power is a neutral tool; to change the world for good, good people must be willing to acquire and use power.
  • 2Competence is not enough; you must build a personal brand because no one will promote you if they don't know who you are.
  • 3Stop apologizing and get out of your own way; overcome imposter syndrome and the need to be universally liked.
  • 4Network relentlessly by acting as a broker who connects unconnected groups, focusing on generosity rather than transaction.
  • 5Break the rules to stand out; following established rules often only benefits those who created them.
  • 6Appearance matters: Body language, speaking time, and energy levels significantly impact how powerful you are perceived to be.
  • 7The world is not fair or homeostatic; success often excuses the methods used to achieve it, so focus on results.

📚Methodologies (3)

The 7 Rules of Power

by Jeffrey Pfeffer

🚀 Career & Leadership

A comprehensive framework for acquiring and maintaining power in any hierarchy. It emphasizes practical, sometimes uncomfortable actions over idealistic views of how the world 'should' work.

Core Principles

  • 1.Get out of your own way: Stop self-sabotage, imposter syndrome, and the obsession with being liked.
  • 2.Break the rules: Differentiate yourself by disrupting conventions to gain attention and leverage.
  • 3.Appear powerful: Master the skills of acting with authority (body language, voice, eye contact).
  • +4 more...

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

#rules#power#career
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🚀 Career & Leadership

A systematic approach to building social capital by focusing on generosity and connecting unconnected groups (brokerage). It prioritizes 'weak ties' over close friends to access non-redundant information.

Core Principles

  • 1.List 10 key people: Identify individuals crucial to your goals and strategize how to meet them.
  • 2.Be a Broker: Connect people who don't know each other but would benefit from the connection.
  • 3.Pursue Weak Ties: Interact with people outside your immediate circle to gain new insights and opportunities.
  • +1 more...

"The more people you know, the more things you know. If leadership is getting things done through others, the more others you know, the more you'll get done."

#strategic#networking#brokerage
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Acting with Power Protocol

by Jeffrey Pfeffer

🚀 Career & Leadership

A set of behavioral adjustments based on the premise that humans respond to visual and auditory cues of dominance before content. These are learnable skills, not innate personality traits.

Core Principles

  • 1.Physical Occupancy: Use open postures, invade personal space gently (e.g., hand on shoulder), and don't shrink away.
  • 2.Commanding Communication: Speak loudly, interrupt if necessary, use humor to disarm, and avoid 'pre-emptory apologies'.
  • 3.Eye Contact & No Notes: Maintain long gazing time and never read from notes to signal mastery and confidence.
  • +1 more...

"You cannot choose what is not in your head. No one is going to promote you if they don't know who the hell you are."

#acting#power#protocol
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