Jeffrey Pfeffer - 7 Rules of Power: Surprising - but True - Advice on How to Get Things Done and Advance Your Career

Praise for 7 Rules of Power

In one wordincredible! Dr. Pfeffer has written the ultimate book on power that avoids the traps of conventional theories on leadership, and instead dives into the techniques that really change your life and career. Beautifully written and full of poignant stories and examples, 7 Rules of Power is my recommended read for anyone looking to radically change the trajectory of their life for good.

Marshall Goldsmith, Thinkers 50 #1 Executive Coach and New York Times bestselling author of Mojo and What Got You Here Wont Get You There

Like a rousing slap of truth in the face, Pfeffers tough-minded, capstone book on power identifies 7 research-based, reality-revealing rules for hierarchical success. Anyone hoping to rise within an organization needs to obtain power and, therefore, needs to read this brilliant book.

Robert Cialdini, New York Times bestselling author of Influence and Pre-Suasion

7 Rules of Power delivers easy-to-digest, practical tips for how you can be more powerful in your own life. Using real-life examples of individuals altering their lives by following his rules, Pfeffer delivers his message with humor and humanity. Pfeffer shows us how often we give away our power and how we can reclaim it. I was so inspired by Pfeffers writing and his class that I wrote a book, Take Back Your Power, for women in workplaces not always set up for them. It is a tribute to all I have learned from Professor Pfeffer as both a mentor and coach over the past decade.

Deborah Liu, author of Take Back Your Power; CEO, Ancestry.com; board member, Intuit; former VP, Facebook; and founder, Women in Product

Jeff Pfeffers latest leadership masterpiece is as brilliantly insightful as it is refreshingly candid and pragmatic, anchored in cutting edge scholarship. Pfeffer is the current Leonard Bernstein of leadership studies. There is simply no competitor to the highly readable, smart, wide-ranging take on power in 7 Rules of Power.

Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, founder and CEO of the Chief Executive Leadership Institute; Lester Crown Professor and Senior Associate
Dean for Leadership Studies, Yale School of Management

Dr. Pfeffers 7 Rules of Power is a must read and highly useful for anyone at any stage of their career. The book offers a balanced, thoughtful view on what is an often uncomfortable topic for many people, especially women. Pfeffer is clear and to the point with practical, research-based steps for owning your power your way. It will stir your thinking and truly change your perspective.

Stacy Brown-Philpot, former CEO, TaskRabbit; Board Member, HP, Inc., and Nordstrom; Forbes 40 under 40; former head of Googles online sales and operations in India

Jeff Pfeffer is the most honest teacher Ive ever had. He is unafraid to say it like it isa rare quality where people maintain pleasantries at the expense of the truth. The lessons from 7 Rules of Power will take a lifetime to fully implement. The book provides the lens through which I view the decisions and behaviors of those around me. Most importantly, Pfeffer has taught me that to win the game, changing the rules trumps raw effort.

Vivas Kumar, CEO and co-founder, Mitra Chem, Stanford GSB 2021

When I started reading 7 Rules of Power, I had a long list of assumptions about leadership and building influence. With each chapter, more pieces of the power puzzle fell into place. By trying the strategies from the book, I founded a consulting company where I leveraged my 20+ years of professional experience to provide research, innovation, and strategy advice. I am building my own brand as an effective executive coach. Through relentless networking, I have found powerful allies to break the rules and pursue a power-related Ph.D. My mantras are Why not me? Why not now? Most importantly, How can you tell whether something will work for you if you havent tried it?

Monika Stezewska-Kruk, CEO, Corvus Innovation; Executive Coach and Facilitator; Stanford LEAD program graduate

7 Rules of Power will shoot you to the moon and beyond. This book changed my life. A Nigerian woman, I work as a geoscientist in an Italian multinational energy company. Performance got me in, but power kept me ahead. I used principles from the book to build influence outside of my company. I built networks and became central. I received international awards and invitations to speak at top leadership forums. I was named among the most influential persons of African descent. I created a unique brand for myself, and now I represent my organization abroad. Usually the only black woman in the room, 7 Rules of Power gave me an edge.

Tosin Joel, Stanford LEAD; MIT Sloan Fellow; Director, Hack for Inclusion; founder, GTBOOL; Project Head, Eni

Ideas from 7 Rules of Power helped me design and live my dream career as a digital health expert. This book is a must-have for minorities and people seeking to have social impact, because we tend to shy away from the concept of power. 7 Rules reframes power and provides tactical, practical tools to actually change the world!

Marta Milkowska, Stanford GSB 2020; Consultant at Boston Consulting Group; Interim CEO, Reveri Health; founder, Dtx
Future; first Stanford platform on digital therapeutics

The thing about power is that it will always exist. After a lifetime of being the collaborator, team player, and nice person, Pfeffers 7 Rules of Power taught me that power is not about control or greedit is about effectiveness. Gaining and using power allows us to effect the change we want in building a career, organization, or a world that aligns with our personal values. The lessons have been transformational in my venture capital career and continue to guide my personal and professional path.

Laura Chau, Stanford GSB 2018; Partner, Canaan Partners; Forbes 30 Under 30, Board Member, Ollie Pets and Clutch

Also by Jeffrey Pfeffer

Dying for a Paycheck

Leadership BS

Power: Why Some People Have Itand Others Dont

What Were They Thinking?
Unconventional Wisdom About Management

Hard Facts, Dangerous Half-Truths, and Total Nonsense:
Profiting from Evidence-Based Management (with Robert I. Sutton)

The Knowing-Doing Gap (with Robert I. Sutton)

Hidden Value: Achieving Extraordinary Results
with Ordinary People (with Charles A. OReilly)

The Human Equation: Building Profits by Putting People First

Competitive Advantage Through People

New Directions for Organization Theory

Organizations and Organization Theory

Managing with Power

Power in Organizations

The External Control of Organizations:
A Resource Dependence Perspective (with Gerald R. Salancik)

Organizational Design