1. The document discusses core ideas for building power, including developing qualities like will, ambition, focus, resilience, skills, self-knowledge, confidence, and the ability to understand and handle conflict. 2. It also discusses the importance of differentiating yourself, building relationships and networks, cultivating your reputation, and acting and speaking like a leader through body language, speech, and persuasion. 3. The overall message is that seeking power can benefit you by allowing you to influence organizations and change the world, and that pursuing power is important for your success and longevity.

1. Jeffrey Pfeffer Graduate School of Business Stanford University POWER:SOME CORE IDEAS

3. BUILD THE QUALITIES THAT CREATE POWER Will Ambition Energy Focus Persistence and resilience Skill Self-knowledge and self-reflection Confidence Empathic understanding of others—ability to “read” people Ability to tolerate/manage/handle conflict

4. PERSON PERCEPTION Susan Fiske: warmth and competence Osgood, Tannenbaum, and Suci: potency/valence, likeability, and honesty/trust The “problem” is that warmth and competence, intelligence and niceness, strength and likeability, are often seen as negatively correlated Teresa M. Amabile, “Brilliant But Cruel: Perceptions of Negative Evaluators” (J. of Experimental Social Psychology,1983) Amy Cuddy, “Just Because I’m Nice, Don’t Assume I’m Dumb” (Harvard Business Review, February, 2009)

5. DIFFERENTIATE—STAND OUT The “mere exposure” effect—we prefer/choose the “familiar,” what we remember—so become memorable Find the “white space”—the niche, activities, locations that may become important but that aren’t yet, so competition is less. Then work to make your “location” valuable Take reasonable risks—don’t be afraid of rejection or setbacks

6. BUILD RELATIONSHIPS/NETWORKS Do the small tasks that no one else wants to do but that bring you into contact with lots of important people Figure out who you need and then meet—and stay in touch with—them The importance of weak ties means you should not spend all of your time with your close friends and colleagues Connect people/groups together who can benefit from knowing each other—brokerage and filling structural holes

7. WORK ON YOUR REPUTATION You only get one chance to make a first impression What is your personal brand—how you want to be known? What does that imply about what you need to do? Cultivate the media—get known, written and talked about Write articles, blogs, columns Consider getting professional public relations help early in your career—when it has longer to work, when you need it more, and when pulling away from the competition is more important

8. ACT AND SPEAK LIKE A LEADER Power posing changes you (blood chemistry and self-perception) and others’ perceptions of you Stand straight Eye contact Expansive pose—take up space Don’t fidget or do other things that signal nervousness or weakness Forceful hand gestures

9. ACT AND SPEAK LIKE A LEADER Display anger rather than sadness or remorse Don’t use passive sentence construction—assume control through your speech Use persuasive language Contrastive pairs Lists (of 3 or more) Vivid, emotion producing language Question premises and taken-for-granted assumptions Effectiveness of humor

10. REMEMBER, POWER IS GOOD FOR YOU Can be monitized Permits you to “change lives, change organizations, change the world” When manifested in greater control over your work life, leads to longevity Seek power as if your life depends on it, because it does.