high signal digest #16

"Power: Why some have it and others don't" + stuff i read this week you might enjoy

est. reading time = 2.5min

Today at a glance:

• Summary of “Power: why some people have it and others don’t” by Jeffrey Pfeffer. He breaks down what makes some people powerful. Pfeffer is a Stanford prof.

• Stuff i read this week you might enjoy

source: power book cover - get it here

Why did I read this?

Teammate bought it for me last year. I believe in a just world where your character and your output are tied to power. But the world isn’t just. I struggle with power dynamics, do not engage in power games, and resent those who are good at climbing. I’ve been working on changing my POV after reading this book. I haven’t made much progress.

Raw notes from the book

• Stop thinking the world is fair. People competing for advancement bend the rules and win

• Don’t trust all leadership advice. Leaders touting their success skip the games they played to get to the top

• Get noticed, reframe KPIs to match your strengths, keep boss looking good, don’t leave your reviews to change, be a sycophant¹

• How picking where to start (your department) can impact power dynamics: profitable or strategically important team can be competitive, but the tide will carry you to the top vs weaker team with lower expectations

• Ask for help or opinions. People enjoy flattery + you have nothing to lose. Engage in self-promotion. Get noticed. Power creates likability: winning → momentum → more people support you → more people like you

• Build your power base by helping people. Do small important visible tasks.

• Network. Weak ties > strong ties

• Acting with power: express emotions/anger = high status, eye contact, take the time to respond, watch how you come off in every interaction = be ON, use lists, lean on us-vs-them rhetoric

• Image creates reality. Self-promote and have others speak on your behalf

• Don’t take things personally. Make important relationships work, at all costs

• Leave people an out when arguing

• Attach yourself to higher objectives (ex. shareholder value). They are indisputable

• Price of power: (1) public scrutiny, (2) people tell say you are right a lot = absence of truth/feedback, (3) addictive

• Do not be overconfident or insensitive once in position of power

• Leave gracefully. Leave before the party is over

• Take care of yourself. Don’t expect justice

Typing these notes I find myself disagreeing with some of this. So it’s a good gift and it’s healthy that I read it. Maybe I will change my mind.

Yes, the world is unfair and people climb.

Power does create leverage. We use leverage to make an impact so power is worth fighting for. What would it take to pave a more meaningful path to power? Could we build “fair” teams? How would that look like?

Quotes from the book that stuck:

• Do not complain about how life isn’t fair, or that your organization culture isn’t healthy, or that your boss is a jerk. You have both the responsibility and the potential to change your situation, either in your present job or in some new place. Stop waiting for things to get better or for other people to acquire power and use it in a benevolent fashion to improve the situation. It’s up to you to build your own path to power

• people will join your side if you have power and are willing to use it, not just because they are afraid of your hurting them but also because they want to be close to your power and success

---

Stuff I read this week that you might enjoy

• The build-nothing country. Stasis has become America’s spoils system and it can’t go on

• Startup decoupling & reckoning

• Planning for AGI and beyond

• Study on Harvard finds 43% of white students are legacy, athletes, or related to donors or staff

• Honestly, it’s probably the phones. The most plausible explanation for teenage unhappiness

• What i learned reading 1K investor reports last year

1. disagree with all of this and a lot of the other bullets. good! maybe i will change my mind on this