Lenny's Podcast: Product | Career | Growth

The paths to power: How to grow your influence and advance your career | Jeffrey Pfeffer (author of 7 Rules of Power, professor at Stanford GSB)

June 13, 2024

AI Summary

5 min read

Jeffrey Pfeffer, a Stanford GSB professor, explains how power skills drive career success like higher salaries, promotions, and reduced stress, backed by research on political skill. These are learnable behaviors, not innate traits, drawn from his book 7 Rules of Power and popular MBA course. He addresses discomfort by framing power as a neutral tool—like a knife for surgery or crime—and stresses practice to bridge the knowing-doing gap, using "Doing Power" assignments where students apply rules immediately.

Getting Out of Your Own Way

People sabotage themselves through moral judgments about power, imposter syndrome, or excessive apologies, which leak doubt and block influence. Pfeffer urges suspending judgment on others (focus on collaboration needs), avoiding preemptive disclaimers, and prioritizing competence over likability—get a dog if you need unconditional affection. Reframe: you're qualified for your role; others aren't superior. This mindset shift reduces self-imposed friction, enabling bolder action.

Continue reading the full summary in the app — free to try.

Read Full Summary →

Free • No credit card required

Listen to Audio Summary Open in App

What you'll learn

1 *(00:02) **Intro to Power's Benefits and the 7 Rules**
2 *(02:36) **Why Power Feels Uncomfortable + Suspend Judgment**
3 *(13:02) **Rule 4: Build Powerful Brand + Doing Power Homework**
4 *(21:11) **Rule 1: Get Out of Your Own Way**
5 *(26:04) **Rule 2: Break the Rules**
6 *(30:34) **Rule 5: Network Relentlessly**
7 *(42:00) **Rules 6 & 3: Use Power + Appear Powerful**

+ Full timestamped outline available in the app

Show Notes

Jeffrey Pfeffer teaches the single most popular (and somewhat controversial) class at Stanford’s Graduate School of Business: The Paths to Power. He’s also the author of 16 books, including 7 Rules of Power: Surprising—But True—Advice on How to Get Things Done and Advance Your Career. He has taught at Harvard, the London Business School, and IESE and has written for publications like Fortune and the Washington Post. Recognized by the Academy of Management and listed in the Thinkers50 Hall of Fame, Jeffrey also serves on several corporate and nonprofit boards, bringing his expertise to global audiences through seminars and executive education. In our conversation, we discuss:

• Jeffrey’s seven rules of power

• How individuals can acquire and use power in business

• Networking, and how to do it effectively

• How to build a non-cringe personal brand

• How to increase your influence to amplify your impact

• Examples and stories of people building power

• Tradeoffs and challenges that come with power

—

Brought to you by:

• Uizard—AI-powered prototyping for visionary product leaders

• Webflow—The web experience platform

• Heap—Cross-platform product analytics that converts, engages, and retains customers