A brilliantly written and concisely researched read with a classic approach. It was somehow an interesting read for me though I haven't read any of the author's previous works but now I want to and will be looking to read in the near future. If you're a curious thinker and want to understand the psychology behind power then this might be a perfect choice for you.

Appear powerful. Pfeffer makes the case that displaying anger and not apologizing are effective tools for building power. And when it comes to speaking, he advises avoiding using notes when you speak and using simple words, strong declarations, and repeating themes. “Master how to appear confident, attractive, and powerful,” he says, in summary. (p. 84) It makes people remain helpless, soft and to not look out for themselves. I've been thinking of what I believe is to be an important message from this book: If you don't go after power, others will. And it's important that "good" people - whatever that is - claims power. Or else there's only the "bad guys" - whatever that is, too" - who will be in power and rule others. For Eg he talks about a study which shows a person being rude to the waiter and also throwing cigarette ash on floor appearing to be 20% more powerful.

The research is also very good, and I appreciate someone telling the hard truth. This author seems to truly have wanted to deliver truth and helpful advice, rather than being liked (which, if you have read the book, will get the non-irony of that). I have studied by annotated, highlighted and rewritten sentences from the book. I have already recommended books about power to my female friends who have been taken advantage of and experienced things no people on this planet deserve to encounter. This book might be the most helpful one yet of those.

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.” There are many instances throughout the book that i personally just couldn’t resonate with especially on his take with flattery towards higher up and authenticity (promoting inauthenticity as apparently people take it face value).If fully understood and harnessed effectively, power skills and understanding become the keys to increasing salaries, job satisfaction, career advancement, organizational change, and, happiness. In 7 Rules of Power, Jeffrey Pfeffer, professor of organizational behavior at the Stanford University Graduate School of Business, provides the insights that have made both his online and on-campus classes incredibly popular—with life-changing results often achieved in 8 or 10 weeks. Power is a tool. It can be used for good. It can be used for evil. Don’t confuse the fact that it is sometimes used for evil with power actually being evil. 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.” We know that educational credentials help predict salary. We know that gender and race help predict salary, even though they shouldn’t. We know that years of service, or seniority, helps predict salary, and there’s some evidence to suggest that years of service is one of the more important predictors of salary.