Saturday, December 11, 2010

Power: Why Some People Have It-and Others Don't




In this crowning achievement, one of the greatest minds in management theory reveals how to succeed and wield power in the real world. Over decades of consulting with corporations and teaching MBA students the nuances of organizational power, Jeffrey Pfeffer has watched numerous people suffer career




Read about a quarter of the book. Nothing really new to me as it reads like a retelling of what I have seen in corporate life previously.

Months back I had shown it to my ex boss. She found it very interesting and felt that it would have benefited her as a young executive. She encouraged her kids to read the book. Then I wasn't interested. I didn't buy into the book core ideas. I saw it as morally corrupt and piling up for ourselves the eventual wrath and judgement of God.

For those clueless it is useful to understand what hit them.

For the young and inexperienced it is like a how to manual but most will be disappointed when they discover it doesn't work. They will learn the hard way that their fates were never in their hands. Majority of people wouldn't learn this any other way.

So what is this book good for? For becoming aware about the ways of the world and not to stupidly walk into traps for nothing. For me, how the author has organized the information is useful for discussing with peers and advising the young.

This book is a godless and self-centered tome of advice. I don't think this was the author's intention. He was just reporting what his research had uncovered. Of course, he must have hoped to sell many copies. I am glad he wasn't very successful on this account.

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