The book is a brilliant take from multiple perspectives about a framework of power - what enables people to get power. How someone may want to use it to be powerful, or understand others. Jeffrey very brilliantly covered the biggest doubt in my mind - many of us do not want to get that kind of power - by just a simple quote “if you want power to be used for good, more good people need to have power”. He also clarifies that these rules are like tools to be used - the outcome is something he is not responsible for - whether it is for good or for bad. He also digresses on this matter to make some wonderful remarks about the impossibility of teaching ethics to students. All of these inputs are insightful and bring to the mind the need to think more about a lot of what is being taught in business schools today (on ethics).

If you want to "change lives, change organizations, change the world," the Stanford business school’s motto, you need power. For me, it didn’t ring many bells before I read this book. And after reading it, I can say being powerful in whatever you do is as important as eating healthy food for well-being. I think it is therefore appropriate to judge this book on how well it makes the case that following its advice leads to power being used for good. Alas, I was not convinced. Power is absolute, it's the necessity of each living organism, without it you're nothing and with it you're everything, on whatsoever you go you can see the necessity of it and get only a handful people have it. Regardless of the perspective we need power in each and every step of our life.Dr. Pfeffer received his B.S. and M.S. degrees from Carnegie-Mellon University and his Ph.D. from Stanford. He began his career at the business school at the University of Illinois and then taught at the University of California, Berkeley. Pfeffer has been a visiting professor at the Harvard Business School, Singapore Management University, London Business School, Copenhagen Business School, and for the past 8 years a visitor at IESE in Barcelona. What they need from you is inspiration. They need energy, even if you’re not feeling energetic that day. They need guidance. They need information. They need you to behave like a leader. What I tell people is, if you want to be authentic, you can be as authentic as you need or want to be, but you need to be authentic to what the people around you need from you. You don’t need to be authentic to how you’re feeling. 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.”

How does David beat Goliath? By breaking the rules. Goliath shows up with armor and swords. David figures that if he puts on all this armor, he won’t be able to move, let alone win the battle, so he fights by using a slingshot. Break the rules. “Violating norms, rules, and social conventions can make rule breakers seem more powerful and thereby create power for them,” Pfeffer writes. (p. 48) Rule-breaking surprises people, which causes them to pay more attention to you. And, as is often said, it’s easier to ask for forgiveness than for permission, as Moses did in starting work on New York City development projects before having the permits for them.Power is not something like a bottle of water that gets used up the more you drink it. It’s something that gets created the more effectively you use it. Overall, as the author suggested I tried to be as non judgmental and tried to take learning which resonated with me and I thought was useful. Chapter 1 on getting yourself out there and chapter 5 on networking is useful. Even the conclusion on how to strategically work through it was good. What’s the best way to move forward in increasing your own power? Among other things, Pfeffer advises: 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.

Understand that once you have acquired power, what you did to get it will be forgiven, forgotten, or both. Jeff Pfeffer’s latest leadership masterpiece is as brilliantly insightful as it is refreshingly candid and pragmatic, anchored in cutting edge scholarship . . . There is simply no competitor to the highly readable, smart, wide-ranging take on power in 7 Rules of Power.”Number two: as research by some of my various colleagues has demonstrated, networking often makes people feel dirty and like they are winning by using underhanded or inappropriate tactics. That’s something that people often don’t want to do, so I think they underinvest in networking because they feel dirty about it. They don’t see it as the value-adding activity that it is. I think this book is an essential read for anyone who is trying to enhance or improve their career and professional life. This book is also well written and has anecdotes and real-life examples to make the said things more comprehensible. There is still, unfortunately, discrimination against women. There’s discrimination against people of color. People from lower socioeconomic classes usually start at some disadvantage, and those are the people who most need the power skills because they’re not starting from the 50-yard line, if we’re using a football metaphor. They have to overcome the most obstacles to achieve career success. Stacy Brown-Philpot, former CEO, TaskRabbit, Board member, HP, Inc., and Nordstrom, Forbes 40 under 40; former head of Google’s online sales and operations in India

Craft a narrative of yourself that matches what you want the world to perceive you as and tell your story before someone else does. Do as many things to get your name out to your industry, podcasts, books, conferences. Finally, always take credit for your work, don't be afraid of self-promotion, frame it as self-evaluation of the impact you have had to your work and team.

After a lifetime of being the collaborator, team player, and ‘nice’ person, Pfeffer’s 7 Rules of Power taught me that power is not about control or greed--it is about effectiveness . . . The lessons have been transformational in my venture capital career and continue to guide my personal and professional path.” Ideas from 7 Rules of Power helped me design and live my dream career as a digital health expert. This book is a must-have for minorities and people seeking to have social impact, because we tend to shy away from the concept of power. 7 Rules reframes power and provides tactical, practical tools to actually change the world!”