I read 7 Rules of Power in 2023, the year I graduated from business school (across the country, at Columbia). I loved the book. I thought it was cohesive, and I appreciated that it briefly profiled Laura Chau, who works at Canaan (where I too was once a member of the investment team).
At CBS, one of my most useful courses was "Power and Influence." I took it as a block week, and our main assignment was to write a memo about how we would achieve a certain goal that required political capital. My memo was about launching a new startup, and I got in the weeds on the stakeholders and what I could use to enhance my perception of power. Now that I am fundraising, I consider these tactics daily, and in advance of nearly every important conversation. Even small things, like being able to control when investors are able to book meetings with me, is used to my advantage. My energy level dips after lunch, so consequently, people can only book meetings between 8am and 1pm with me!
I'm a huge Professor Pfeffer fan and so grateful for these MBA courses that make a *huge* difference in the lives of non-white men trying to navigate a political world.
What I also found in coaching Asian executives is how their reactive tendencies is deeply rooted in their childhood trauma, it is another lens through which we can heal the parts of us that are wounded due to holding on to old stories that no longer serve us so as to find peace in the present and unleash our potentials in a way that feels right to us.
I also believe that power can and should be a team sport, thank you for showing *how* that is done. So many important lessons here, but I would add the Adam Grant suggestion of thinking about being a great ancestor. Opening doors for future generations to honor the sacrifices of those who pushed through before us. Noting here for readers (apologies for the duplicate suggestion) that I think this book is a good addition to this topic speaking to the "if power is to be used for good" theme => https://a.co/d/9gI7rxm
"They grew up around power and learned how the game was played early on in their lives. They had more confidence to take risks because they knew they had a safety net to fall back on that most people don’t have. They were raised with power so they had the audacity to break the rules, never doubted themselves, and started life with the right network. "
"They" have 10-30 rounds in their magazine and can safely fail. First generation individuals like us spend decades just building up to their first bullet unfortunately. I would love to see an incubation company that holds a "Safety Net" clause - which guarantees entrepreneurs residual income to hold them over for six months. Enough to find a different discipline or job if it truly doesn't work out.
I read 7 Rules of Power in 2023, the year I graduated from business school (across the country, at Columbia). I loved the book. I thought it was cohesive, and I appreciated that it briefly profiled Laura Chau, who works at Canaan (where I too was once a member of the investment team).
At CBS, one of my most useful courses was "Power and Influence." I took it as a block week, and our main assignment was to write a memo about how we would achieve a certain goal that required political capital. My memo was about launching a new startup, and I got in the weeds on the stakeholders and what I could use to enhance my perception of power. Now that I am fundraising, I consider these tactics daily, and in advance of nearly every important conversation. Even small things, like being able to control when investors are able to book meetings with me, is used to my advantage. My energy level dips after lunch, so consequently, people can only book meetings between 8am and 1pm with me!
I'm a huge Professor Pfeffer fan and so grateful for these MBA courses that make a *huge* difference in the lives of non-white men trying to navigate a political world.
So many good tips and insights about how the game is played, from someone who has played the game well at all levels across many different fields.
I am inspired by a similar mission as a coach to women and minority leaders and look forward to changing the narrative together.
Thanks Dave! You speak for so many of us!
What I also found in coaching Asian executives is how their reactive tendencies is deeply rooted in their childhood trauma, it is another lens through which we can heal the parts of us that are wounded due to holding on to old stories that no longer serve us so as to find peace in the present and unleash our potentials in a way that feels right to us.
I also believe that power can and should be a team sport, thank you for showing *how* that is done. So many important lessons here, but I would add the Adam Grant suggestion of thinking about being a great ancestor. Opening doors for future generations to honor the sacrifices of those who pushed through before us. Noting here for readers (apologies for the duplicate suggestion) that I think this book is a good addition to this topic speaking to the "if power is to be used for good" theme => https://a.co/d/9gI7rxm
"They grew up around power and learned how the game was played early on in their lives. They had more confidence to take risks because they knew they had a safety net to fall back on that most people don’t have. They were raised with power so they had the audacity to break the rules, never doubted themselves, and started life with the right network. "
"They" have 10-30 rounds in their magazine and can safely fail. First generation individuals like us spend decades just building up to their first bullet unfortunately. I would love to see an incubation company that holds a "Safety Net" clause - which guarantees entrepreneurs residual income to hold them over for six months. Enough to find a different discipline or job if it truly doesn't work out.