Acting with Power
Downloadable audio file
This is a book designed to change the way we think about power in very fundamentals ways. Informed by twenty years of research on the psychology of power, as well as her own personal experiences, Acting with Power is both a prescription for anyone struggling with authority issues, but also social commentary on how we so often misinterpret power and in doing so, fail to live up to our own ideals. We watch people make naked power grabs and cringe, turning away from embracing power as something that is within the realm of the narcissistic. It feels incongruent with our values, with being a good person. What Gruenfeld argues is that in fact it is impossible to be a good person- one who is respected by others and ourselves- without getting comfortable with power. A good person does what's best for the group and sometimes that means standing up for others with less power, putting a bad actor in their place, or letting someone else be in charge so that the group can move forward. What's necessary, then, is becoming fluent in the language of power- easily capable of dominance and skilled at deference. In other words, responsive to the hierarchical circumstances,
knowing one's status within the group and using that knowledge to earn power and increased status.Buy now!
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- ISBN: 9781782836896
- Author: Deborah Gruenfeld
- Pub date: 02.04.20
- RRP: $50.00
- Format: Downloadable audio file
Author
Deborah Gruenfeld
Deborah Gruenfeld is a social psychologist who has been teaching at the Stanford Graduate School of Business for almost 15 years. She created one of the most popular course there called Acting With power which is the inspiration for writing this book.
She has a Masters in Journalism from NYU and a PhD in Psychology from University of Illinois. She began her academic career at Northwestern before being recruited to come to Stanford. She is widely published in her field and is a frequent keynote andfeatured speaker at executive conferences and internal events at large corporations.