Rising to power in business

The Economist offers a fascinating summary of the new book by Stanford’s Jeffrey Pfeffer, Power: Why Some People Have It and Others Don’t. The key requirement is to get into the right department and specialty. As with starting a business, riding a rising tide by choosing a growing, lucrative sector makes everything else easier and success more likely. Once you are in the right place, three practices help you rise to power:

1. Manage up. Ask for help and mentoring; flatter your seniors; and make a good impression.
2. Be a bridge or node. Nurture relationships across departments and levels; be able to call on the right person to get key information or smooth a transaction.
3. Practice loyalty. Persevere with difficult postings. Don’t change companies for short term advantage.