Sport teaches life. Learning key lessons early can change our lives. When you read a book chapter, an essay, or a blog post, take a minute to ask "what did I learn?" Use 'critical thinking' to test the validity of the information.
Success follows not only performance but perception. If our performance is excellent but we are viewed as uncooperative or less collaborative, then career advancement will suffer. First impressions matter. People judge us on how we look and how we sound before they have objective data about our abilities. Eye contact and a firm handshake go a long way.
First impressions are powerful, creating "thin slices" of truth. If we want visibility in a role, then be visible. A coach recently told me that a player was at practice over 90 minutes before her practice officially started. She wanted to get extra reps. Coaches may not see everything but they see a lot.
The best way to earn a favorable eye is to make your boss look good. Your success rises with your ability to make your boss succeed.
Enthusiasm and positivity count. To promote a player, emphasize and prioritize what she can do. Don't dwell on her limitations.
Advocate for yourself. When you want a bigger role, ask "how can I earn more playing time?" The answer might be "work on consistency" or "work on passing." When we don't ask, we don't know.
Teamwork builds champions or dissolves them.
An area high school team was favored to go deep in the postseason. Before the first playoff game, one player "stole" another's boyfriend. The team split psychologically and was eliminated in the first round.
Years ago a college basketball program encountered a situation where a rift developed between the 'straight' and 'gay' players. They couldn't coexist and the team fell apart with several players transferring because of the broken culture.
The 1999 UCONN Men didn't have the resume' or the cachet of Duke which entered the Finals on a 32-game winning streak with future NBA players. Duke featured Shane Battier, Elton Brand, Corey Maggette, Trajan Langdon, and William Avery on that squad. Brand was a top NBA selection, Battier 6th, and the others were no lower than 14th. Rip Hamilton was UCONN's most celebrated player and the only one drafted (7th) in the first round. Exceptional teamwork overcame star power.
The 2004 Detroit Pistons had excellent players with Hamilton, Chauncy Billups, Rasheed and Ben Wallace, and Tayshaun Prince. But they didn't have the "conventional" star power usually seen in NBA champions. The Lakers had Shaq, Kobe, an aging Karl Malone, Gary Payton, and Derek Fisher. "Chemistry and commitment" can defeat superior forces.
Stanford Professor Jeffrey Pfeffer has made a career studying, teaching, and writing about power. Power can be used for good or evil and advancing your career depends in part on your understanding of power. Inform people about your accomplishments without bragging. But as Hall of Fame pitcher Dizzy Dean said, "If you can do it, you ain't boasting."
Here's a ChatGPT Plus 'hallucination' (what AI does) in response to a 'prompt' about Professor Pfeffer.
Jeffrey Pfeffer has built his career on studying and teaching power—how it is built, used, and maintained. In Power: Why Some People Have It—and Others Don’t, he distills decades of research into practical lessons. Here are half a dozen of his signature power principles:
1.Power Comes from Social Perception, Not Just Performance
Pfeffer argues that being seen as powerful often matters more than actual performance. People tend to equate confidence with competence, so projecting authority, decisiveness, and certainty helps build power. Those who wait to be “discovered” often never are.
2.Build a Strong Personal Brand and Reputation
Reputation acts like a form of currency in organizations. Pfeffer emphasizes visibility, recognition, and differentiation—ensuring others know who you are and what you stand for. He often cites that it’s not enough to be effective; you must also be known as effective.
3.Control Resources and Access
Power flows to those who control scarce resources—budgets, information, opportunities, or access to key people. Pfeffer stresses that resource dependence creates influence. By positioning yourself at points of leverage, you make others reliant on you.
4.Act with Boldness and Persistence
Pfeffer highlights that many people hesitate because they fear being disliked or making mistakes. Yet those who act boldly and persistently often win by default. He notes that over-caution erodes influence, while decisive action signals leadership and attracts followers.
5.Cultivate a Broad and Strategic Network
Powerful people rarely operate alone. Pfeffer insists on building diverse, deep networks across levels, departments, and industries. Connections expand access to information, amplify reputation, and create allies who can advocate when you’re not in the room.
6.Understand and Play by Organizational Rules—Not Just Ideals
Pfeffer pushes against naïve views of fairness. He reminds us that organizations often reward political skill, loyalty, and alignment more than pure merit. To succeed, one must recognize how power really works in practice—then align strategy to those realities rather than wishful ideals.
👉 Taken together, Pfeffer’s principles reflect a pragmatic worldview: power is not accidental, but something you intentionally cultivate through visibility, networks, and bold action.
Lagniappe. One way organizations underachieve is through "silos" as people hang with those like them. Upperclassmen with classmates and underclassmen with younger teammates. General Stanley McChristal achieved more in the Middle East intelligence community by breaking down silos. He shared this in "Team of Teams."
