The Power Paradox: How We Gain and Lose Influence - Hardcover

Keltner, Dacher

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 184614695X ISBN 13: 9781846146954

Publisher: Allen Lane, 2016

Synopsis

A revolutionary rethinking of everything we know about power

It shapes every interaction we have, whether we're trying to get a two-year-old to eat green vegetables or ask for a promotion at work. But how do we really gain power? And what does it do to us?

As renowned psychologist Dacher Keltner reveals, the new science of power shows that our Machiavellian view of status is wrong. Influence comes not to those who are ruthless, but to those with socially intelligence and empathy. Yet, ironically, the seductions of success lead us to lose those very qualities that made us powerful in the first place. Keltner draws on fascinating case studies to illuminate this 'power paradox', revealing how it shapes not just companies and elections but everyday relationships. As his myth-busting research shows, power - and powerlessness - distorts our behaviour, affecting whether or not we will have an affair, break the law, drive recklessly or find our purpose in life.

In twenty original 'power principles', Keltner shows how we can retain power by maintaining a focus on others. By redefining power as the ability to do good, The Power Paradox turns everything we know about influence, status and inequality upside down.

About this title

Review

There cannot be many business school academics with a hotline to Hollywood. But Dacher Keltner has become something of a go-to guy for Tinseltown since advising on Inside Out ... Prof Keltner is in demand for his work on decoding emotions, which has culminated in a book explaining how people gain and lose power, based on the studies of executive behaviour he has undertaken over 20 years ... Five centuries after Niccolò Machiavelli shaped our cultural references to how people rise up the ranks, the author has designs on the legacy of the Italian Renaissance writer, aiming to dilute it with a theory of collaborative power trumping coercive power (Financial Times)

Lively and intriguing ... The Power Paradox delivers a much-needed dose of positivity in the study of how managers and leaders can get the best out of their workers and populations (Prospect)

The Westminster old guard sat all around him may not realise it, but Dacher Keltner and his ideas may pose a severe challenge to their way of doing business. And it gets worse: as he and his cohorts render them obsolete, they will rub it in by being nice to them (Archie Bland Guardian)

Dacher Keltner is the most interesting psychologist in America. He's busy changing the minds of Americans about how power works, how inequality works. It's only a matter of time before his ideas spread everywhere. And unlike most psychologists I know, he's not a weirdo (Michael Lewis, author of 'The Big Short', 'Flash Boys', and 'Boomerang')

The Power Paradox brings clarity to our confusion, brimming with evidence-based insights into powerlessness, the selfish uses of power, and the best kind: power that furthers the greater good. Dacher Keltner's brilliant research gives us a lens that lets us see afresh hidden patterns in society, politics, and our own lives. No doubt this will be one of the most significant science books of the decade (Daniel Goleman, author of 'Emotional Intelligence' and 'A Force for Good: The Dalai Lama’s Vision for Our World')

Keltner shares insights into many aspects of power, including afternoon tea in Britain and how Lincoln won the presidency. His combination of academic sophistication and clear style delivers a new concept of power in our society today that is provocative and intriguing (Sheryl WuDunn, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and author of 'Half the Sky: How to Change the World')

That power is not taken but given is true for most human relations today. It has ancient roots in primate behavior. Dacher Keltner applies a lifetime of research to this topic, offering a lively description of how true power is like a return on a social investment in others (Frans de Waal, author of 'Are We Smart Enough to Know How Smart Animals Are?')

With personal insight and the latest science, Keltner is both realistic and idealistic: The Power Paradox sheds light on human power's dark side, as well as its redeeming qualities. Everyone can learn from this wise book (Susan T. Fiske, Professor of Psychology at Princeton and author of 'Social Cognition')

Dacher Keltner's focus on power as doing good for others is a refreshing change from a Machiavellian perspective and helps us to better understand what the - much more fulfilling - target of ambition should be (Kate Pickett, co-author of 'The Spirit Level')

From the Back Cover

'Dacher Keltner is the most interesting psychologist in America' Michael Lewis

'Keltner's brilliant research gives us a lens that lets us see afresh hidden patterns in society, politics, and our own lives. No doubt this will be one of the most significant science books of the decade' Daniel Goleman, author of Emotional Intelligence

'His combination of academic sophistication and clear style delivers a new concept of power in our society today that is provocative and intriguing' Sheryl WuDunn, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and author of Half the Sky: How to Change the World

'Dacher Keltner applies a lifetime of research to this topic, offering a lively description of how true power is like a return on a social investment in others' Frans de Waal, author of Are We Smart Enough to Know How Smart Animals Are?

'Everyone can learn from this wise book' Susan T. Fiske, Professor of Psychology at Princeton and author of Social Cognition

Edition details

• Publisher: Allen Lane
• Publication date: 2016
• ISBN 10: 184614695X
• ISBN 13: 9781846146954
• Binding: Hardcover
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 208