The Power Paradox: How We Gain and Lose Influence

If you don’t have a plan, your actions will be determined by someone else. By refusing to make the effort to move in the direction you think is best, you’re ceding Power to those who do have plans. Refuse to understand that Power is important, and you’re likely to find that any influence you have rapidly disappears. The only way to win is to decide

Your path to power is going to be easier if you are aligned with a compelling, socially valuable objective. That doesn’t mean you are cynically using some social cause for your own gain—just that to the extent you can associate your efforts with a socially desirable, compelling value, you increase your likelihood of success.