Having a keen understanding of power and influence is critical if one aims to become a leader of consequence. This course has three objectives: 1) increasing students' ability to diagnose and analyze power and politics in organizational situations; 2) enhancing students' ability to acquire and exercise power successfully; and 3) helping students come to terms with their own ambivalence toward having and using power. In short, the goal of this course is to enable you to be agentic and still remain authentic. Topics covered include: the primary sources of power, including individual attributes and structural position; dealing with resistance and conflict; obtaining allies and supporters; maintaining influence; how and why power is lost; and the use of strong communication and body language in exercising power. The class involves a large number of written, self-reflective assignments and an individual project--a personal plan for developing your own path to power. To wit, the class focuses both on learning conceptual material and applying it to catalyze your career.
3 units · GSB Letter Graded
Having a keen understanding of power and influence is critical if one aims to become a leader of consequence. This course has three objectives: 1) increasing students' ability to diagnose and analyze power and politics in organizational situations; 2) enhancing students' ability to acquire and exercise power successfully; and 3) helping students come to terms with their own ambivalence toward having and using power. In short, the goal of this course is to enable you to be agentic and still remain authentic. Topics covered include: the primary sources of power, including individual attributes and structural position; dealing with resistance and conflict; obtaining allies and supporters; maintaining influence; how and why power is lost; and the use of strong communication and body language in exercising power. The class involves a large number of written, self-reflective assignments and an individual project--a personal plan for developing your own path to power. To wit, the class focuses both on learning conceptual material and applying it to catalyze your career.
Offered in Winter 2026, Spring 2026 at Stanford University.