The Power Paradox

Reviews / Votes

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 * 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 ... 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'