People are the Name of the Game: How to be More Successful in Your Career--and Life
By Jeffrey Pfeffer and Ross Walker
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About this ebook
Jeffrey Pfeffer
Jeffery Pfeffer is the Thomas D. Dee II Professor of Organizational Behavior at the Graduate School of Business, Stanford University, where he has taught since 1979. He is the author or co-author of thirteen books, and he has held visiting professorships at the Harvard Business School, London Business School, IESE Business School in Spain, and other institutions.
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People are the Name of the Game - Jeffrey Pfeffer
ISBN: 9781626753457
INTRODUCTION
Everyone intuitively understands that success requires the ability to effectively build relationships—to network. Gerald Ferris, a professor at Florida State University, has written numerous articles and a book on political skill.¹ Ferris consistently finds that a) political skill is an important factor affecting individual career success and job performance, net of factors such as education and experience; and b) that networking ability is one of four measurable and consistently critical political skills. But networking ability is not just important for career success—it is also crucial for getting things accomplished and making change inside organizations in both the public and the private sector. As Rudy Crew, currently the chief education officer for the state of Oregon and the former Chancellor of the New York City school system, noted in talking about organizational change, The unit of change in schools, the unit of change in any organization, is a personal relationship.
In spite of the fact that people understand that networking is important, few spend enough time on this activity or do it with sufficient skill—this in spite of the fact there are numerous books and cases on the topic. There are surely many reasons for people not doing something they know they should, but one important cause of the problem is that people often look at networking as something that is not them
or that they could not see themselves doing. They are daunted by the task and believe it requires inauthentic, uncomfortable behavior and is an activity that is inconsistent with focusing on job performance. Also, some people have the notion that they can just know or hire people with the desired network if necessary. However, why not be self-sufficient and work on this skill? Do it yourself—it can be fun and productive. And as research by University of Chicago professor Ronald Burt has demonstrated, being even one step removed from the person with the network almost completely reduces the relationship benefits to you—simply put, networking is not something that can, or should, be outsourced.²
Ross Walker's story illustrates all of these points. Walker, who came from a modest background in a San Francisco suburb, graduated from Stanford's Graduate School of Business in 2005. After several student groups in Professor Jeffrey Pfeffer's Paths to Power class wrote their group projects on Walker, Pfeffer wrote a case that described Walker's path to power following business school—a path importantly shaped by Walker's ability to build relationships and an efficient and effective social network. After presenting a modified version of the case that updates Walker's career below, Walker and Pfeffer answer the most commonly asked questions from people who seek to emulate his success. We will be updating the questions and answers as we receive and reply to more inquiries.
But first a comment about Ross Walker. When Pfeffer wrote the case on Walker, the very creation of the case surprised many of his classmates. Why Walker? Others from his class were seemingly much more impressive, stood out more, appeared to be more powerful. Ross Walker is easy to underestimate. In fact, being underestimated and under the radar is undoubtedly one factor that has helped his career success. In financial parlance, it is easier to exceed expectations if those expectations are not completely over the top or in your face. And not appearing to be a competitive or aggressive threat to others provokes fewer countermoves and defensive reactions.
But make no mistake—Ross Walker is very competitive and well-connected, and he is building an extremely successful career in the real estate and hospitality industry. He was one of the youngest individuals to ever serve on Stanford University's Board of Trustees. He has a