On Power

In On Power, Robert L. Dilenschneider, author of the bestselling Power and Influence, approaches the subject of power with the theoretical sophistication of the famous German historian Clausewitz's On War and the practical wisdom he has accumulated in a career as one of the premier public relations experts in the world. He outlines the nature and form of power and backs up his assertions with dozens of real-life examples - ranging from politicians to business leaders to figures whose power derives from moral authority. Dilenschneider begins with the simple notion that power is the ability to get things done - through the actions of others. But how do the powerful acquire power? Clearly the power of a corporate CEO is radically different from that of a senator or a celebrity, but each of these individuals exerts significant power.Today we live in an increasingly democratic and tolerant age, and Dilenschneider's basic thesis is that power is now a social function growing out of consent and proven value. To hold power, you must justify yourself; to wield power, you need not hold a powerful position in a hierarchy. The world has such powerful figures as Boutros Boutros-Ghali, Jack Welch, Bill Clinton, Robert Dole, Ross Perot, Jesse Jackson, Boris Yeltsin, and Henry Kissinger; but there are also such powerful nonpolitical figures as Bill Cosby, Peter Ueberroth, the British royal family, and Mother Teresa. Dilenschneider discusses the roles and power of all these newsmakers and many other influential people, most of whom he knows by their first names.On Power is well written and at once familiar and original. Dilenschneider draws on his entire career of working with the powerful to provide meaningful life anecdotes and solid practical advice and analysis of power. He covers, step by step, the foundation of power, its attainment, and its many manifestations. The result is provocative, stimulating, informative, and original.