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Nothing more enhances authority than silence.

Authority is 20% given and 80% taken!

Don't ask for power. Seek influence. It lasts longer.

I recall a Douglas MacArthur biographer who claimed that the one piece of advice that MacArthur most valued (which was passed on to him by one of his military forbearers) was "Never give an order that can't be obeyed."

diversity in counsel, unity in command

To get power you need to display absolute pettiness, to exercise power you need to show true greatness.

Knowledge isn't power; the ability to act on knowledge is power.

Most firms grossly overinvest in technologies that let people see what's going on and dramatically underinvest in delegation and true empowerment.

The purpose of all rulers is the well being of those they rule.

No man is fit to command another that cannot command himself.

Note: Business 2.0 is now part of CNNmoney and some older articles are no longer available

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Information is not always powerÂ…Privilege and power accrue to those who have the capacity to define the systems within which information will be exchanged.

There are two thoughts that often get lost in the discussion about being effective in building and using influence: Don't assume you have all the right answers-that's why a strong team is essential. And, above all, do the right thing-not only for business or economic impact, but also for social and philosophical implications. Ultimately, power is the ability to influence and facilitate change, and people naturally rally around leaders who do the right thing consistently.

There's no difference between a man with no power and a man with power who doesn't use it at all.

The concept of uncertainty provides the basis for a rigorous understanding of power in human behavioral systems. Power is the capability to act in - and on - the system: it is a function of the uncertainties one controls for other members in the system. Actors with power set the rules of the collective game and thus influence the behavior of others. In this way, actors that have power are able to minimize their own uncertainty and thus expand their freedom to purse their goals

He who controls others may be powerful, but he who has mastered himself is mightier still.

Contrary to popular belief, your decisions don't drive your long term success - your decisiveness does. Said another way, when you reach a crossroads on any issue, the act of choosing creates power, not the choice itself. The issue is momentum. No matter what you choose, when you commit boldly with conviction, you create momentum. When you hesitate you don't. And success is built on momentum.

We're all taught the Lord Acton saying that power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely. But the more time I spend looking into power, the less I feel that is always true. What I do feel is invariably correct--what power always does--is reveal. Power reveals. When a leader gets enough power, when he doesn't need anybody anymore--when he's president of the United States or CEO of a major corporation--then we can see how he always wanted to treat people, and we can also see--by watching what he does with his power--what he wanted to accomplish all along.

No one can lead who does not first acquire power, and no leader can be great who does not know how to use power. The trouble is that the combination of the two skills is rare. The temperament and behavior of the ambitious, cynical player adept at amassing power is often at odds with those of the daring and imaginative visionary able to achieve great things with that power.

We're all taught the Lord Acton saying that power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely. But the more time I spend looking into power, the less I feel that is always true. What I do feel is invariably correct-what power always does-is reveal. Power reveals. When a leader gets enough power, when he doesn't need anybody anymore-when he's president of the United States or CEO of a major corporation-then we can see how he always wanted to treat people, and we can also see-by watching what he does with his power-what he wanted to accomplish all along.

Power is based on the ability of one party to influence those things (the "stakes") that matter to other parties to a degree that causes those other parties to eventually do something they would not have done without the first part's actual or implied intervention. Despite popular belief, power is not particularly related to an imbalance of information available to the parties. Instead, the asymmetry relates to the terms of exchange in a relationship: the reciprocal possibilities of action. The imbalance - thus the "power" - comes from the fact that A can make a greater difference regarding stakes that matter to B than the reverse...Power is not an attribute of people. Rather, it stems from a relationship tied to a situation.

They who are in the highest places, and have the most power, have the least liberty, because they are most observed.

Using your authority to beat people down in your company may help you in the short term, but it isn't good for morale. Most savvy, sophisticated executives are natural wooers because they understand that one of the most important things to people is their self-esteem, and it's counterproductive to force people to go along with your idea rather than convince them of its merits. When you sell your ideas, you have to think about long-term feelings and relationships. It's about building support over time. It's about what will hook colleagues and get them excited.

Whenever change is on the agenda, the power of relationships trumps the power of position.

In psychological science, power is defined as one's capacity to alter another person's condition or state of mind by providing or withholding resources—such as food, money, knowledge, and affection—or administering punishments, such as physical harm, job termination, or social ostracism. This definition de-emphasizes how a person actually acts, and instead stresses the individual's capacity to affect others. Perhaps most importantly, this definition applies across relationships, contexts, and cultures. It helps us understand how children can wield power over their parents from the time they're born, or how someone—say, a religious leader—can be powerful in one context (on the pulpit during a Sunday sermon) but not another (on a mind numbingly slow line at the DMV come Monday morning). By this definition, one can be powerful without needing to try to control, coerce, or dominate. Indeed, when people resort to trying to control others, it's often a sign that their power is slipping.

When we seek equality, we are seeking an effective balance of power, not the absence of power. We use it to win consent and social cohesion, not just compliance. To be human is to be immersed in power dynamics.

One of the central questions concerning power is who gets it. Researchers have confronted this question for years, and their results offer a sharp rebuke to the Machiavellian view of power. It is not the manipulative, strategic Machiavellian who rises in power. Instead, social science reveals that one's ability to get or maintain power, even in small group situations, depends on one's ability to understand and advance the goals of other group members. When it comes to power, social intelligence - reconciling conflicts, negotiating, smoothing over group tensions - prevails over social Darwinism.

When I talk about S&M, I'm talking about seduction and manipulation. The most successful people in business, warfare, politics, and life itself are masters of the art of manipulation. But it's the combination of the two that is important, because people who are manipulators are seen as selfish and in the wrong. Manipulate is a dirty word, but if you combine it with seduction — that is, charm and benevolence — so that the other person is going to benefit as much as you are, then it will work to your advantage. Most people actually enjoy being handled as long as you don't hurt them or operate maliciously. They won't resent you for manipulating them if you give them something in return, like helping them to be better at their jobs or better people.

Being powerful is like being a lady. If you have to tell people you are, you aren't.

Subsidiarity… means that power belongs to the lowest possible point in the organization. ...Subsidiarity, therefore, is the reverse of empowerment. It is not the center giving away or delegating power. Instead, power is assumed to lie at the lowest point in the organization and it can be taken away only by agreement.

Power made me a coat. For a long time I kept it in the back of my closet. I didn't like to wear it much but I always took good care of it. When I first started wearing it again, it smelled like mothballs. As I wore it more, it started fitting better, and stopped smelling like mothballs.

I was afraid if I wore the coat too much someone would want to take it or else I would accidentally leave it in the ... dressing room. But it has my name on the label now and it doesn't really fit anyone else. When people ask me where I found such a becoming garment, I tell them about the tailor who knows how to make coats that you grow into. First, you have to find the courage to approach him and ask him to make your coat. Then, you must find the patience inside yourself to wear the coat until it fits.

Many of us learn the need to be liked by everyone early in our lives — it's something to get over if you are going to negotiate a path to power.