Business Quote by Jeffrey Pfeffer
“Consider the many financial industry executives who walked away with many millions as their organizations failed - I think the expression is "failing upward." People also need to understand that their "technical" job performance is correlated with their career success, but again, many other factors such as educational credentials, length of service, and yes, political skills, also contribute to success. So people need to understand business and technical issues but they also need to master organizational dynamics.”
About This Quote
Source Book: Power: Why Some People Have It and Others Don't, Jeffrey Pfeffer, 2010
Success in business depends on technical skill, education, tenure, and political savvy, not just performance.
In simple terms: Career success mixes skill, credentials, experience, and politics.
Key Takeaway
Cultivate both expertise and organizational savvy.
Themes
career
politics
skill
education
experience
Mood
reflective
analytical
Type
advice
analysis
When to use this quote
- job interviews
- promotion negotiations
- leadership development
- networking events
Key Concepts
human capital
social capital
organizational behavior
Questions to Reflect On
- How can you improve your political influence?
- What non‑technical factor most limits your progress?
A Different Perspective
Technical skill alone cannot guarantee advancement.
![“[S]ometimes, when you are a food person, the possible irrelevance of what you are doing doesn’t cross your mind until it’s too late. (Once, for example, when I was just starting out in the food business, I was hired by the caper people to develop a lot of recipes using capers, and it was weeks of…” quote by Nora Ephron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/d79/nora-ephron-1217_business_s-ometimes-when-you-are-a-food-person-th_980.jpg)
![“If the State does not acquire supremacy over [vast private] enterprises, it becomes their puppet, and they become the real State.” quote by Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/bad/bertrand-russell-69_acquire_if-the-state-does-not-acquire-supremacy_1379.jpg)
