The Science of Personal Power: How to Build Confidence, Create Success, and Obtain Freedom

by Chris Lipp

Why do some professionals rise in leadership while others plateau, despite equal or greater ability?

In the workplace, strong performance is only the baseline. What separates capable professionals from those who advance is their personal power. Personal power is the essence of respect – both your self-respect and the respect you earn from others. It is your ability to feel confident and command attention.

In The Science of Personal Power, professor and executive coach Chris Lipp reveals the psychology behind personal power and how it shapes your executive presence. Drawing on decades of research, he shows that your power evolves through how you speak, how firmly you hold your boundaries, and how you carry yourself under pressure.

When preparing for a promotion, leading a team, or engaging in high-stakes conversations, your ability to signal power determines how seriously you are taken. This book will help you shift from leading with likability to leading with respect. Project power and you are seen as confident and capable, accelerating your path to greater status and authority. At the same time, you experience less stress because you are not performing. You are operating from a more powerful foundation.

In this book, you will learn

Shape how others perceive your leadership Develop executive presence Set boundaries that increase respect  

Blending rigorous science with real-world leadership stories, The Science of Personal Power offers you a blueprint for building unshakeable confidence and ensuring your leadership is recognized, earning you a seat at the table.

227 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 31, 2024

Reviews

[James Goen · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a person raised in a way to be dominated by others, Chris Lipp’s books provides real tangible insights and perspectives on how to reattach to my own internal anchors. It’s a book about finding your perspective, voice, and value in life with real practical tools to work on increasing your personal power.

This book has real potential to transform people who feel low powered or powerless into people who recognize their own intrinsic value and obtaining their place of belonging with other powerful people.

My one regret is that the anchoring on the word power versus another word such as status will ether turn people off to reading this book who should, or encourage people to use its contents in a way to dominate others.

I’m glad I can across this book and it will be a top recommendation going forward.

[Marcel Chin · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Science of Personal Power by Chris Lipp is a very solid book about how to appear powerful without coming across as dominant or unlikeable. It focuses on practical behaviors and reactions that work both in business and in personal situations.

At times, the book feels a bit messy and jumps quite quickly from one example to another. But interestingly, those examples are also what make the book work so well. They make the concepts tangible and easier to actually feel and understand, rather than just read.

What I especially liked are the exercises at the end of each chapter. They make the whole thing practical and help translate the ideas into real-life behavior.

For me, being in a phase where I’m taking on more responsibility at work, this book was genuinely valuable. It’s also a quick and easy read, which makes it even more recommendable.

[RYAN PHAM · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dust Jacket Cover

Interesting read. Out of all the things to come out from Professor Chris Lipp, a self-help book centered around being authentic to yourself and radiating change outwards was not on my bingo card. It's a very useful book for those who come from conformist cultures and upbringings. It would have been a gamechanger for me if I read it earlier in my personal journey. However, since I am now reading this at a point where I am already more comfortable with myself, the main themes of the book aren't as impactful for me as I was hoping. Overall, I would HEAVILY recommend this book for the average person who feels like they have to front to survive at work.

[JD Schramm · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book beautifully blends remarkable storytelling with rigorous research to fill a void in our understanding of Power. Chris Lipp has offered a gift to educators and executives alike with his clear approach to enhance our personal power in personal and professional arenas. This book is practical, but not simply a list of tactics to try. It's a well-crafted approach we can all use to own and exercise our personal power with integrity and authenticity. I highly recommend it.

[Amitabh · Rating 5 out of 5]

loved it.

Really practical, original, and one I finished. Wish I had this book with me 25 years ago, when I began my career.

[Lindsey Tashakkor · Rating 5 out of 5]

It helps me to find myself again. Thanks.