Power shows up wherever people compete for resources, recognition, attention, or control. It is present in workplaces, friendships, families, and institutions, even when everyone insists it is not.
The danger is not power itself. The danger is naivety: believing words while ignoring incentives, believing appearances while ignoring leverage. Most conflicts begin because someone misreads the room and exposes themselves.
This book maps recurring tactics: how reputations are built, how alliances form, how timing matters, and how small mistakes become lifelong enemies. You do not need to become cruel to become informed. You need to become observant, disciplined, and precise, so you can choose your actions instead of being chosen by other people’s strategy.