Having knowledge and skills will get you jobs, but knowing how to deal with power struggles and adversity is what will earn you a strong and successful career.
Therefore, understanding war strategies and laws of power and correctly applying them is what will lead you to lasting and peaceful career progress. In other words, you need to know when to fight vs. when to play it cool.
The secret is to manage to stay on everyone’s good side, make more friends and avoid making enemies, and pick only fights that you can win. Therefore, learning how to deal with power struggles and influential people is a critical skill to have. But the challenge is no school or employer wants to teach these life-altering insights.
But how do you develop the appropriate skills?
Luckily, you can learn them by yourself if you have appropriate support and resources. For example, this post shares 6 books—filled with secrets— that powerful and influential people keep up their sleeves.
I am not sure these secrets are for you, but take a look at the list below. CBL is totally fine with letting you in on these powerful secrets. But it’s up to you as a smart professional to explore them.
Let’s dive in.
- The 33 Strategies of War by Robert Greene. This book discusses how the world’s top politicians, business moguls, samurais, and diplomats amass power and maintain control. Each chapter teaches how to navigate problematic situations, deal with conflicts, and avoid disastrous confrontations.
- The Art of War– Spirituality for Conflict: Annotated & Explained: Sun Tzu’s military masterpiece has been upgraded by Thomas Huynh to be more relevant to us. The 2500-year-old teachings of General Sun Tzu make you ready to face almost every curveball life might throw at you.
More Resources on How to Deal with Power Struggles

- The 48 Laws of Power by Robert Greene. A book about gaining and mastering power and control. Be it self-defense, conquest, or simply understanding war strategies, this book divulges many secrets that help leverage and manage power.
- The 50th Law. A collaborative wonder between Robert Greene and musical icon 50 Cent, this book is rooted in the principle of fearlessness. It’s also based on 50 Cent’s struggle in life and rise to fame. This book is a must-read for aspiring champions.
- The Prince by the fascinating Niccolo Machiavelli. The book is a literary manual on the art of power. The book gives insights into the workings of human society.
- About Face: The Odyssey of an American Warrior. Colonel David H. Hackworth’s bestseller is a grim and realistic portrayal of the face of war. A vivid display of patriotism and the intricacies of warfare takes this book to the next level, making it a valuable work on the subject.
Do you have questions or need support on the topic? Email the CBL Team now and check out our book: Creating Winning Career Systems. Please share this post with your smart friends.
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