5 Ways You Can Embrace Machiavellianism In Business
Many of us are familiar with the so-called Prince of Darkness, Niccolò Machiavelli. A Renaissance philosopher and politician, Machiavelli is best known for having made the following statement: It is better to be feared than loved, if you cannot be both. But to be Machiavellian today, must you resort to deception and trickery? Perhaps a better question, for you aspiring businessmen, is this: are you at a disadvantage if you do not actively blindside those you are competing with?
A definition would help. A Machiavellian utilizes cunning or merciless tactics for the purpose of self-advancement. “Cunning” is a curious word, though: it can be substituted with either “calculated” or “artful,” practices which do not necessarily require you blindside your peer(s). Let us reference The 48 Laws of Power, by Robert Greene, a book I recently read and which is decidedly Machiavellian.
Here are 5 rules which advance a Machiavellian agenda (“calculated”):
Never outshine the master
Conceal your intentions
Play to people’s fantasies
Think as you like but behave like others
Avoid the unhappy and unlucky
Here are 3 rules which are irrefutably Machiavellian (“merciless”):
Discover each man’s thumbscrew
Get others to do the work for you, but always take credit
Crush your enemy totally
Did the Lloyd Blankfein’s and Stephen Cohen’s of the world rise to the top with the aid of vicious tactics?
What are your thoughts on the relationship between Machiavellianism and success
in business, or more wholly life?
Et voluptatum similique ratione incidunt et amet pariatur. Autem illo ex nostrum neque est. Minus voluptatibus aliquid odio eum amet illo.
Et quos repellat aut et vitae sed at. Doloribus magni ut similique et est. Illo maxime deserunt aut vel voluptatem iure amet. Aperiam sed odit officiis doloremque. Numquam ab dolores veritatis.
See All Comments - 100% Free
WSO depends on everyone being able to pitch in when they know something. Unlock with your email and get bonus: 6 financial modeling lessons free ($199 value)
or Unlock with your social account...