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?