A book on Laws of Power

The book that was haunting me.

There are a few books which you may have come across in your life, but never bothered to read it. You must have seen its cover many times, but still no interest sparked inside. But then these are the books which actually haunt you also. Your mind will always long to read it once. It will remain fixated on the same book only unless it is not finished reading.

For me, the book which haunted me was “The 48 Laws of Power” by Robert Greene. Then one day as I was strolling in the vicinity of my society, I found the secondhand bookstall where this book was resting majestically. That day I could not resist buying it and thus instantly purchased it (regardless of the five unread books lying on my shelf).

This book details critical laws of power which govern human.

This book has a set of forty-eight laws. But it is not necessary that I agree with all of them.

For example, one agreeable law is Law#4 – Always Say Less Than Necessary. It states that powerful people impress and intimidate by saying less. Because the more you say, there is more chance to say something foolish.

Let us see an example from the past.

Coriolanus was a great military hero in ancient Rome. Romans used to consider him a legendary figure. But then in 454 BC, he decided to enter into politics. Polling begins with multiple public speeches. He delivered his first speech focusing on his scars gained during 17 years of war and proofs of valor and patriotism. This made the audience’s eyes fill with tears.

After this, his victory seemed certain. Then, he again came back for the next round of speech. But this time his speech was filled with arrogance and self-boasting. People did not like this and as a result voted against him. He lost the election. He finally returned to the battleground.

But again, he came back, and started criticizing everything from the system to the concept of democracy itself. This made people so angry that they started asking for a death penalty against him. After some deliberation, he was given a lifelong banishment.

This is an example of how speaking much can change the status of a glorified warrior to a person no one wants to see. The more Coriolanus said, the less powerful he appeared. It is true that a person who cannot control his words cannot control himself also and becomes unworthy of respect.

I have observed the same in offices also. If a colleague speaks unnecessarily, people start assuming his statements as non-credible. Even in a meeting, a person who speaks optimally and wherever necessary, actually wins the game.

I have learnt that it is better to listen more and speak only when you are 100% sure and have something to add value to the conversation.

One law with which I disagree.

There is law#7 – Get others to do the work for you, but always take the credit. I disagree with this law (but I am accepting that I can be wrong too). It states to use the wisdom and knowledge of other people to further own causes. Even though I disagree, this law holds true with one of the most brilliant minds ever – Mr. Nikola Tesla.

Tesla met Edison in New York. He used to work for 18 hours a day to improve the primitive dynamo model of Edison. But when finally, he cracked the code and made the better version, he was just given $50k as a humor.

“Everybody steals in commerce and industry. I’ve stolen a lot myself. But I know how to steal.”

– Thomas Edison

One more incident is there. Tesla believed in Alternating Current (AC) unlike Edison who favored Direct Current (DC). After this clash of ideology, Edison stopped the support and started sabotaging Tesla’s work. Then, Tesla approached the businessperson, Mr. George Westinghouse. Mr. Westinghouse agreed to fund the program and offered a generous royalty on future profits.

Even though AC systems have become a norm now, his name got lost in the mayhem. People even came to associate Tesla’s invention with Westinghouse. Mr. Westinghouse did not even pay the royalties as agreed (paid only $200K instead of $12 mn).

These incidents show that it is better to get others to work for you while you take the credit.

I disagree with this law. I know that the world works on harsh realities. But the world is also filled with outliers. For example, it was the idea of Mr. Kissinger to arrange a visit of then USA President Mr. Nixon to China. It would not have been successful without the diplomatic skill of Mr. Kissinger, but he never took credit for it. Maybe he secretly knew that the truth would come out later (or he might have also taken the credit of his juniors, oops!).

I somewhere came across the line – “People may not remember your designation, but they will always remember how you made them feel.” I believe not running after the credit can be a unique way to make someone feel special. It would require delayed gratification, but the returns would be high. This law needs to be used in a balanced way keeping reality check in mind.

There are other great laws too like never outsmart your boss or convert your enemy to your biggest friend.

This book is a gem. There are very few books which can be considered as MUST READ and it is definitely one of them.

What makes this book unique?

First is the structure. The chapters are divided into transgression, observance, and reversal along with judgement in the starting. It creates a proper flow for readers.

Second is the lessons from the past. The stories from the past add the element of trust and reliability in the law. Even another author, Mr. Morgan Housel (the author of “The Psychology of Money”), says that there are some fundamental aspects of humanity which never change such as envy, greed, and fear. This proves that history can always be referred to understand the present and future.

Third, reading this book would feel like a debate with the author. It is very interactive and keeps the reader close to the pages. After all, the debate is definitely going to be an intellectual one with only a win-win situation for readers.

Fourth, it is a light read and yet filled with precious insight.

In a nutshell,

This book can really give a perspective on how the world is governed and operates. Do give it a read.

Happy weekend!

(Disclaimer: The views expressed are personal.)

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