The 48 Laws of Power: Law 1
Last semester, I took a course called “Leadership and Managing Human Capital.” One section of the course focused on power and influence, and renewed my interest in the topics.
I’ve decided to read Robert Greene’s The 48 Laws of Power as a follow up to that unit. As I go through the 48 laws, I will detail them here, along with (hopefully) experiences in my life where the laws have come into play.
Today begins that series.
Law 1: Never Outshine the Master
The basic concept behind this law is that your superiors must not be made to feel that they are being overshadowed by you. The image is that of the sun, surrounded by stars. There can be only one sun, the brightest shining star. That is how your superior must feel. If you challenge that brilliance and attempt to crowd your superior out, you can make him/her feel insecure.
At times, it is possible to outshine the master inadvertently. If you are naturally more intelligent, charming, or humorous, you may cause your superior to feel insecure about these qualities. In these cases, you must downplay your abilities, make your master look good, and engage in (discreet) flattery.
Additionally, it is important to remember not to abuse any favor you have garnered from your superiors. Always remember your place and be patiently humble. Acting as though your superior’s high regard entitles you to act above your rank can be fatal to your quest for power.
A great example of this concept comes from the movie Casino Jack, which my wife and I saw a few weeks ago. Kevin Spacey plays the role of Jack Abramoff in the dramatization of the scandal that took down the famous lobbyist and several politicians with him.
In the movie, Abramoff begins to garner a lot of media attention for some of the big lobbying deals he brings in. In addition, he uses his favored status in the firm to try to get a good deal on purchasing the “Sunsail” floating casino chain that the firm has asked him to find a buyer for. Through these actions, Abramoff begins to outshine his well-respected law firm, and abuses his favored status, violating the first law of power. Ultimately, one of the partners takes him to a sushi place (that I happen to know to be very good) and fires him.
This law is extremely important, as it is an easy one to violate in the superior/inferior relationship. When you outshine the master, you shoot yourself in the foot.
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