48 законов власти

Read this book to learn about the lessons of empowerment.

While The Mastery is a great book, Robert Green did not become famous because of it. It was published in 1998 after taking a big risk from leaving a former job he hated, the book became a bestseller and has sold over a million copies to date.

It is especially popular with rappers and hip-hop artists, but many celebrities cite the book and mention the impact the laws have on their lives. 50 Cent is just one of them with whom Green has worked on another book. Most of the 48 laws are based on a specific historical situation, and although some of them seem to contradict each other, a valuable lesson can be learned from each.

Lesson 1: Always make your boss look smarter than you.

Here's one surefire way to avoid getting promoted: When your boss has a problem he can't solve on his computer, go up to him and when you fix it, say, “See? Here's how you do it. No problem, I'll be happy to help!

The only thing people in positions of power don't want is to appear powerless. But when you flaunt your skills right in front of them, that's exactly what happens. The French finance minister under King Louis XIV, Nicolas Fouquet, paid for this lesson with a life sentence. When he threw an over-the-top party in his castle in favor of the king, the king accused him of stealing, as no one could legally be that rich, and threw him in prison.

So instead of bragging about how good you are, make your boss look like the smartest person in the room, even if you know he isn't. Give credit and you will receive responsibility in return.

For example, when Galileo Galilei discovered the four moons of Jupiter, he could have appropriated all this glory for himself. Instead, he named them after Grand Duke Cosimo II de' Medici and his brothers. As a result, Cosimo appointed him as his official philosopher and mathematician, securing Galileo's funding for his research for years to come.

Lesson 2: Make mistakes on purpose to confuse competitors.

Sometimes it seems like your competitors are always one step ahead of you. This is probably because they have spent time and energy studying you and figuring out your patterns of behavior. When this happens, your best move is to act unpredictably. Do the opposite of what you think people expect, make a mistake on purpose, or just disappear for a while.

Misbehavior knocks people out of their analytic game, and while they're busy trying to understand your new pattern and explain your behavior, you have a chance to strike back.

This is one of the first lessons good poker players learn. If you only play hands when you hit at least a pair or better, other players will quickly pick up on you and fold every time you bet. But throw in a couple of bluffs that you settle for and walk away, even if you end up losing those hands and your opponents won't be that confident anymore.

Bobby Fischer used exactly this strategy to confuse Boris Spassky in their 1972 World Chess Championship match. He made a rookie mistake in their first game, didn't even show up for their second game (and lost on a penalty, and came back just minutes before the start of the third game). After exchanging chairs, he finally played openings completely atypical for his usual chess style, and eventually beat Spassky and became the world champion.