The 48 Laws of Power & the Definition of Leadership

“The 48 Laws of Power” by Robert Greene and Joost Elffers is a book about just that – acquiring power.  An example of the laws are #7 “Get others to do the work for you but always take the credit” and law #17 “Keep others in suspended terror: create an air of unpredictability.”  The book uses examples from history (both recent and ancient) to illustrate its principles of appealling to the most basic of human emotions such as fear, ego, greed, jealousy, desire, narcissism and hubris.  The men and women in this book were all “leaders” who illustrated these darker principles of life.  I will admit that I have not read all of the book, only about 1/2 – which was enough.  The principles extolled are a road map to manipulation and achievement of goals; however the method of achievement is anti-thetical to the principles of this course.  The men in the book are well known; many are military conquerers such as Sun Tzu, Alexander the Great, and Napoleon as well as everyday men such as P.T. Barnum, founder of Barnum and Bailey’s Circus.  Each of them did lead, but at what cost?  Few if any of their empires or creations survived them; certainly those of military victory were often over-thrown themselves not long after their own bloody rise to power.

The point is not whether these men led or not, Ghengis Khan led, but was he an effective leader?  That all depends on you definition of leadership which is even more dependent on your core beliefs about life in general.  If the ends justify the means, in a Machiavellian sort of world view, then the definition of leadership is to get others to follow you.  Under that theory, torture, fear, manipulation, bribery and demand are valid leadership skills.  If however, you do not subscribe to Machiavelli’s notion, and instead ascribe to a more enlightened idea that the journey of life is as much if not more important that the destination, then the theory of leadership which involves humility, honesty, integrity, self-discipline and sacrifice are the guiding traits.  “The 48 Laws of Power” book is one valid way to manipulate others and seize control; but at what cost?  I would not want to be the sort of person who lived that life nor who was remembered that way.  My colleagues, co-workers and friends deserve more than that.  I am glad I only burned enough time to read 1/2 the book so I would know what it was about – the other 1/2 was unneccesary.

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