The 48 Laws Of Power Summary By Robert Greene

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Robert Greene’s book The 48 Laws of Power explains how to gain control and influence in every circumstance.

The book provides examples of each law in action throughout history. It also gives instances of those who do not adhere to these rules. Some laws may appear sneaky to a cynical person, and some of them actually are. Nevertheless, each one is rooted in the subtleties of human nature. In the end, it’s more important to comprehend them and use them to your benefit than to deny their existence.

the 48 laws of power summary by robert greene

Now Let’s see the most important lessons from this book

Make People Rely On You

Many people think that building relationships with strong supervisors is essential to having an impact at work. Greene suggests that you avoid it.

If you make a mistake, the strong boss will fire you and bring on a new team member. Instead, he proposes a novel notion. Make them depend on you until they are unable to function without you by selecting a weak boss. Make them part of your destiny so that they can’t easily get rid of you. Be the sole person capable of doing what you do to accomplish this. It’s crucial, though, that your manager does not view you as a threat.

In the 14th century, several illustrious knights fought for their rulers. They received what? They were executed, sent to prison, or deported. Not being appreciative was not the problem. The reality was that there were countless more who were equally strong and brave. Their lords may easily take their place.

You get total control of the situation when people come to depend on you. When someone depends fully on you, controlling them is simpler. Therefore, avoid educating your employees to the point of independence.

Protect Your Life With Your Reputation

Your reputation is crucial if you want to achieve influence. You can intimidate someone and prevail only on the strength of your reputation. A solid reputation may provide you an advantage by making potential adversaries uncertain. With little energy expended, it increases your presence and abilities.

However, if you damage that reputation, you’ll be vulnerable to attacks from all directions. Build a solid reputation for yourself. Always keep an eye out for potential hazards and take steps to counter them before they materialize.

Create your authority from nothing as a young professional. Establish a reputation for being reliable, well-organized, and diligent. However, a single error could damage your reputation.

If you drink too much, you could seem foolish on just one night out. Your reputation could suffer if you arrive at an important meeting unprepared or late.

There is a difference between what you want people to remember you for and how you want to maintain that reputation.

Always Keep Your Intents Secret

It’s rarely a good idea to reveal your true intentions. If others don’t concur with you, there may be a tense argument.

Make use of the tendency for people to believe what they see. To mislead your intended audience, utilise red herrings and decoys. By isolating oneself from the outside world, you cannot conceal your genuine motives. Instead, talk constantly about them—just not the ones you want to pursue. If you come across as friendly, honest, and reliable, it will perplex your adversaries.

Use smoke screens to mask your actions. One thing at a time is all anyone can concentrate on. They have no way of knowing if the person they are conversing with has a different strategy.

People will think you are nice and honest if you keep your motivations a secret. They will be misled by it. When they realize what you’re doing, it will already be too late. People are more likely to trust the predictable and hence be less suspicious of your motives.

Don’t pretend to be flawless.

Being perceived as superior to others is never safe. The most hazardous of all, though, is to come across as too perfect. Only the dead and gods are flawlessly perfect.

One becomes more scrutinised the more they try to “appear” perfect. Disappointment and pressure could follow. In a job interview, it’s most probable that you’ll be questioned about your shortcomings. The response “none” is untrue. The best course of action is to openly admit your shortcomings in minor areas.

As you develop power, you will unavoidably come into the spotlight. You shouldn’t take all the credit, though. Act instead in a way that makes your success seem “attainable” to your “audience.”

Envy produces insidious foes. Others become arrogant or hypocritical as a result of it. Both are warnings of impending calamity. It’s a good idea to occasionally show your weaknesses and confess to harmless vices. You could argue that circumstance or luck had a role in your success. This avoids jealousy and gives you a more friendly and human appearance.

Avoid committing to anyone.

Never align yourself with a cause or viewpoint that is not your own. By maintaining your independence, you maintain control since other people will vie for your attention. The opposing factions can also be made to fight one another.

If you let others think they “own” you, you lose all influence over them. If you do not express your feelings, though, they will work even harder to win you over. Keep your distance, and they’ll pay close attention to you. Not scaring them off or giving the impression that you can’t commit is the goal. You need to stir things up, grab people’s attention, and make them want you.

Keep away from pointless disputes. Show some curiosity while letting others battle as you stand by and take it all in. It’s a typical tactic to instigate a conflict between two organizations in order to obtain power by mediating it.

It is ideal to speak less than necessary.

Influential people intimidate and impress others by speaking less. If you talk a lot, you run the risk of looking silly and making a mistake.

People get irritated by silence, therefore they will anxiously fill it.
Saying less makes you appear more sly and secretive.
Never use sarcasm; it rarely serves a purpose.
You run the danger of arousing suspicion or anxiety by keeping quiet. You might be able to fit in if you play the jester.

One of the simplest ways to harm oneself is to surround oneself with unhappy people.

It may sound harsh, but that’s the reality. As much as they would like you to believe so, such people are generally not random victims. Instead, they consciously set out to hurt both themselves and other people.

Keep in mind that even when people don’t mean it, their feelings, attitudes, and beliefs can spread quickly. You run the risk of becoming collateral damage the more you expose yourself to these types of people.

Don’t try to explain yourself, help them, or argue with them. Don’t even recommend these individuals to friends. They are referred to as “infectors” by Greene. Cut your links right away and leave the area if you suspect you are tied to an infector. Anything less puts you in serious danger of becoming caught up in their problems.

What you can do instead is as follows. Make the most of the intelligence, success, and experience of those who bring you joy. Allow their positive traits to “infect” you and improve your mood.

Never ask for people’s forgiveness or appreciation; instead, always appeal to their self-interest

Understanding the requirements of the other person is essential to the art of asking for assistance. Even the most well-known person has goals. They will consider you pitiful or pointless if you don’t speak to their interests.

Nobody will hear your cries for help while you beg and scream. Due to their concerns and interests, the majority of individuals are just unwilling to support you.

If you desire anything from someone, appeal to their self-interest. Think about a person’s true desires. Know what will satisfy their needs or achieve their goals. They will comply with your wishes if you can give it to them, as long as you are holding out the carrot. It is never a good idea to bring up their past in an attempt to make them feel ashamed.

But sometimes it’s better to solicit someone’s goodwill. You must therefore ascertain their personality. You shouldn’t pander to their greed if they’re only willing to aid you out of pride or vanity. Play to their selfish motives if they don’t care about being charitable.

Whenever you’re attempting to outwit your adversaries, gather as much information as you can.

You must make friends with your opponent if you want to outwit them. By influencing their choices, you could gain insight into their flaws, goals, and wants.

While one way to obtain information is by hiring informants, this strategy is dangerous. How can you tell if they are trustworthy sources of information or double agents? Being your own spy is therefore preferred. You can gain the upper hand on your competition by acting suddenly. They will be perplexed and left behind as they strive to understand your strategy.

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