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by skip 02/15/2013, 3:18am PST |
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Part of the fun of reading the book is picking out the real adage that Greene twisted to sound sinister. Rule #2 "Never put too much trust in friends, learn how to use enemies" is the old saying, "Never go into business with friends." Rule #8 "Make other people come to you-use bait if necessary" is the old adage, "You catch more flies with honey than vinegar." Even the worst-sounding of the bunch, Rule #15 "Crush your Enemy Totally" turns out to be "don't start a fight you can't finish." Sadly, Greene gets a little lazy toward the end of the book. Can you guess the old saying Rule #40 "Despise the free lunch" comes from?
#36 reminds me of the fox and sour grapes fable. Dov Charney loves this book which is basically all you need to know although "sexually harass your employees" isn't one of the rules. Truth be told, rules for most people who want to get ahead in their job are much less grand than "assume formlessness" and people who are movers/shakers don't need these books. Show up on time, meet deadlines, don't ask to leave work early without a good reason, become involved in employee committees/activities, don't be a dick to others unnecessarily, and don't talk too much shit about your job even after you leave. These will cover >90% of what you need to do to be considered for a promotion before you even get into "Pose as a friend, work as a spy." Hell, just showing up on time will get you three-quarters there. It's all well and good to draw on stories about ancient generals, but most people are just looking for a raise and a fancier title, not to crush Carthage.
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