Business Book Review: The 48 Laws of Power by Robert Greene

If you want power or shy away from it, Greene shows you how to gain it or have it wielded against you.

My Rating: ★★★★★

Length:  480 pages

Publisher: Profile Trade

Released: 2013

Key Takeaways for Personal Branding

The 48 Laws of Power is Robert Greene’s iconic international bestseller.

The laws have a simple premise. The observance of the laws almost always increases power. The transgression of the law decreases power.

The book is a history buff’s playground. The laws illustrate the tactics, triumphs and failures of some of the most illustrious figures of all time. You learn from those who mastered power and those who fell victim to it.

The laws distil the writings of more than three thousand years of accumulated ancient wisdom. Each of the 48 laws is a fascinating display of human nature. But, when it comes to personal branding, these are my top takeouts:

Law 25 - Recreate Yourself 

Law 25 - Recreate Yourself includes:

“Do not accept the roles that society foists on you. Recreate yourself by forging a new identity, one that commands attention and never bores the audience. Be the master of your own image rather than letting others define it for you.”

When it comes to personal branding, it’s a reminder that if you don’t take creative control to define yourself, others will.

Greene reminds you that the character you were born as isn’t necessarily who you are. You are a product of what you inherited, your parents, friends and peers. But, you also can remake yourself. Working on yourself like clay, you are the artist creating yourself.

The idea of self-creation comes from the arts. Historically, only society's most powerful had the freedom to shape their public image and identity. The rest played the role society demanded of them. A dream of so many gone before us is now a privilege most of us freely enjoy.

Law 28 - Enter Action with Boldness

Law 28 Enter Action with Boldness says:

“Timidity is dangerous: Better to enter with boldness. Any mistakes you commit through audacity are easily corrected with more audacity. Everyone admires the bold; no one honors the timid.”

For those who value humility, this is a confronting concept. Applying the concept to personal branding, it can become a useful proposition. It speaks to the maxim “fortune favours the brave”.

In personal branding, imposter syndrome can be paralysing. Many feel they can’t share their knowledge because they aren’t an ‘expert’ and wouldn’t dare to position themselves as such. It holds them back from sharing their expertise with the world, be it through speaking, social media, blogs, videos or podcasts. Perhaps it would be beneficial to be so bold as to ‘enter action with boldness’.

Law 37 - Create Compelling Spectacles 

Law 37 - Create Compelling Spectacles says:

“Striking imagery and grand symbolic gestures create the aura of power—everyone responds to them. Stage spectacles for those around you, then, full of arresting visuals and radiant symbols that heighten your presence. Dazzled by appearances, no one will notice what you are really doing.”

Law 37 is a reminder that humans are visual creatures. Before the Renaissance, sight operated on a relatively equal plane to other senses. It has since come to dominate the others.

Applying it to personal branding, it’s a reminder of the importance of our visual identity. Perhaps you don’t wish to make a spectacle of yourself. But the premise is still important.

Greene reiterates:

“Never neglect the way you arrange things visually. Factors like color, for example, have enormous symbolic resonance.”

He goes on to say:

“Most effective of all is a new combination - a fusion of images and symbols that have not been seen together before, but that through their association clearly demonstrate your new idea, message and religion.”

In branding, the use of symbols, imagery and colours is what makes you identifiable in the marketplace. And is also the foundation of branding's historical roots.

Favourite Quotes

It is easy and natural to always want to talk about one’s feelings and plans for the future. It takes effort to control your tongue and monitor what you reveal.

Powerful people impress and intimidate by saying less. The more you say, the more likely you are to say something foolish.

Be the master of your fate, and also of your reputation.

At the start of your career, you must attach your name and reputation to a quality, an image, that sets you apart from other people. This image can be something like a characteristic style of dress, or a personality quirk that amuses people and gets talked about. Once the image is established, you have an appearance, a place in the sky for your star.

If you do not declare yourself immediately, you arouse expectation…. Mix a little mystery with everything, and the very mystery stirs up veneration.

To reveal the true nature of your intelligence rarely pays; you should get in the habit of downplaying it at all times. If people inadvertently learn the truth—that you are actually much smarter than you look—they will admire you more for being discreet than for making your brilliance show.

The 48 Laws of Power is not for the fainted-hearted. It’s cleverly ironic and provocative.  And it is regularly historically gruesome. Because, while ‘power’ is a dirty word for many, if you don’t have any, others who do may wield it against you. So, in any case, it’s better to try understand it.

The 48 Laws of Power by Robert Greene:  Available on Amazon.