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Lessons
from the
Underworld by Asit Amrevy
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It is true that the mafia guys
have to face jail terms, they live
in constant fear of revengeful
rivals and there is lots of instability
in their lives, but despite the
obvious pitfalls their life has a
bright side too. |
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Anyone with a
figment of ambition
in his head naturally
aspires to be the
number one in whatever he is
doing; there is no dearth of hardnosed
guys who are in the race
for power and fortune. These
hard-nosed guys tend to get
quite ruthless in matters where
their own financial interests are
at stake and should you be the
unlucky dude who stands in
the way of someone bagging
his first million then you better
watch out, because your ass is
wearing a big bull’s-eye. Does
that sound like the ramblings of a mafia
don? Bull’s-eye again, you got it right.
It’s a dog eat dog world and only the
toughest dog gets the juiciest bone.
It is true that the mafia guys have to
face jail terms, they live in constant fear
of revengeful rivals and there is lots of
instability in their lives, but despite the
obvious pitfalls their life has a bright
side too.
These dons lead flamboyant
lifestyles - they are always well dressed,
they hobnob with celebrities and film
stars and they carry top politicians and
officials in their pockets like so many
nickels and dimes. It is because of their
lifestyle that we admire these dons.
Theirs is a kind of larger than life image
that we seek to emulate. By that I don’t
want to allude that most of us aspire for
the career of a gangster, but we do aspire
to be successful, have respect and have a
sense of brotherhood.
Being a don is not as much about
being lethal, as it is about qualities of
leadership. Mario Puzo’s eponymous
book has a Godfather going by the
name of Don Corleone, who is certainly
not a bloodthirsty monster. If anything,
by his acts and deeds Don seems like a
hero. He is a man who rules by inspiring
confidence, being reasonable, and being
an able negotiator – in other words Don
Corleone shows impeccable qualities of
leadership. Of course, he can be violent
if his interests are threatened. But that
is the way of all great leaders. If they
want to lead, they have to live like a
shark; always moving and making things
happen. In any case, violence is not
a prerogative of the mafia only; even
world leaders can unleash unjust wars
on hapless people.
The top lesson that we can learn from
the mafia is that qualities of leadership
are important above all else.
It is
leadership that inspires loyalty. Loyalty
is not something that people will give
to you for free. The onus is on you to
inspire people with your leadership
qualities and turn them into your band
of followers. No matter what business
you are in, even if you are running a
small grocery store, you have to have the
charisma to be able to inspire your staff.
Loyal followers are necessary, because
without them you would have to do all
the work by yourself. |
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Here are 7 tips that you can learn from
the dons: |
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Cultivate an aura of
stability around you
A don is a man of regular habits. He
always shows up each day with the same
poker face and the same style of dressing.
No abrupt changes for him. The idea is
to gain trust. The more stable you are,
the easier it is for you to gain the trust
of people around you. That means you
don’t booze too much. You don’t flare up
in anger. If your relationship has gone
sour, you don’t take out your frustration
on the guys at the office or club. But while
you are cultivating an aura of stability
around you, it is also important that you
build a reputation of being unpredictable
if provoked beyond a certain limit. No
one should be able to insult your ego,
undermine your authority in any way
and get away with it lightly.
Learn to Reward Others
Only someone who is immensely naive
would expect loyalty from people for
whom he can or will do nothing. Wake up
to the real world, where loyalty always
goes to dons that wield the power to
bestow patronage. Money! Promotions!
Lucrative deals! Political Connections! In
any case, no one wants to be loyal to a
glory hog. The best way to get people to
work for you is to give kickbacks. The
successful leaders are always the ones
who are most lavish in rewarding the
underlings who have performed well.
But that does not mean that you should
start dishing out rewards to every Tom,
Dick and Harry – if you do that, you will
devalue your rewards.
Be an able Networker
Networking is most important if you
want to rise fast in life. Look at the top
dons around the world – what sort of company do they keep? You can bet
your last dime on the fact that when a
don makes a public appearance he does
so in the company of some of the most
illustrious people in the area - celebrities,
businessmen, politicians, and sportsmen.
Realistically, not all of us might have the
luck to be able to hobnob with the top
honchos, but that is not so important.
The important thing is that you should
be able to become part of any winning
group. On your way to the top, you will
meet a lot of people, some on their way
up and others on their way down. Dons
always side with the winners and they
avoid losers like plague. And that is the
way you should behave.
Assert yourself
You don’t become a don by sitting in
a room and brooding about the meaning
of life. You become a don by snatching
victory from the jaws of defeat. Go
after the things that you want to do
instead of sitting back and hoping your
boss will recognize you on merit alone.
Being assertive about what you want
will do more for you than all your silent
workdays. Remind your boss from time
to time about where you plan on going
in this world, lest he forget. He may
not care about your goals, but when an
opportunity arises, he will likely think
of you, as the young man who is always
eager to make his mark. Be prepared
though because in the game of life you
only get one chance.
Have Style
A don is always fashionably attired.
Think of Feroz Khan when he plays the
role of the son of a mafia don in the
popular Bollywood flick Dharmatma.
There are innumerable Bollywood films
on mafia themes, and in all of them the
don is usually the most stylishly attired
guy. That is the kind of immaculate
dressing style that is going to get you far
ahead in life. Don’t dress for the job you
have, dress for the job you want. Unless
you want to be stuck in the same lousy
position all your life start dressing and
acting like your superior.
Never put too much trust
on anyone
You should never trust anyone so
much that you hand him over the key to
your whole fortune and to your life as
well. A don always knows how to keep
secrets. If you can’t keep secrets then
you can never be powerful. Information
is a most precious commodity; it is
something to be hoarded. People will
always want to find out what is on your
mind, but you should always keep them
in suspense regarding your next move.
The more suspense and confusion you
can create, the more powerful you will
become. Never fall for a good story, a
friendly face or a free drink. Even if a guy
is bleeding to death on the floor for any
cause, that doesn’t mean he’s honest - it
might just mean he’s bleeding. The point
is that you should not allow yourself to
be emotionally blackmailed into trusting
anyone.
An eye for an eye
If you have seen the film Vastava
starring Sanjay Dutt in the role of a
mafia don, then you will remember the
savage vengeance that he wreaks on his
enemies. It is important that you should
cultivate for yourself the aura of a man
who never forgets any offense that has
been committed against you. If you
forgive mistakes then people will start
considering you to be a wimp and your
leniency will be taken as a precedent that
says, “Go ahead, screw up – it’s OK.”
If you can master the tricks that
have been listed above then there is no
reason why you should not be the don
in anything that you are doing. Your
personal interests should always be
your top priority. Living the life of a don
means running a smooth system that is
totally dedicated to serving your own
interests. If success is what you aspire
from life, then there are certain aspects
of a mafia chieftain’s lifestyle that can
help you achieve just that. |
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You don’t become a don by sitting in a room
and brooding about the meaning of life. You
become a don by snatching victory from the
jaws of defeat. |
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