“If the world is like a giant scheming court and we are trapped inside it, there is no use in trying to opt out of the game of power. That will only render you powerless, and powerlessness will make you miserable. Instead of struggling against the inevitable, instead of whining and feeling guilty, is it far better to excel at power. In fact, the better you are at dealing with power, the better friend, lover, husband, wife, and person you become.” (Greene. 48 Laws of Power, 1998).

And with a networth of $13.8billion, as of day 1, 2018, Dangote is surely a better everything in Nigeria, Africa, and the world at large. Since this 60 year old man blazed upon the Forbes list in the early 2000s, his networth has gone in only one direction – up. And despite the changing business climes, locally and globally, it continues to go in only one direction – (you could have guessed it by now) up.

Close associates and friends have attested to this business mogul’s love for reading – this man, is a voracious reader. And you have to be when you oversee a business empire stretching from Egypt to Nigeria and all the way down to South Africa. And though most of his business concerns are based in Africa’s most populous country, we couldn’t help but notice that though, through the years, Dangote’s business philosophies have been hinged on several guiding beacons derived from several worthwhile managerial gurus, a few of his erstwhile philosophies have come from the book, The 48 Laws of Power, and this book, though not a business book in the total sense of it, can teach us many thing many things as have been thought to Dangote.



So, let’s take a critical look at just 5 of the Laws from Robert Greene’s 1998 bestseller that Africa’s richest man almost surely adopts in life, and most importantly, business.

48th Law, Number 1: – Never Outshine the Master: – Always make those above you feel comfortably superior. In your desire to please or impress them, do not go too far in displaying your talents or you might accomplish the opposite – inspire fear and insecurity. Make your masters appear more brilliant than they are and you will attain the heights of power.

With all the wealth, power and connection this 60 year old wields, never once has he been known of heard of, in public sha o!, to criticize the brass of Nigerian politics or policy making. In fact, when once asked to comment about a controversial government policy enacted at the time, Aliko simply said “I’m sure they know what they are doing” and that was that.

Lessons learnt: – Do not fool yourself into thinking that life has changed much since the days of Louis XIV. Those who attain high standing in life and society are like kings and queens. They want to feel secure in their positions. It is deadly but common misperception to believe that by displaying and vaunting your gifts, talent and wealth you’re winning the master’s affection. He may feign appreciation but at the first opportunity he will replace you with someone less intelligent, less attractive and less threatening. By letting others above you take the glory, you remain in control, instead of being a victim of their insecurities. This will all come in handy the day you decide to rise above your inferior status.

48th Law, Number 4: – Always Say Less Than Necessary: – When you are trying to impress people with words, the more you say, the more common you appear, and the less in control. Even if you are trying to say something banal, it will seem original if you make it vague, open–minded, and sphinx–like. Powerful people impress and intimidate by saying less. The more you say, the more likely you are to say something foolish.

Now, outside business, Aliko is one man who rarely talks about anything else. Even with the financial arsenal at his disposal, he cautiously, and wise stays away from politics, its entangling’s and any small talk, that will not eventually see him a billion dollars richer by the end of that chitchat. He is known to say very little unless asked a direct question, even amongst friends.

Lessons learnt: Keep your big mouth and small thoughts to yourself, no matter how tempting the conversation. If it veers towards the banal, respect yourself and whatever reputation you’re trying to build and stay the course of profitability; unless you’re paid a huge sum to blab – don’t!


READ MORE:https://nairametrics.com/5-rules-that-dangote-has-adopted-from-the-48-laws-of-power/

Cc:@lalasticlala

Good for business but bad for the people, 48 Laws of power are laws one should be careful about when using or else you become a beast

ayoncox:
Good for business but bad for the people, 48 Laws of power are laws one should be careful about when using or else you become a beast

Lol I disagree