POWER

Get Others To Do The Work For You, But Always Take The Credit

The world of power has the dynamics of the world of the jungle: There are those who live by hunting and killing, and there are also vast numbers of creature, who live from the hunting of others. THE BLIND HEN - A hen, who had lost her sight and was accustomed to scratch at the earth in search of food, although blind, continued to scratch away most diligently. Of what use was this scratching to this industrious fool? Another hen, who spared her tender feet, never moved from her side, and enjoyed, without scratching, the fruit of the other's labor. For as often as the blind hen scratched up some food, her watchful companion devoured it. - Gothold Lessing, 1729-1781 These latter, less imaginative types, are often incapable of doing the work, which is essential to the creation of power. They understand that if they wait long enough, they can always find another animal to do the work for them. Do not be naive: At this very moment, while you are slaving away at some project, there are vultures circling above, while trying to devise a way to survive and thrive from your creativity. It is useless to complain about this, or to wear yourself ragged with bitterness. It is better to protect yourself and join the game. Once you have established a power base, become a vulture yourself, and save yourself much time and energy.

The artist Peter Paul Rubens, late in his career, found himself deluged with requests for paintings. He created a system: In his large studio, he employed dozens of outstanding painters, one specializing in robes, another in backgrounds, and so on. He created a vast production line, in which a large number of canvases would be worked on at the same time. When an important client visited the studio, Rubens would send his hired help away for the day. While the client watched from a balcony, Rubens would work at an incredible pace, with unbelievable energy. The client would leave in awe of this prodigious man, who could paint so many masterpieces is so little time.

Learn to get others to do the work for you, while you take the credit and you appear to be of god-likestrength and power. If you think it important to do all the work yourself, you will waste energy and suffer burnout. Either hire them, while putting your own name on top of theirs, or find a way to take their work and make it your own. Their creativitythus becomes yours and you seem a genius to the world.

There is an additional application, which does not require the parasitic use of another's labor: Use the past, which is a vast storehouse of knowlege and wisdom. Isaac Newton called this "standing on the shoulders of giants." He meant that in making his discoveries, he had built on the achievements of others. A great part of his aura of genius, he knew, was attributable to his shrewd abilityto make the most of the insights of ancient, medieval, and Renaissance scientists. Shakespeare borrowed plots, characterizations, and dialogue from Plutarch, for he knew that nobody surpassed Plutarch in writing subtle psychology and witty quotes. How many writers have borrowed from - plagiarized - Shakespeare?

Writers, who have delved into human nature, ancient masters of strategy, historians of human stupidity and folly - their knowledge is gathering dust, waiting for you to come and stand on their shoulders. Their wit can be your wit; their skill can become your skill and they will never complain. You can slog through life, making endless mistakes, wasting time and energy trying to do things from your own experience. Or you can use the armies of the past. As Bismarck once said, "Fools say that they learn by experience. I prefer to profit by other's experience."

Any questions??