How To Be Street Smart in a World Full of Suits
When I was a kid studying in school, my grandfather often came to pick me up. It was almost ironic because he himself had extremely limited formal education.
And yet, he was one of the smartest people I knew.
As is typical of grandfathers, he always seemed to know everything. For instance, he could always tell which shop had the best merchandise or whether it was worth haggling with a particular shopkeeper.
From things to people, he knew how to manipulate and maneuver to eventually get what he wanted.
I could never wrap my head around this and as is typical of naive kids, I used to ask my grandfather
“You never even went to school. How come you know so much about everything?”
He used to smile, with his creased face and crooked teeth. Then he used to look me in the eye and tell me,
“Books and teachers are great. But life doesn’t happen in the classroom. It happens on the street. So, study your books and listen to your teachers, but always strive to be a street smart over a book smart.”
And this stuck.
Since then, I have always strived to understand what it means to be a street smart.
How does one even one go about it?
And more relevantly, what does it mean to be a street smart in the corporate world of today?
I found the answers to these questions in Robert Greene’s book “48 Laws of Power”.
In this book review post, I am going to tell you what I learned from it and why you should give this book a read.
The Courtiers of the Corporate Kingdom
Unlike my grandfather’s days, the idea of formal education today is not just common but rather firmly insisted upon.
Moreover, the privileged amongst us even go for higher education and international education becoming a true blue book-smart.
Consequently, we book smarts then enter the world of the corporate kingdom and then it begins. The game of moving up the career ladder, office politics, boardroom coups and power moves.
Robert Greene compares this situation to the one that existed in the old aristocratic courts of kings and emperors.
These courts were centered around a person of power — the king. Also, there were the royal courtiers whose job was to advice and guide the king as well as execute his orders.
The king’s courtiers were always in a delicate position.
They had to serve their kings and be in their good books. However they couldn’t be too obvious about winning the king’s favor because the other courtiers would then scheme to push them aside.
Meanwhile, to the outside public, the king and the court was supposed to represent the paragon of excellence.
This means the aristocratic courtiers had to be witty and charming but at the same time they also had to be subtle and cunning. All this, while maintaining the image of perfection and smooth working of the court.
Over time, the one who thrived was the perfect courtier who learned to be indirect and tactical in his approach, always getting his way.
Today, we are all courtiers in the corporate kingdom.
Everything must appear civilized, democratic and fair. And yet, if we strictly play by the rules, we are the ones who will be left behind or even worse, get crushed.
And that’s why we need to become street smarts.
As Niccolo Machiavelli rightly said,
“Any man who tries to be good all the time is bound to come to ruin among the great number who are not good.
Just like the aristocratic courtier, we need to master the tactics of seduction, deception, indirection and manipulation.
Outwardly, we must seem to respect the niceties but inwardly we need to be a thinker who learns quickly and shows prudence.
This is the premise of Robert Greene’s controversial book “48 Laws of Power.”
Becoming Street Smart and The Laws of Power
Some people, who have read this book, think Robert Greene is evil and a part of the problem.
While the fans of his work, which include Will Smith and the rapper Jay Z have dubbed him “hip-hop’s Machiavelli” and his book as “the Bible for atheists”.
Personally, I am a part of the latter camp.
Robert Greene calls it as it is.
For instance, one of his laws says that you should “Never Outshine Your Master”, because if you do, you inspire fear and insecurity in your superior and that’s never a good thing.
The books is full of ruthless and straightforward laws like that. There is no sugarcoating here.
It is rare and refreshing to see this in a time when everybody is trying to be politically correct.
When asked about this, Robert Greene said
“I am just a realist. I believe I described a reality that no other book tried to describe. I went to an extreme for literary purposes because I felt all the self-help books out there were so gooey and nauseating. It was making me angry.”
Being a self-improvement junkie, who has read his fair share of self help books, I agree with Mr. Greene.
Why You Should Read This Book?
Quite frankly, anyone who wishes to understand how the power games actually work in the real world, should give this book a try.
Other than that, if you are someone who loves reading about human psychology, this book is a real treat for you.
However, personally, I feel you should read this book for this particular reason.
If the world is a giant scheming court and we are trapped inside it, there is no use in trying to opt out of the game.
If the game of power is inescapable, better to be an artist than a denier or a bungler.
Like it or not, we are playing the game. We might as well learn how to play it and at least make ourselves aware enough to defend our own interests.
And that’s what Robert Greene shows us with his 48 laws.
In the brief but significant human history, there have always been people who have strived to gain power and the people who have failed to achieve it.
Robert Greene synthesizes the learnings from the Medici of 15th Century Renaissance Era Florence to Winston Churchill in the first half of 20th century Britain. He presents the historical legacies of statesmen, warriors, seducers, and con men throughout the ages.
Give it a read.
It’s one of those polarizing books which you will either absolutely love or hate it to the core.
But you won’t stop thinking about it.
About Me
I am a Self Improvement Junkie on a mission to help students & young professionals grow and improve. Visit www.theveningproject.com to know more about the how & the what.
