Machiavelli cunning like a fox and

A prince may fight with laws, which is the way of human beings, or with force, which is the way of animals. A prince should imitate the fox in cunning as well as the lion in strength. A wise prince should never keep his word when it would go against his interest, because he can expect others to do the same.

You might work for one. You might be one yourself. You might not typically operate this way, but every once in a while you find yourself slipping into what almost feels to you like an alter-ego. In modern psychological parlance, it refers to a duplicitous interpersonal style coupled with a pragmatic and narcissistic moral framework.

Some have incorrectly assumed that given their ability to manipulate the crap out of just about anybody, Machiavellian leaders have a relatively high level of intelligence.

In fact, many Machiavellian leaders themselves believe this. Short version of the above: Also, they may read: Sounds like some managers or executives we all know and see every day, right?

Maybe even in the mirror? Here are some of the tell-tale signs, in no particular order, that a leader might have a little more Machiavelli in him or her than he or she would like… 1. Machiavellian leaders are duplicitous. Machiavellian leaders are cunning.

These leaders are crafty. Machiavellian leaders are narcissistic.

They have excessive and exaggerated feelings of self-importance, though these feelings often masquerade as something more noble.

Self-interest is the most often and valid impetus of most conscious action for the narcissist. Machiavellian leaders believe the ends justify the means. The workplace, their careers, all the way down to every interaction, is all part of the game for Machiavellian leaders.

Machiavellian leaders excel in control and manipulation. They know just the buttons to push and have no problems pushing them. Before long, you realize that your skills, abilities, and so on are really just there for…well…them.

And you usually are. Did I miss any? What would you add to the list? How many of those behaviors do you catch yourself doing?Chapter The Subtle Art of Lying.

Like Machiavelli wrote in Chapters 15 and 16, it’s fine to look like a good and compassionate ruler, but you have to act the way circumstances dictate to stay in power and maintain the state. You need to be the more cunning fox in a municipality where the people are the stronger force, and the more.

Niccolò Machiavelli — ‘The lion cannot protect himself from traps, and the fox cannot defend himself from wolves. One must therefore be a fox to recogniz. Chapter The Subtle Art of Lying. Like Machiavelli wrote in Chapters 15 and 16, it’s fine to look like a good and compassionate ruler, but you have to act the way circumstances dictate to stay in power and maintain the state.

You need to be the more cunning fox in a municipality where the people are the stronger force, and the more. Be Like the Fox: Machiavelli In His World, by Erica Benner ( pages, W.

W. Norton & Company, ) In the divisive arena that is modern American politics, the adjective “Machiavellian” is negatively assigned to a broad array of people and situations.

Machiavelli illustrates his thought saying that a power broker can become successful if he is both cunning like a fox and ferocious like a lion (Wootton , 45). Machiavelli: "cunning like a fox and ferocious like a lion" Trust is an essential foundation for a ruler's legitimacy and, hence, to its longevity; However, Machiavelli affirms that "it is much safer to be feared than loved" (Ibid.