What Would Machiavelli Do?: The Ends Justify the Meanness

A sly send-up of the successful What Would Jesus Do? books, here is a satisfyingly mean light-hearted approach to business success—the Machiavellian way.

Machiavellians may not get to heaven, but on earth they have a definite edge on the competition. In this pithy and discretely vicious guide, Stanley Bing shows how the Florentine master statesman and political thinker would handle today’s myriad corporate challenges, seize the future by the throat, and make it cough up money, power, and superior office space. So, what exactly would Machiavelli do?

• He would exploit himself only slightly less than he exploits others.
• He would be in love with his destiny.
• He would, for the most part, be a paranoid freak.
• He would always be at war.
• He would cultivate a few well-loved enemies.
• He would have a couple of good friends, too.
• He would acquire his neighbor.
• He would think BIG.
• He would move forward like a great shark, eating as he goes.
• And much, much more.

More than a road map to success, this hands-on guide will help anyone get what they want, whether or not they deserve it.

How did the rich and powerful individuals who move the earth get where they are today? Are they smarter? Faster? Better looking? Certainly not. Some are even short and ugly. What, then, is their edge?

The answer is simple: they're meaner. That's all. And if you want to get where they're going, you'll be meaner, too.

The good news is that once you get started, it's easy. Walking in the steps of the Florentine master, Stanley Bing will show you how to be all the Machiavelli you can be. How to beat people who are smarter than you are. How to make other people cringe and whimper when you enter a room. How to get what you want when you want it whether you deserve it or not. Without fear. Without emotion. Without finger-wagging morality. One scalp at a time.

They do it. You can too.

What Would Machiavelli Do? is more than a road map for people who want to get to the top and stay there. It's a way of life you can use at home as well as at the office. A way of seeing other people from 50,000 feet--as teeny-tiny ants you can squish. A simple, detailed plan for those with the courage to leave kindness and decency behind, to seize the future by the throat and make it cough upmoney, power and superior office space.

Some books are not for everybody. This one is. So start reading. Or get out of here. You're beginning to get on our nerves.

"A hilarious guide to succeeding in business." - Don Imus

"The ultimate guide to corporate backstabbing." - Entertainment Weekly

"In his amusing book, Stanley Bing brings The Prince into the present." - The New Yorker

"With sly humor, Bing offers alternative strategies to conquering any industry provided you are willing to forsake sentiment, human decency, and if need be, close family members." - Time

"Tongue practically punctures cheek in What Would Machiavelli Do? . . . Outrageous." - New York Times

"Nobody pricks corporate balloons better than Stanley Bing." - New York Post