"The capo gives part of his plan to one, part to another, the whole to none" These are the words of Author V.
INTRODUCTION
Have you ever read a book by an anonymous writer before? Well, this happens to be my first, as “authored by ‘V’” is the only thing you would find about the author.
And I was curious as to why an author would choose to be anonymous on a masterpiece (even when it is in print); it wasn’t long after I picked up the book that I found out likely reasons why the writer probably chose the option of anonymity. The book is largely cynical; the secrets, deep lessons, wittiness and constant reference to the MAFIA family would make anyone hide his or her identity.
By the way, I for one never knew the meaning of the word MAFIA until I read this book…
M – Mother
A – And
F – Father
I – Italian
A – Association
I was astonished upon seeing this because I didn’t even know the word MAFIA was an acronym to begin with. But beyond this new revelation, little did I know I was up for more surprises.
My Discovery
Author V painted vivid pictures of two worlds; theirs & ours. He described their own Machiavellian world as a space with little or no regard to other people’s feelings or emotions. They believe "necessity breaks all laws", they believe that “a little false praise is not uncalled for”, they believe that "fairness has got nothing to do with business", and many other principles that might not be popular or openly embraced in our own world. To them, “money is welcomed even if it comes in a dirty sack.”
Author V is a big fan of Machiavelli’s principles regarding power, as he made references to the latter’s book called “The Prince”. He used the experiences, knowledge and exploits of ruthless bosses from time immemorial to validate his claims on why he feels their own set of rules is far more effective than ours. Whether or not anyone would want to follow all the instructions written in this tricky piece is a question begging for an answer.
Why I think you should read this piece
This book brings to fore a lot of variables that we shy away from as individuals, business owners and entrepreneurs, factors affecting us positively or negatively that no one wants to talk about so they don’t appear as a villain. While some of the principles can be adopted, there are some that didn’t particularly align with my core values which I feel isn’t a strange occurrence for people like you and I as we embark on our numerous reading journeys. And as such, it is important that we keep filtering what we take in.
The Difference Between Both Worlds ("Theirs" & "Ours")
In case you haven't noticed, what seems to be the major difference between their world and our world is the application and the non application of rules. While many of us live within the confines of the law, we go about our businesses with utmost respect to rules and regulations, there's another world that is governed by a different set of rules or a world that feels the rules don't apply to (even though this is relative still).
A world of cynicism where you're advised to "look for enemies in unexpected places: under and in your own bed, and in yourself".
A world where self interest is placed above all else with the amplification of doctrines like "A true Mafioso has no friends, only interests."
From the look of things, it seems to me that the world you belong to would determine the tools you utilize as you sure as hell won't survive a day in their world using our own empathetic inclination towards life. Like a sheep in the midst of wolves, you can't last.
A Common Ground
While I may not agree with some of the values projected in the book, it holds some timeless practical lessons, wisdom and axioms that every entrepreneur and business owner can imbibe. For example:
- He who can never endure the bad will never see the good.
- To survive, be patient – watch, listen and say little. To win, be patient – survive, plan, and then strike swiftly.
- Do business with strangers as if they were brothers and with brothers as if they were strangers.
- Friends are not as important as family. Do not confuse the loyalty of friendship with the bond of blood.
- A man without enemies is a man without qualities. Even Jesus Christ had many enemies.
- Some of your employees are going to steal from you. It is human nature, count on it.
- The hunter’s surest weapon is patience
- And above all, never ever get your meat where you get bread.
Some of The Principles Preached
How to manage yourself as it relates to the following parameters:
Office politicking
Time Management
Decision Making
Friends
Enemies
Business
Problems
How to manage others in respect to:
Loyalty
Raises
Handling Staff Conflict
Hiring
Firing
Larceny
Productivity
This is a highly recommended piece and as a matter of fact, it would also be a great watch if the book goes into cinema.
Caution
While i am no saint, there are some measures in the book that i personally consider to be too extreme in our own world. For example:
"if you must hurt a man, do it so brutally you need not fear his revenge"
New words/vocabularies that I learned
Mafioso: A member of the MAFIA
Grandiose: Impressive and imposing in appearance and style, especially pretentiously so.
Appellations: a name or title
Avuncular: kind and friendly towards a younger or less experienced person.
Consigliere: A member of a mafia family who serves as an adviser to the leader and resolves disputes within the family.
Dipsomania: alcoholism, specifically in a form characterized by intermittent bouts of craving for alcohol.
Asininity: a foolish act or idea.
Profundity: Great depth of insight or knowledge
Dawdle: waste time; be slow
Paleontologists: someone who studies fossils.
Espionage: the practice of using spies, typically by governments to obtain political and military information.
Larceny: Theft of personal property.
Oxford Languages
Food for thought: which world do you belong to? Theirs or ours? LOL
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Wow! Just finding out that the word MAFIA is acronym
This seems to be an interesting book...
Revealing right?? I really don't want to blow the horn of the book too much so it doesn't look like an exaggeration but one thing i can tell you though is that you will definitely get immense value upon reading the book.
Wow! That's lovely
I'll definitely read it, thank you🙂
I learnt a couple of things including what MAFIA stands for - I too did not know this
I enjoyed this read very much and will look out for this book though you have covered it well :D
Glad you got value, guess that's one of the things reading does to the mind...it expands and exposes us to information that we probably weren't paying attention to before. Thanks for your input, appreciate
Brooooooo.... This post is indeed amazing.
WOW!!! Now I can't wait to read this book.
This line caught me.
Don't sleep on it Fam. It is exactly your kind of book, you would find many other tenets that align with your purpose. Glad you got value