48 Laws of Power

¶ … Laws of Power: Laws 22, 23, 24

Surrender

This notion of surrendering on an issue that is not of great consequence was manifested when President Obama 'surrendered' to his critics and produced his birth certificate for the world to see. For a long time, Obama had resisted entreaties that he release the certificate, given that no other president had been called to prove he was born in the United States in such a public manner. "Make surrender a tool of power" advises the 22nd Law of Power. Obama realized that it was futile to ignore those who claimed the President was not a U.S. citizen. Initially, Obama wished to use his personal and political power to fight about issues, rather than about a distracting, personal matter. Obama called the issue a sideshow, noting: "we do not have time for this kind of silliness. We've got better stuff to do" ("White House releases Obama's birth certificate," CNN, 2011). But the core principle behind Law 22 is a simple one -- pick your battles. Do not squander scarce resources, including your energy, to fight every small matter. Yes, Obama should not have had to have released his birth certificate and the issue was absurd, but sticking by his principles about not producing the certificate simply generated more paranoid speculation by his opponents and diverted news coverage from healthcare and other issues important to his Administration.

Law 23: Concentrate your forces at the strongest point 'Play to your strengths.' Rather than trying to be a 'Renaissance Man' and to do everything, it is better to do one thing really well. This principle can be seen in the world of sports, in the persona of R.A. Dickey, one of the greatest pitchers currently in the major leagues. Dickey was floundering in his career until he decided to become an almost exclusively 'knuckleball' pitcher, specializing in a relatively unique pitch that tends to be mainly used as a kind of 'specialty' ("Winding Up' As The Mets' Knuckleball Pitcher," Fresh Air, 2012). While some people see this as a desperate move, given that it essentially admits that the pitcher cannot succeed in a conventional manner with a fastball, it is better to be extraordinary in one aspect of the game, however specialized, than to be mediocre as a generalist. The greatest strength comes from a concentration and wise use of resources.

This principle can also be seen in the world of business. When establishing a company, it is sometimes better to specialize in a relatively narrow range of products and to offer something unique, than it is to compete in a generalized fashion with already existing organizations. Whole Foods, for example, is an extremely successful chain of organic grocery stores. Rather than competing with Wal-Mart and other major supermarket retailers, it focuses on offering specialty organic and gourmet items.

Law 24: Play the perfect courtier; learn to flatter