In the world of power it is very important to first understand the type of "master"(someone who has more power than you in the current dynamic) you're dealing with in your situation.
And second where you have leverage as the "slave" in the current master/slave dynamic. Many times a "slave" that knows where their leverage lies, knows their rights by law, and what theyre entitled to as the slave(as the employee, student/apprentice, son/daughter, etc) actually become the master of their master - making their master serve them.
"If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles"
1. Understand The Type of Master You're Dealing With
Law 19 Know who you are dealing with x Strategy 13 Know Your Enemy: The Intelligence Strategy.
If your master is EGOIC and prone to Power Trips - because of their narcissism and fragile ego, or (very often) because they themselves are still not familiar with or even comfortable wielding power and so they end up wielding it like club
OR if your master is Insecure about their position of power - because of recent assaults on their position, or because of theyve only recently rose to power and theyre still trying to stabilize thier position and consolidate their power
You must be play the Perfect Courtier and be charming, subtle, and seductive. He must feel like the people that surround him admire and respect him, he must feel validated, and he cannot ever feel nervous or threatened. This is common knowledge to the courtier
However, if your master is very comfortable with them selves and confident in their position of power and you sense he has become neutral/indifferent to his courtiers because they are all boring yes men or has even become disdainful towards them because theyre so sheepish and slavish that it makes him uncomfortable.
You must stand out and show strength - be aggressive/warlike, call out the courtiers as well as your master, and even defy him. It will be a breath of fresh air, it will be a novelty that he didnt even realize he wanted. I know from experience that many masters truly despise highly agreeable and sheepish underlings surrounding them. These types only admire strength, want people capable of independent thought around him, and values people that can challenge his ideas from time to time.
“Sometimes, the only way to gain your superior’s respect is to defy him.” - Frank Underwood
Calling out your superiors, and defying them is actually a seductively pleasurable spice of life that they often secretly crave. If the art of seduction taught me anything it is that what is seductive and gratifying isnt always whats sweet and purely pleasurable, its actually whats spicy and delightfully painful.
Excerpt from the art of seduction:
In her later years, Queen Elizabeth I of England was known as a rather stern and demanding ruler. She made it a point not to let her courtiers see anything soft or weak in her. But then Robert Devereux, the second Earl of Essex, came to court. Much younger than the queen, the dashing Essex would often chastise her for her sourness. The queen would forgive him—he was so exuberant and spontaneous, he could not control himself. But his comments got under her skin; in the presence of Essex she came to remember all the youthful ideals—spiritedness, feminine charm—that had since vanished from her life. She also felt a little of that girlish spirit return when she was around him. He quickly became her favorite, and soon she was in love with him
This is more common than ever now a days. Leadership styles are more relaxed and many leaders hate the power they have because how the peers they used to casually interact with have changed due to their new position of power. They long for people to not be so uptight around them, to crack a joke with them, and to help them feel more natural and comfortable them selves. Be the spice of life they crave and need.
In a very uptight federal gov military style homeland security job I worked at I noticed that my semi casual yet "bitchy" high level admin officer always gave favors to the bold and funny agent that didnt take things too seriously and always made jokes with her and even at her. On my 3rd week when I was invited to her office to help them with some taks I saw how he interacted with her and I immediately adapted. Everyone called her a bitch but I knew she just wasn't in her natural element and hated how everyone acted so stiff around her. I found out she was a military brat that loved to let loose and could dish it out as good as she could take it. I realized this is why she disliked interacting with my uptight corporals and lieutenants and outright disrespected them at times. I still stayed professional with her in texts/emails and when I was assigned tasks, but in our down time I entered a more casual and comedic spirit, that I knew she craved, in order to mirror her and her preferred style of interaction with people/the world.
Knowing your masters preferred style of interaction and being able to adapt to them is the first step to mastering your master.
Some masters need people to submit to them, and some desire to be dominated. Be an adaptable "switch" for your masters.
Excerpt from 48 Laws
"Early on in his career, the ambitious statesman and general Alcibiades of Athens (450-404 B.C.) fashioned a formidable weapon that became the source of his power. In every encounter with others, he would sense their moods and tastes, then carefully tailor his words and actions to mirror their inmost desires. ... Few could resist his charm.
The first man to fall under his spell was the philosopher Socrates. Alcibiades represented the opposite of the Socratic ideal of simplicity and uprightness: He lived lavishly and was completely unprincipled. Whenever he met Socrates, however, he mirrored the older man's sobriety, eating simply, accompanying Socrates on long walks, and talking only of philosophy and virtue. Socrates was not completely fooled-he was not unaware of Alcibiades' other life. But that only made him vulnerable to a logic that flattered him: Only in my presence, he feIt, does this man submit to a virtuous influence; only I have such power over him. This feeling intoxicated Socrates, who became Alcibiades' fervent admirer and supporter, one day. even risking his own life to rescue the young man in battle.
The Athenians considered Alcibiades their greatest orator, for he had an uncanny ability to tune in to his audience's aspirations, and mirror their desires. He made his greatest speeches in support of the invasion of Sicily.... The speeches gave expression to young Athenians' thirst to conquer lands for themselves, rather than living off the victories of their ancestors. But he also tailored his words to reflect older men's nostalgia for the glory years when Athens led the Greeks against Persia, and then went on to create an empire. All Athens now dreamed of conquering Sicily"
Its also important to note that many times you're dealing with a complex hierarchy of masters and must know how to deal with each one individually. Like having your supervisor, then their manager/lead director above them with an assistant manager/director to them, and then the CEO/President /"head honcho" above them all. With some masters you can get away with blatant disrespect while with others you must act like theyre a King/Queen and you're their loyal obedient slave. Sometimes your relatively low level supervisor is the one you have to be the most careful with and the one that actually lets you get away with the most disrespect is the top manager.
Additionally, be careful not to seem 2 faced by acting nice and gentle here but difficult and aggressive there. And at the same time know how to play it up to show that you're only truly obedient to that or those specific masters because of their strength and admirable qualities and that they are truly deserving of that respect and obedience. And show that you're only casual with or even disrespectful towards the others because they do not inspire respect or obedience like they do. This will be a huge ego boost and validation to their power that they need.
Another excerpt from the same chapter
"It is worth noting, however, the dangers in the promiscuous use of the mirror. In Alcibiades' presence people feIt larger, as if their egos had been doubled. But once he left, they feIt empty and diminished, and when they saw him mirroring completely different people as totally as he had mirrored them, they feIt not just diminished but betrayed. Alcibiades' overuse of the Mirror Effect made whole peoples feel used, so that he constantly had to flee from one place to another. Indeed Alcibiades so angered the Spartans that they finally had him murdered. He had gone too far. The Seducer's Mirror must be used with caution and discrimination."
2. Know How To Leverage Your Position As The Slave
There are many masters of power through out history that preferred the Slave position over the Master position, even when they had the oppurtunity to rise to masters leadership position they rejected the position because they paradoxically had more power as a slave (and knew how to play that position with more skill) than someone who was in the top leadership position. Think of the great diplomat Metternich, or Henry Kissinger. Both worked for and under powerful presidents and emperors but both were ultimately the who were more powerful than their masters.
If you know how to play the slave position well many times you will have more options, more maneuverability, and more power than the actual master has.
You must first know your privileges, options, and where your leverage lies when playing the game of power.
If you are outside of your rights, and not in a position of strength where you have leverage you will -have no force, you will have no power.
Any ineffective use of power (or a weak/stupid/unskilled act of force) will only be responded with appropriate force/power to easily neutralize it or simply crush it. An emotional outburst and or a baseless demand thrown at a master(someone more powerful than you in the dynamic) will only give the master a reason to exercise his power and use you as an example, because weakness and amatuer plays are not respected, and swatting them are just routine practice for powerful people. Weak uses or unskillful uses of power against someone powerful/a master is a force that is barely even registered by powerful people, like a soft wind blowing against a strong tree, it is just normal everyday phenomena and dealing with theses pests is as simple as swatting a fly.
An Ultra high net worth and high profile individual equipped with a team of lawyers on retainer crush the almost daily law suits thrown at him with out breaking a sweat, its merely routine for them. The individual is never even notified of the flies his team has successfully swatted because its not even worth noting.
But if you make a skilled play / act of force that shows you know your options/areas of agency and that forces the other power to turn their attention and deal with you, it will gain you the respect of powerful people - even if they are an enemy. If a master realizes that you know what you're entitled to and know where you are strong and how to leverage your position as the slave they will deal with you as formidable opponent/power player worthy of respect and know not to step out of bounds and over extend them selves by unjustly using their power.
Show a powerful person you know your power and you enter the world of power - Be an actual force they have to deal/contend with and you enter the game of power
Maneuver them away from their power and lure them to yours. If you play your cards right, and maneuver with purpose, you will place your self in a position of leverage and you will have the know how and skill to capitalize on this position that will make your master bend to your will and be the one to serve you.
Know your power by knowing the laws, your rights, your privileges and your entitlements
Understanding the manual, an employer’s bylaws, a business's policy,
Your rights in any interaction, as a son brother father friend spouse--buyer,seller, citizen, student, etc
Before making a complaint to a company about a product/service make sure you know their policies to cite it to them, before making a demand to your boss make sure it is backed up by your companies bylaws. Make sure you know the rights of tenants before engaging with your landlord.
Many times people dont know their power in a dynamic. Understand, if they have rights over you then you have rights over them. If you do not exercise your rights they are happy and they will take full advantage. If you do they will respect you and be weary of how they treat you because they know that you know all the rules of engagement, and even if you dont know a couple rules they will not risk finding out and will assume you know all of them.
KNOW THE OTHER, KNOW YOURSELF, AND THE VICTORY WILL NOT BE AT RISK;
KNOW THE GROUND, KNOW THE NATURAL CONDITIONS, AND THE VICTORY WILL BE TOTAL.
–Sun Tzu
Know what your options are and where your leverage is.
You must know your self - your position, your possible moves on the board, and where you have leverage
You must know your enemy/master, where theyre powerful/where theyre weak, and what the limits to their powers are.
From 33 strategies of war - "Many above him [machiavelli], he said, were stupid and lazy, appointed to their positions by virtue of birth and connections. He was developing the art of dealing with these men, he told his friends, finding a way to use them instead of being used."
This is the great art.
If you master your self, can be adaptable to any master, and if you know your master - you can become the master of your master and ultimately make your master serve you.
This is how Henry Kissinger made all the presidents he served under ultimately serve him and his interests [Written about in 48 laws of power law 31 Color the Options and in my power profile post on Kissinger] .
This is how Machiavellis favorite Prince, Cesare Borgia, made the French King that he was meant to serve ultimately serve him and serve his father, the popes, interests in Italy. [the subject of my next power profile post ]
And how the great diplomat and infinitely adaptable Prince Metternich who served under the great Emperor Napoleon used him to further his and his nations interest and then ultimately be a key factor in bringing the great conquer napoleon down when it served his nation to do so and would bring about the stability in Europe [ Written about in 33 strategies of war Strategy 13 Know your Enemy The Intelligence Strategy, The Close Embrace ]
EXCERPT FROM 33 STRATEGIES OF WAR: STRATEGY 32 - DOMINATE WHILE SEEMING TO SUBMIT
"This was the real achievement of Metternich's policy, that it had killed Russian liberalism and achieved a measure of domination over Austria's most dangerous rival in the guise of submitting to him."
( For the full story of how Metternich, a master of power, dominated Russian Liberalism and masterfully manipulated The Russian Czar Alexander to do it for him is in "STRATEGY 21 - NEGOTIATE WHILE ADVANCING" : Trade Jade for Tile )
Another very important key to making you master serve you is Law 11: Learn To Keep People Dependent On You
This is something Borgia, Metternich, and Kissinger did well. They were of such great value to their masters that they were indispensable, further more they all made them selves so integral to the operations of their masters that even if their masters wanted to get rid of them they couldn't with out bringing disaster on to them selves - they made their masters helpless with out them. This must be done slowly and gradually. Never seem too eager to make your self so integral, instead be patient and never make it clear what you're ultimately angling for. Over time gradually take more and more responsibilities that are strategically critical off of your masters plate when their personal life or work life inevitably gets too hectic to handle everything. Allow them to concentrate on the thing issue/problem theyre prioritizing while taking on the responsibility of something that is actually important but they just cannot afford to concentrate on at the moment. You being there to offer a helping hand in a time of need will earn you appreciation points and will make you stand out as the person they can rely on to take on more responsibilities in the future.
Powerful People Respect "A Show of Force"
Oriana Fallaci is possibly THE greatest journalists of the 20th century, she is said to be the mother of modern journalism. She would put her self in the front lines of wars, and protests all around the world to get the truth - she was even shot 3 times, and her greatest love was the victim of political assassination (as well as other close friends). In the art of seduction on the chapter called "Mix pleasure with pain" -Orianna Fallaci is written about for her great interviews and ability to provoke powerful world leaders that are media trained men and getting them to reveal information, while also getting them to relax and open up at the same time ( even getting the best of the master of power and the real life version of house of cards Frank Underwood-Henry Kissinger him self in 1972 and he considered his interview with Fallaci to be the biggest blunder of his political career) .
In that chapter of the art of seduction Robert Greene writes about her 1973 interview with the Shah of Iran. But later that decade Oriana Fallaci got an interview with Ayatollah Khomeini when he seized power during the Irani Islamic revolution of the late 70's. For the interview in Iran, Fallaci was told she had to wear the persian "Chador"(persian word for hijab / islamic female covering) to obey and respect the new rules of Islamic Iran which was something very new at the time, Persian women before that publically wore the same fashions and bathing suits as western women did in the 60s/70's and Iran was one of the fashion centers of the world, full of high glamor and with their rich persian culture thriving.
Oriana Fallaci saw the Chador as a symbol of oppression and called it a weapon of fascism (she fought fascistic regimes literally all around world as a journalist) and before the interview she told Ayatollah Khomeini that she didnt want to wear it. The Ayatollah made a biting remark telling her, well the chador is for younger more proper woman anyway. She lost her composure and this unreasonable outburst made the Ayatollah walk out of the room and effectively cancel the interview.
Fallaci realized she had been out played, the Ayatollah intentionally tried to force a notoriously strong willed combative woman to wear something that would symbolize oppression and everything she was against. She was already frustrated and on the edge with the whole political situations the persians were forced to deal with, and with the attempt to force her to be symbolically oppressed too. The biting remark that called her an aging immodest lady from a fascist man she despised is what pushed her over the edge. Her loss of composure gave him reason to avoid a potentially disastrous interview with the notorious journalist and walk out, while putting himself in a position that made it seem like its her fault for not being reasonable losing her composure because she simply did not want follow local customs. But Fallacis next move after this is what made him respect her and actually do the interview.
She swore she wouldnt move from that spot until he or one of his men guaranteed to her that she would get another interview she sat there for hours and so fearing a media scandal the Ayatollahs son came back and pleaded with her saying we will give you an interview tomorrow in the afternoon if you please leave. Fallaci then said she would leave but only after he or the aytola swore on the holy quran that he would give her that promised interview tomorrow afternoon. The son went back to his father, told him of her demands, and asked permission to swear on the quran on his behalf and then with permission he returned and swore on their holy book in front of her that they would keep their promise. The next day when she was granted access to the promised interview at 5pm she noticed an entirely different spirit to the Ayatollah. He was more engaged with her and the interview questions, he was more open and straight forward and she noticed that he was slightly more amused by her. She realized she had earned his respect.
She utterly despised him, but in a televised interview she openly acknowledged that his subtle play to provoke her made her realize that the ayatollah was actually smart, a compliment she didnt give many world leaders she met (Fallaci even called Gaddafi an idiot that might be clinically retarded). Although Ayatollah Khomeini thought that he had outplayed Fallaci, her ability to leverage her weaker position and force his hand is what ultimately earned the respect of the Ayatollah and won her a more fruitful interview. She had become the master of her master and forced him to serve her. Fallaci said that she noticed after she had made this "show of force", as she put it, that he actually became amused with her and respected her all the more. No doubt she already knew this about powerful men since she's interviewed dozens in a turbulent warring time of history, but Im sure that that experience is something that really stuck with her.
Earning the respect of a powerful person/master, especially through a well played maneuver, will make your relationship with that person much more fruitful. Where they were once closed off and purposefully remaining distant with their higher position/status they will begin to treat you as someone closer and worthy of respect. And this is a privilege that will never be given, it must be taken. Only when you show a powerful person you know your power (your rights, your options, your strengths) will you appear on their radar as someone even worth acknowledging. Further more if you then somehow exert/leverage your power in a clever way to make them have to contend with you or even compel them to do something they were at first unwilling to do, you will finally earn the status of someone worthy of respect.