13# - ONE MIN BOOK SUMMARY - Law 11: Learn To Keep People Dependent on You - The 48 laws of Power (Robert Greene)
The concept of power through independence is paradoxical
And i will explain you why.
To get your independence you must always get people to be dependent on you. You see the paradox?
The more you are relied on, the more freedom you have. That simple.
Make people depend on you for their happiness and prosperity and you have nothing to fear.
How to do that?
Develop a useful skill that will make you unique and irreplaceable.
Never teach them enough so that they can do without you.
Be careful to not show too much of your talent in public, you might risk to outshine your superior. This is the first law : NEVER OUTSHINE YOUR MASTER
Here is a real life story for you.
Bismarck understood well this rule.
He also understood that if is primordial to seek out a weak ruler to create the dependency.
Bismarck found this characteristic in the person of Frederick William IV, king of Prussia and created with him a relationship of dependency.
His skill set allowed him to become a key player in restoring the king’s power.
This strategy was so efficient that even when the king died, his brother William who preceded him depended on Bismarck as well.
Bismarck became their strength. In the process, he accessed the ultimate power without the unpleasantness of ruling.