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Law 7 – Get Others To Do The Work For You, But Always Take The Credit
Use the wisdom, knowledge, and legwork of other people to further your own cause. Not only will such assistance save you valuable time and energy, it will give you a godlike aura of efficiency and speed. In the end your helpers will be forgotten and you will be remembered. Never do yourself what others can do for you.
Transgression And Observance Of The Law
In 1883 a young Serbian scientist called Nikola Tesla was working for the European division of the Continental Edison Company. He was a brilliant inventor and Charles Batchelor, a plant manager and person friend of Thomas Edison, persuaded him to seek his fortune in America. He gave him a letter of introduction to Edison himself, and so began a life of woe and tribulation that lasted until Tesla’s death.
When Tesla met Edison in New York, Edison hired him on the spot. Tesla then worked 18 hour days, finding ways to improve the basic Edison dynamos, before offering to re-design them completely. To Edison it seemed a huge task, but nevertheless he told Tesla “There’s $50,000 in it for you – if you can do it”. Tesla laboured long hours and after a year produced a greatly improved version of the dynamo, complete with automatic controls.
He went to Edison to break the news and expected to receive his $50,000, and although Edison was impressed with the new dynamo, for which his company would take credit, Edison told the young Serb “Tesla, you don’t understand our American humour!” and offered him a small raise instead.
Tesla’s obsession was to create an alternating current (AC) of electricity, but Edison believed in the direct current (DC) and not only refused to support Tesla’s research but did all he could to sabotage his efforts. Tesla therefore turned to George Westinghouse, who had started up his own electricity company, and Westinghouse completely funded Tesla’s research and offered him a generous royalty agreement on all future profits.
The AC system that Tesla went on to develop is still the standard today, but after patents were filed in Tesla’s name other scientists came forward and accused Tesla of building on their work, Tesla’s name was lost in the confusion, and Westinghouse got all the credit for the invention.
A year later Westinghouse was caught up in a takeover bid by J Pierpoint Morgan, who forced him to rescind the generous royalty contract he had made with Tesla. Westinghouse explained to Tesla the reason for the decision was that his company could not survive if it honoured the contract, and he managed to persuade Tesla to accept a buyout of $216,000, a huge sum nonetheless but peanuts compared to the $12million the contract was worth at the time. Tesla had in effect had the riches, patents, and the credit for the greatest invention of his career stolen from him.
The name of Guglielmo Marconi is forever linked with the invention of radio, but few know that in producing his invention he used a patent that Tesla had filed in 1897, and that all his work depended on this patent. Once again Tesla received no credit, and this time no money, and even though he should be credited as the “father of radio” the names Marconi and radio are rarely mentioned in the same sentence.
In 1917 Tesla was told he was to receive the Edison Medal from the American Institute of Electrical Engineers. He turned the medal down, saying it was an insult as he invented most of the things which the institution was based on and got no credit for whatsoever. As a bitter old man, Tesla lived and died in poverty.
Interpretation
Many people harbour the impression that science, dealing with facts as it does, is beyond the petty squabbles and rivalries of the rest of the world. Nikola Tesla was one of those people, believing that science had nothing to do with politics, and he claimed not to care for fame and riches. As he wasn’t associated with any particular discovery, he couldn’t attract investors to fund his work, so while he pondered the great inventions of the future other people came in and stole the patents he had filed and got the glory for themselves. He wanted to do everything on his own, but all he succeeded in doing was burning himself out and ruining himself in the process.
Edison was the exact opposite. He wasn’t really much of a scientific thinker or inventor, more of a businessman and publicist, spotting the trends as they developed and hiring the best people to work for him. If he had to he wouldn’t hesitate to steal from his competitors, and even though Tesla was by far the better scientist Edison’s name is associated with many more inventions.
The lesson here is twofold: First, the credit for an invention or creation is as important as the invention itself. You must secure the credit for the invention yourself to stop others from stealing it away from you, or from using your hard work to their advantage in coming up with something better. To do this you must always keep your invention quiet until you can be sure there are no vultures circling overhead waiting to pounce.
Second, you need to learn to take advantage of other people’s work to further your own cause. Time is precious and life is short, and if you try to do everything on your own you will run yourself ragged, waste energy, and suffer burnout. It is far better to conserve your forces, pounce on the work that others have done, and find a way to make it your own.
“Everybody steals in commerce and industry. I’ve stolen a lot myself. But I know how to steal.” (Thomas Edison, 1847-1931)
Keys To Power
The world of power has the dynamics of the jungle: There are those who live by hunting and killing, and also vast numbers of others, such as vultures, who live off the hunting of others. Do not be naive: At this very moment, while you are slaving away on some project, there are vultures circling above trying to figure out how to survive and thrive off your creativity. It is useless to complain about this, or wear yourself down with bitterness as Tesla did, and much better to protect yourself and join the game. Once you have established a power base, become a vulture yourself and save yourself a lot of time and energy.
Of the two extremes of this game, one is best illustrated by the explorer Vasco Nunez de Balboa, who had one obsession in his life – the discovery of El Dorado, a legendary city of vast riches. Early in the 16th century he found evidence of a great and wealthy empire to the south of Mexico, in present-day Peru. By conquering this empire, the Incan, and seizing its gold, he would make himself the next Cortes.
The problem was that after he had made this discovery word about it spread among other conquistadors, as de Balboa did not understand that half the game was keeping his discovery quiet and carefully watching those around him. A few years after he discovered the location of the Incan empire, a soldier in his own army, Francisco Pizarro, helped to get him beheaded for treason, and went on to take what de Balboa had spent so many years trying to find.
The other extreme is the artist Peter Paul Rubens, who, later on in his career, found himself swamped with requests for paintings. To cope with this demand he created a system: In his large studio he employed dozens of outstanding painters, each one specializing in a different area, such as faces, robes, and backgrounds, and created a vast production line in which dozens of paintings could be worked on at the same time. When a client visited the studio, Rubens would get rid of all his painters for the day and work solely on the client’s piece, taking the credit for all the other painter’s efforts.
This is the essence of this law: Learn to get others to do the work for you while you take the credit, and you appear to be of godlike strength and power. If you think it is important to do all the work by yourself, you will never get far, and suffer the fate of the de Balboas and Teslas of this world. Find people with the skills and creativity you lack and either hire them, then put your name on their work, or find a way to take their work and make it your own. Their creativity thus becomes your creativity, and you seem a genius to the world.
There is another application of this law that does not require the use of your contemporaries’ efforts: Use the past, a vast storehouse of knowledge and wisdom. Isaac Newton called this “standing on the shoulders of giants”, and meant that in making his discoveries he built on the achievements of others. Shakespeare borrowed plots, characters, and even whole lines of dialogue from others, and in turn how many other writers have borrowed from Shakespeare?
We all know few of today’s politicians write their own speeches, as their own words wouldn’t win them many votes. They employ professional speechwriters to do the work for them, creating witty, eloquent speeches that the politicians then take the credit for. This is a kind of power that is available to everyone – learn to use the knowledge of the past and look like a genius, even when all you are is a clever borrower. As Bismarck once said, “Fools say that they learn by experience. I prefer to profit by others experience.”
“A hen who had lost her sight, and was accustomed to scratching up the earth in search of food, although blind, still continued to scratch away most diligently. Of what use was it to the industrious fool? Another sharp-sighted hen who spared her tender feet never moved from her side, and enjoyed, without scratching, the fruit of the other’s labour. For as often as the blind hen scratched up a barleycorn, her watchful companion devoured it.” (Fables, Gotthold Lessing, 1729-1781)
Image: The Vulture
Of all the creatures in the jungle, he has it the easiest. The hard work of others becomes his work; their failure to survive becomes his nourishment. Keep an eye on the vulture – while you are hard at work, he is circling above. Do not fight him, join him.
Authority
There is much to be known, life is short, and life is not life without knowledge. It is therefore an excellent device to acquire knowledge from everybody. Thus, by the sweat of another’s brow, you win the reputation of being an oracle. (Baltasar Gracian, 1601-1658)
Reversal
There are times when taking the credit for the work that others have done is not the wise course: If your power is not firmly enough established, you will seem to be pushing people out of the limelight. To be a brilliant exploiter of talent your position must be unshakable, or you will be accused of deception.
Be sure when letting other people share the credit serves your purpose. It is especially important to not be greedy when you have a master above you. President Richard Nixon’s historic visit to China was originally his idea, but it probably wouldn’t have come off but for the diplomacy of Henry Kissinger, nor would it have been successful without his skills. Still, when time for credit came Kissinger let Nixon take the lion’s share, as he was careful not to jeopardize his standing by hogging the limelight, and he played the game expertly – he took credit for the work of those below him, while graciously giving credit for his own labours to those above. That is the way to play the game.
My Opinion
I believe fair is fair and that people should take the credit for their own work and not other people’s. If you continually take credit for others work, they will in the end turn on you and you will be left with nothing. Just giving people credit for their efforts and achievements will give them a positive feeling and they will continue to produce quality for you for years to come, and everyone will be happy.
Use the wisdom, knowledge, and legwork of other people to further your own cause. Not only will such assistance save you valuable time and energy, it will give you a godlike aura of efficiency and speed. In the end your helpers will be forgotten and you will be remembered. Never do yourself what others can do for you.
Transgression And Observance Of The Law
In 1883 a young Serbian scientist called Nikola Tesla was working for the European division of the Continental Edison Company. He was a brilliant inventor and Charles Batchelor, a plant manager and person friend of Thomas Edison, persuaded him to seek his fortune in America. He gave him a letter of introduction to Edison himself, and so began a life of woe and tribulation that lasted until Tesla’s death.
When Tesla met Edison in New York, Edison hired him on the spot. Tesla then worked 18 hour days, finding ways to improve the basic Edison dynamos, before offering to re-design them completely. To Edison it seemed a huge task, but nevertheless he told Tesla “There’s $50,000 in it for you – if you can do it”. Tesla laboured long hours and after a year produced a greatly improved version of the dynamo, complete with automatic controls.
He went to Edison to break the news and expected to receive his $50,000, and although Edison was impressed with the new dynamo, for which his company would take credit, Edison told the young Serb “Tesla, you don’t understand our American humour!” and offered him a small raise instead.
Tesla’s obsession was to create an alternating current (AC) of electricity, but Edison believed in the direct current (DC) and not only refused to support Tesla’s research but did all he could to sabotage his efforts. Tesla therefore turned to George Westinghouse, who had started up his own electricity company, and Westinghouse completely funded Tesla’s research and offered him a generous royalty agreement on all future profits.
The AC system that Tesla went on to develop is still the standard today, but after patents were filed in Tesla’s name other scientists came forward and accused Tesla of building on their work, Tesla’s name was lost in the confusion, and Westinghouse got all the credit for the invention.
A year later Westinghouse was caught up in a takeover bid by J Pierpoint Morgan, who forced him to rescind the generous royalty contract he had made with Tesla. Westinghouse explained to Tesla the reason for the decision was that his company could not survive if it honoured the contract, and he managed to persuade Tesla to accept a buyout of $216,000, a huge sum nonetheless but peanuts compared to the $12million the contract was worth at the time. Tesla had in effect had the riches, patents, and the credit for the greatest invention of his career stolen from him.
The name of Guglielmo Marconi is forever linked with the invention of radio, but few know that in producing his invention he used a patent that Tesla had filed in 1897, and that all his work depended on this patent. Once again Tesla received no credit, and this time no money, and even though he should be credited as the “father of radio” the names Marconi and radio are rarely mentioned in the same sentence.
In 1917 Tesla was told he was to receive the Edison Medal from the American Institute of Electrical Engineers. He turned the medal down, saying it was an insult as he invented most of the things which the institution was based on and got no credit for whatsoever. As a bitter old man, Tesla lived and died in poverty.
Interpretation
Many people harbour the impression that science, dealing with facts as it does, is beyond the petty squabbles and rivalries of the rest of the world. Nikola Tesla was one of those people, believing that science had nothing to do with politics, and he claimed not to care for fame and riches. As he wasn’t associated with any particular discovery, he couldn’t attract investors to fund his work, so while he pondered the great inventions of the future other people came in and stole the patents he had filed and got the glory for themselves. He wanted to do everything on his own, but all he succeeded in doing was burning himself out and ruining himself in the process.
Edison was the exact opposite. He wasn’t really much of a scientific thinker or inventor, more of a businessman and publicist, spotting the trends as they developed and hiring the best people to work for him. If he had to he wouldn’t hesitate to steal from his competitors, and even though Tesla was by far the better scientist Edison’s name is associated with many more inventions.
The lesson here is twofold: First, the credit for an invention or creation is as important as the invention itself. You must secure the credit for the invention yourself to stop others from stealing it away from you, or from using your hard work to their advantage in coming up with something better. To do this you must always keep your invention quiet until you can be sure there are no vultures circling overhead waiting to pounce.
Second, you need to learn to take advantage of other people’s work to further your own cause. Time is precious and life is short, and if you try to do everything on your own you will run yourself ragged, waste energy, and suffer burnout. It is far better to conserve your forces, pounce on the work that others have done, and find a way to make it your own.
“Everybody steals in commerce and industry. I’ve stolen a lot myself. But I know how to steal.” (Thomas Edison, 1847-1931)
Keys To Power
The world of power has the dynamics of the jungle: There are those who live by hunting and killing, and also vast numbers of others, such as vultures, who live off the hunting of others. Do not be naive: At this very moment, while you are slaving away on some project, there are vultures circling above trying to figure out how to survive and thrive off your creativity. It is useless to complain about this, or wear yourself down with bitterness as Tesla did, and much better to protect yourself and join the game. Once you have established a power base, become a vulture yourself and save yourself a lot of time and energy.
Of the two extremes of this game, one is best illustrated by the explorer Vasco Nunez de Balboa, who had one obsession in his life – the discovery of El Dorado, a legendary city of vast riches. Early in the 16th century he found evidence of a great and wealthy empire to the south of Mexico, in present-day Peru. By conquering this empire, the Incan, and seizing its gold, he would make himself the next Cortes.
The problem was that after he had made this discovery word about it spread among other conquistadors, as de Balboa did not understand that half the game was keeping his discovery quiet and carefully watching those around him. A few years after he discovered the location of the Incan empire, a soldier in his own army, Francisco Pizarro, helped to get him beheaded for treason, and went on to take what de Balboa had spent so many years trying to find.
The other extreme is the artist Peter Paul Rubens, who, later on in his career, found himself swamped with requests for paintings. To cope with this demand he created a system: In his large studio he employed dozens of outstanding painters, each one specializing in a different area, such as faces, robes, and backgrounds, and created a vast production line in which dozens of paintings could be worked on at the same time. When a client visited the studio, Rubens would get rid of all his painters for the day and work solely on the client’s piece, taking the credit for all the other painter’s efforts.
This is the essence of this law: Learn to get others to do the work for you while you take the credit, and you appear to be of godlike strength and power. If you think it is important to do all the work by yourself, you will never get far, and suffer the fate of the de Balboas and Teslas of this world. Find people with the skills and creativity you lack and either hire them, then put your name on their work, or find a way to take their work and make it your own. Their creativity thus becomes your creativity, and you seem a genius to the world.
There is another application of this law that does not require the use of your contemporaries’ efforts: Use the past, a vast storehouse of knowledge and wisdom. Isaac Newton called this “standing on the shoulders of giants”, and meant that in making his discoveries he built on the achievements of others. Shakespeare borrowed plots, characters, and even whole lines of dialogue from others, and in turn how many other writers have borrowed from Shakespeare?
We all know few of today’s politicians write their own speeches, as their own words wouldn’t win them many votes. They employ professional speechwriters to do the work for them, creating witty, eloquent speeches that the politicians then take the credit for. This is a kind of power that is available to everyone – learn to use the knowledge of the past and look like a genius, even when all you are is a clever borrower. As Bismarck once said, “Fools say that they learn by experience. I prefer to profit by others experience.”
“A hen who had lost her sight, and was accustomed to scratching up the earth in search of food, although blind, still continued to scratch away most diligently. Of what use was it to the industrious fool? Another sharp-sighted hen who spared her tender feet never moved from her side, and enjoyed, without scratching, the fruit of the other’s labour. For as often as the blind hen scratched up a barleycorn, her watchful companion devoured it.” (Fables, Gotthold Lessing, 1729-1781)
Image: The Vulture
Of all the creatures in the jungle, he has it the easiest. The hard work of others becomes his work; their failure to survive becomes his nourishment. Keep an eye on the vulture – while you are hard at work, he is circling above. Do not fight him, join him.
Authority
There is much to be known, life is short, and life is not life without knowledge. It is therefore an excellent device to acquire knowledge from everybody. Thus, by the sweat of another’s brow, you win the reputation of being an oracle. (Baltasar Gracian, 1601-1658)
Reversal
There are times when taking the credit for the work that others have done is not the wise course: If your power is not firmly enough established, you will seem to be pushing people out of the limelight. To be a brilliant exploiter of talent your position must be unshakable, or you will be accused of deception.
Be sure when letting other people share the credit serves your purpose. It is especially important to not be greedy when you have a master above you. President Richard Nixon’s historic visit to China was originally his idea, but it probably wouldn’t have come off but for the diplomacy of Henry Kissinger, nor would it have been successful without his skills. Still, when time for credit came Kissinger let Nixon take the lion’s share, as he was careful not to jeopardize his standing by hogging the limelight, and he played the game expertly – he took credit for the work of those below him, while graciously giving credit for his own labours to those above. That is the way to play the game.
My Opinion
I believe fair is fair and that people should take the credit for their own work and not other people’s. If you continually take credit for others work, they will in the end turn on you and you will be left with nothing. Just giving people credit for their efforts and achievements will give them a positive feeling and they will continue to produce quality for you for years to come, and everyone will be happy.
I've given up trying to work out why these keep appearing, besides Smedders pressing 'Post'.
Law 7 – Get Others To Do The Work For You, But Always Take The Credit
Use the wisdom, knowledge, and legwork of other people to further your own cause. Not only will such assistance save you valuable time and energy, it will give you a godlike aura of efficiency and speed. In the end your helpers will be forgotten and you will be remembered. Never do yourself what others can do for you.
Transgression And Observance Of The Law
In 1883 a young Serbian scientist called Nikola Tesla was working for the European division of the Continental Edison Company. He was a brilliant inventor and Charles Batchelor, a plant manager and person friend of Thomas Edison, persuaded him to seek his fortune in America. He gave him a letter of introduction to Edison himself, and so began a life of woe and tribulation that lasted until Tesla’s death.
When Tesla met Edison in New York, Edison hired him on the spot. Tesla then worked 18 hour days, finding ways to improve the basic Edison dynamos, before offering to re-design them completely. To Edison it seemed a huge task, but nevertheless he told Tesla “There’s $50,000 in it for you – if you can do it”. Tesla laboured long hours and after a year produced a greatly improved version of the dynamo, complete with automatic controls.
He went to Edison to break the news and expected to receive his $50,000, and although Edison was impressed with the new dynamo, for which his company would take credit, Edison told the young Serb “Tesla, you don’t understand our American humour!” and offered him a small raise instead.
Tesla’s obsession was to create an alternating current (AC) of electricity, but Edison believed in the direct current (DC) and not only refused to support Tesla’s research but did all he could to sabotage his efforts. Tesla therefore turned to George Westinghouse, who had started up his own electricity company, and Westinghouse completely funded Tesla’s research and offered him a generous royalty agreement on all future profits.
The AC system that Tesla went on to develop is still the standard today, but after patents were filed in Tesla’s name other scientists came forward and accused Tesla of building on their work, Tesla’s name was lost in the confusion, and Westinghouse got all the credit for the invention.
A year later Westinghouse was caught up in a takeover bid by J Pierpoint Morgan, who forced him to rescind the generous royalty contract he had made with Tesla. Westinghouse explained to Tesla the reason for the decision was that his company could not survive if it honoured the contract, and he managed to persuade Tesla to accept a buyout of $216,000, a huge sum nonetheless but peanuts compared to the $12million the contract was worth at the time. Tesla had in effect had the riches, patents, and the credit for the greatest invention of his career stolen from him.
The name of Guglielmo Marconi is forever linked with the invention of radio, but few know that in producing his invention he used a patent that Tesla had filed in 1897, and that all his work depended on this patent. Once again Tesla received no credit, and this time no money, and even though he should be credited as the “father of radio” the names Marconi and radio are rarely mentioned in the same sentence.
In 1917 Tesla was told he was to receive the Edison Medal from the American Institute of Electrical Engineers. He turned the medal down, saying it was an insult as he invented most of the things which the institution was based on and got no credit for whatsoever. As a bitter old man, Tesla lived and died in poverty.
Interpretation
Many people harbour the impression that science, dealing with facts as it does, is beyond the petty squabbles and rivalries of the rest of the world. Nikola Tesla was one of those people, believing that science had nothing to do with politics, and he claimed not to care for fame and riches. As he wasn’t associated with any particular discovery, he couldn’t attract investors to fund his work, so while he pondered the great inventions of the future other people came in and stole the patents he had filed and got the glory for themselves. He wanted to do everything on his own, but all he succeeded in doing was burning himself out and ruining himself in the process.
Edison was the exact opposite. He wasn’t really much of a scientific thinker or inventor, more of a businessman and publicist, spotting the trends as they developed and hiring the best people to work for him. If he had to he wouldn’t hesitate to steal from his competitors, and even though Tesla was by far the better scientist Edison’s name is associated with many more inventions.
The lesson here is twofold: First, the credit for an invention or creation is as important as the invention itself. You must secure the credit for the invention yourself to stop others from stealing it away from you, or from using your hard work to their advantage in coming up with something better. To do this you must always keep your invention quiet until you can be sure there are no vultures circling overhead waiting to pounce.
Second, you need to learn to take advantage of other people’s work to further your own cause. Time is precious and life is short, and if you try to do everything on your own you will run yourself ragged, waste energy, and suffer burnout. It is far better to conserve your forces, pounce on the work that others have done, and find a way to make it your own.
“Everybody steals in commerce and industry. I’ve stolen a lot myself. But I know how to steal.” (Thomas Edison, 1847-1931)
Keys To Power
The world of power has the dynamics of the jungle: There are those who live by hunting and killing, and also vast numbers of others, such as vultures, who live off the hunting of others. Do not be naive: At this very moment, while you are slaving away on some project, there are vultures circling above trying to figure out how to survive and thrive off your creativity. It is useless to complain about this, or wear yourself down with bitterness as Tesla did, and much better to protect yourself and join the game. Once you have established a power base, become a vulture yourself and save yourself a lot of time and energy.
Of the two extremes of this game, one is best illustrated by the explorer Vasco Nunez de Balboa, who had one obsession in his life – the discovery of El Dorado, a legendary city of vast riches. Early in the 16th century he found evidence of a great and wealthy empire to the south of Mexico, in present-day Peru. By conquering this empire, the Incan, and seizing its gold, he would make himself the next Cortes.
The problem was that after he had made this discovery word about it spread among other conquistadors, as de Balboa did not understand that half the game was keeping his discovery quiet and carefully watching those around him. A few years after he discovered the location of the Incan empire, a soldier in his own army, Francisco Pizarro, helped to get him beheaded for treason, and went on to take what de Balboa had spent so many years trying to find.
The other extreme is the artist Peter Paul Rubens, who, later on in his career, found himself swamped with requests for paintings. To cope with this demand he created a system: In his large studio he employed dozens of outstanding painters, each one specializing in a different area, such as faces, robes, and backgrounds, and created a vast production line in which dozens of paintings could be worked on at the same time. When a client visited the studio, Rubens would get rid of all his painters for the day and work solely on the client’s piece, taking the credit for all the other painter’s efforts.
This is the essence of this law: Learn to get others to do the work for you while you take the credit, and you appear to be of godlike strength and power. If you think it is important to do all the work by yourself, you will never get far, and suffer the fate of the de Balboas and Teslas of this world. Find people with the skills and creativity you lack and either hire them, then put your name on their work, or find a way to take their work and make it your own. Their creativity thus becomes your creativity, and you seem a genius to the world.
There is another application of this law that does not require the use of your contemporaries’ efforts: Use the past, a vast storehouse of knowledge and wisdom. Isaac Newton called this “standing on the shoulders of giants”, and meant that in making his discoveries he built on the achievements of others. Shakespeare borrowed plots, characters, and even whole lines of dialogue from others, and in turn how many other writers have borrowed from Shakespeare?
We all know few of today’s politicians write their own speeches, as their own words wouldn’t win them many votes. They employ professional speechwriters to do the work for them, creating witty, eloquent speeches that the politicians then take the credit for. This is a kind of power that is available to everyone – learn to use the knowledge of the past and look like a genius, even when all you are is a clever borrower. As Bismarck once said, “Fools say that they learn by experience. I prefer to profit by others experience.”
“A hen who had lost her sight, and was accustomed to scratching up the earth in search of food, although blind, still continued to scratch away most diligently. Of what use was it to the industrious fool? Another sharp-sighted hen who spared her tender feet never moved from her side, and enjoyed, without scratching, the fruit of the other’s labour. For as often as the blind hen scratched up a barleycorn, her watchful companion devoured it.” (Fables, Gotthold Lessing, 1729-1781)
Image: The Vulture
Of all the creatures in the jungle, he has it the easiest. The hard work of others becomes his work; their failure to survive becomes his nourishment. Keep an eye on the vulture – while you are hard at work, he is circling above. Do not fight him, join him.
Authority
There is much to be known, life is short, and life is not life without knowledge. It is therefore an excellent device to acquire knowledge from everybody. Thus, by the sweat of another’s brow, you win the reputation of being an oracle. (Baltasar Gracian, 1601-1658)
Reversal
There are times when taking the credit for the work that others have done is not the wise course: If your power is not firmly enough established, you will seem to be pushing people out of the limelight. To be a brilliant exploiter of talent your position must be unshakable, or you will be accused of deception.
Be sure when letting other people share the credit serves your purpose. It is especially important to not be greedy when you have a master above you. President Richard Nixon’s historic visit to China was originally his idea, but it probably wouldn’t have come off but for the diplomacy of Henry Kissinger, nor would it have been successful without his skills. Still, when time for credit came Kissinger let Nixon take the lion’s share, as he was careful not to jeopardize his standing by hogging the limelight, and he played the game expertly – he took credit for the work of those below him, while graciously giving credit for his own labours to those above. That is the way to play the game.
My Opinion
I believe fair is fair and that people should take the credit for their own work and not other people’s. If you continually take credit for others work, they will in the end turn on you and you will be left with nothing. Just giving people credit for their efforts and achievements will give them a positive feeling and they will continue to produce quality for you for years to come, and everyone will be happy.
Use the wisdom, knowledge, and legwork of other people to further your own cause. Not only will such assistance save you valuable time and energy, it will give you a godlike aura of efficiency and speed. In the end your helpers will be forgotten and you will be remembered. Never do yourself what others can do for you.
Transgression And Observance Of The Law
In 1883 a young Serbian scientist called Nikola Tesla was working for the European division of the Continental Edison Company. He was a brilliant inventor and Charles Batchelor, a plant manager and person friend of Thomas Edison, persuaded him to seek his fortune in America. He gave him a letter of introduction to Edison himself, and so began a life of woe and tribulation that lasted until Tesla’s death.
When Tesla met Edison in New York, Edison hired him on the spot. Tesla then worked 18 hour days, finding ways to improve the basic Edison dynamos, before offering to re-design them completely. To Edison it seemed a huge task, but nevertheless he told Tesla “There’s $50,000 in it for you – if you can do it”. Tesla laboured long hours and after a year produced a greatly improved version of the dynamo, complete with automatic controls.
He went to Edison to break the news and expected to receive his $50,000, and although Edison was impressed with the new dynamo, for which his company would take credit, Edison told the young Serb “Tesla, you don’t understand our American humour!” and offered him a small raise instead.
Tesla’s obsession was to create an alternating current (AC) of electricity, but Edison believed in the direct current (DC) and not only refused to support Tesla’s research but did all he could to sabotage his efforts. Tesla therefore turned to George Westinghouse, who had started up his own electricity company, and Westinghouse completely funded Tesla’s research and offered him a generous royalty agreement on all future profits.
The AC system that Tesla went on to develop is still the standard today, but after patents were filed in Tesla’s name other scientists came forward and accused Tesla of building on their work, Tesla’s name was lost in the confusion, and Westinghouse got all the credit for the invention.
A year later Westinghouse was caught up in a takeover bid by J Pierpoint Morgan, who forced him to rescind the generous royalty contract he had made with Tesla. Westinghouse explained to Tesla the reason for the decision was that his company could not survive if it honoured the contract, and he managed to persuade Tesla to accept a buyout of $216,000, a huge sum nonetheless but peanuts compared to the $12million the contract was worth at the time. Tesla had in effect had the riches, patents, and the credit for the greatest invention of his career stolen from him.
The name of Guglielmo Marconi is forever linked with the invention of radio, but few know that in producing his invention he used a patent that Tesla had filed in 1897, and that all his work depended on this patent. Once again Tesla received no credit, and this time no money, and even though he should be credited as the “father of radio” the names Marconi and radio are rarely mentioned in the same sentence.
In 1917 Tesla was told he was to receive the Edison Medal from the American Institute of Electrical Engineers. He turned the medal down, saying it was an insult as he invented most of the things which the institution was based on and got no credit for whatsoever. As a bitter old man, Tesla lived and died in poverty.
Interpretation
Many people harbour the impression that science, dealing with facts as it does, is beyond the petty squabbles and rivalries of the rest of the world. Nikola Tesla was one of those people, believing that science had nothing to do with politics, and he claimed not to care for fame and riches. As he wasn’t associated with any particular discovery, he couldn’t attract investors to fund his work, so while he pondered the great inventions of the future other people came in and stole the patents he had filed and got the glory for themselves. He wanted to do everything on his own, but all he succeeded in doing was burning himself out and ruining himself in the process.
Edison was the exact opposite. He wasn’t really much of a scientific thinker or inventor, more of a businessman and publicist, spotting the trends as they developed and hiring the best people to work for him. If he had to he wouldn’t hesitate to steal from his competitors, and even though Tesla was by far the better scientist Edison’s name is associated with many more inventions.
The lesson here is twofold: First, the credit for an invention or creation is as important as the invention itself. You must secure the credit for the invention yourself to stop others from stealing it away from you, or from using your hard work to their advantage in coming up with something better. To do this you must always keep your invention quiet until you can be sure there are no vultures circling overhead waiting to pounce.
Second, you need to learn to take advantage of other people’s work to further your own cause. Time is precious and life is short, and if you try to do everything on your own you will run yourself ragged, waste energy, and suffer burnout. It is far better to conserve your forces, pounce on the work that others have done, and find a way to make it your own.
“Everybody steals in commerce and industry. I’ve stolen a lot myself. But I know how to steal.” (Thomas Edison, 1847-1931)
Keys To Power
The world of power has the dynamics of the jungle: There are those who live by hunting and killing, and also vast numbers of others, such as vultures, who live off the hunting of others. Do not be naive: At this very moment, while you are slaving away on some project, there are vultures circling above trying to figure out how to survive and thrive off your creativity. It is useless to complain about this, or wear yourself down with bitterness as Tesla did, and much better to protect yourself and join the game. Once you have established a power base, become a vulture yourself and save yourself a lot of time and energy.
Of the two extremes of this game, one is best illustrated by the explorer Vasco Nunez de Balboa, who had one obsession in his life – the discovery of El Dorado, a legendary city of vast riches. Early in the 16th century he found evidence of a great and wealthy empire to the south of Mexico, in present-day Peru. By conquering this empire, the Incan, and seizing its gold, he would make himself the next Cortes.
The problem was that after he had made this discovery word about it spread among other conquistadors, as de Balboa did not understand that half the game was keeping his discovery quiet and carefully watching those around him. A few years after he discovered the location of the Incan empire, a soldier in his own army, Francisco Pizarro, helped to get him beheaded for treason, and went on to take what de Balboa had spent so many years trying to find.
The other extreme is the artist Peter Paul Rubens, who, later on in his career, found himself swamped with requests for paintings. To cope with this demand he created a system: In his large studio he employed dozens of outstanding painters, each one specializing in a different area, such as faces, robes, and backgrounds, and created a vast production line in which dozens of paintings could be worked on at the same time. When a client visited the studio, Rubens would get rid of all his painters for the day and work solely on the client’s piece, taking the credit for all the other painter’s efforts.
This is the essence of this law: Learn to get others to do the work for you while you take the credit, and you appear to be of godlike strength and power. If you think it is important to do all the work by yourself, you will never get far, and suffer the fate of the de Balboas and Teslas of this world. Find people with the skills and creativity you lack and either hire them, then put your name on their work, or find a way to take their work and make it your own. Their creativity thus becomes your creativity, and you seem a genius to the world.
There is another application of this law that does not require the use of your contemporaries’ efforts: Use the past, a vast storehouse of knowledge and wisdom. Isaac Newton called this “standing on the shoulders of giants”, and meant that in making his discoveries he built on the achievements of others. Shakespeare borrowed plots, characters, and even whole lines of dialogue from others, and in turn how many other writers have borrowed from Shakespeare?
We all know few of today’s politicians write their own speeches, as their own words wouldn’t win them many votes. They employ professional speechwriters to do the work for them, creating witty, eloquent speeches that the politicians then take the credit for. This is a kind of power that is available to everyone – learn to use the knowledge of the past and look like a genius, even when all you are is a clever borrower. As Bismarck once said, “Fools say that they learn by experience. I prefer to profit by others experience.”
“A hen who had lost her sight, and was accustomed to scratching up the earth in search of food, although blind, still continued to scratch away most diligently. Of what use was it to the industrious fool? Another sharp-sighted hen who spared her tender feet never moved from her side, and enjoyed, without scratching, the fruit of the other’s labour. For as often as the blind hen scratched up a barleycorn, her watchful companion devoured it.” (Fables, Gotthold Lessing, 1729-1781)
Image: The Vulture
Of all the creatures in the jungle, he has it the easiest. The hard work of others becomes his work; their failure to survive becomes his nourishment. Keep an eye on the vulture – while you are hard at work, he is circling above. Do not fight him, join him.
Authority
There is much to be known, life is short, and life is not life without knowledge. It is therefore an excellent device to acquire knowledge from everybody. Thus, by the sweat of another’s brow, you win the reputation of being an oracle. (Baltasar Gracian, 1601-1658)
Reversal
There are times when taking the credit for the work that others have done is not the wise course: If your power is not firmly enough established, you will seem to be pushing people out of the limelight. To be a brilliant exploiter of talent your position must be unshakable, or you will be accused of deception.
Be sure when letting other people share the credit serves your purpose. It is especially important to not be greedy when you have a master above you. President Richard Nixon’s historic visit to China was originally his idea, but it probably wouldn’t have come off but for the diplomacy of Henry Kissinger, nor would it have been successful without his skills. Still, when time for credit came Kissinger let Nixon take the lion’s share, as he was careful not to jeopardize his standing by hogging the limelight, and he played the game expertly – he took credit for the work of those below him, while graciously giving credit for his own labours to those above. That is the way to play the game.
My Opinion
I believe fair is fair and that people should take the credit for their own work and not other people’s. If you continually take credit for others work, they will in the end turn on you and you will be left with nothing. Just giving people credit for their efforts and achievements will give them a positive feeling and they will continue to produce quality for you for years to come, and everyone will be happy.