Kazira

Superclass: The Global Power Elite and the World They Are Making

by David Rothkopf (Author)

You know, when did I first start thinking about the possibility of a small group of individuals pretty much running the whole world? It was during the time when I (along with a lot of my friends) lost a significant chunk of our hard earned earning betting on the hyped up stocks on the Wall Street. We wanted someone to blame for our losses and we, rather than blaming our greed, conveniently blamed it all on the bubble and then subsequently to Allan Greenspan for bursting that bubble. We collectively blamed a single guy for evaporating trillions of dollars from the market, our pockets and the economy – “Could a single guy posses such power?” We wondered. And if this is true – who controls such person and “could the decisions made by such person be modified based on political and personal objectives?” Then came Greenspan’s book and him telling of how the current White House (2004-2008) was the most intrusive when it came to deciding the fed market policies. Wow .. I wondered, so the power is concentrated with a few and the political elites do use or abuse it for furthering their own agendas … I don’t claim to be naive here – I had an inkling – I don’t wear any idealistic glasses when I look at the real world – but this is hard fact, as told by one of “those” (in the know). And then came this book – writing about this phenomenon in black and white. Now, after reading this book, when I think of the past events and read current news, I can now almost find artifacts to substantiate the above theory all over the news articles.

Now lets come to the stock market these days (June 2008) – How could it be? that the stock market keeps doing the roller-coater ride for the past 8 years and all the reporting in the news paper and in the financial magazine is that – its because the “job market lost jobs” or “consumer spending is low” or “consumer sentiments are low” or “the price of oil is a bit higher”. I agree that these factors do play a role on the market but how could the “consumer sentiments” be low one day and a big Markey hurray the next – Something is not right – The market is moving too fact and all the financial reports are left with is the weaker argument of all the quotes above. These can’t be freak accidents, because freak accidents do not happen on a daily basis – like the ones reported lately. There are a group of individuals – not conspiring, but acting in their own interest and using their enormous influence fulfill their goals (The oil companies, or the oil future’s traders). Meanwhile, us, the middle class, is left hanging watching the stock market like a dog following the tennis ball on the court while paying $4 a gallon for gasoline.

Getting back to the book – here is a book that we can all relate with. A book, finally, that dares to expose the big elephant in the room. The emperor REALLY is not wearing any clothes … Long a favorite subject pushed along by conspiracy theorists; here is a well researched book right from the middle of this class that not only does exist but pretty much runs the whole world (The author speculates about 6000 of them around the world) … Reading this book was equivalent of someone giving me a code to see the world differently. And seeing the world, now, decoded, it does look different. Specifically, the book first outlines the fact that this class does exist, they do meet on a regular basis (be at DAVOS, or trilateral commission or other Asian or European Elite clubs) and divide up the pie conveniently between them. The underlying assertion here is that this group pretty much looks after their own need and greed and cares a little for the rest of us (Apparently 10% of the folks on top control 90% of the wealth). The book also mentions that the Superclass is a close community but a dynamic one – You may become a part of it if you control the lives of “many” human beings. The book gives laws for being a part of the superclass – and they are no means politically correct – Some of them include – “You have to be a man”, “You have to me Anglo Saxon” “You should attend Harvard, Stanford or University of Chicago” and “You have to be lucky” among others. A nicely written book and a real eye opener – Verbalizes every aspects of the social structure that you sort of perceive and assume conspiracy theories around it – and at the same time provides a good understanding of the superclass elite; their strengths – their weaknesses – etc.

A DEFINITE MUST READ. The book also asserts that the world has become a different place after the “globalization” phenomenon has reached its peak. As a result of this, the national boundaries do not matter anymore – And the whole world has to comply by the rules set by a few multinationals and a few political elites in the top tear of the countries around the world. These developments, the author mentions has reduced the size of the middle class around the word. As we all know, a larger middle class in the society is good for democracy – The larger the gap between the “haves” and “have wanna be” – the more autocratic society gets and at the end of the day a mass of people suffer which inevitably leads to revolutions. It is Mary Antoinette’s “If you don’t have bread to eat – then eat cake” scenario approaching closer day by day.

As I read this book, I felt like this world has evolved into an equivalent of an Indian CASTE system – If you are born poor or a middle class – there is a high probability that the “system” would try to keep you that way … And vice versa if you are born rich. So, rather than being classified (casted) based on what you do – you are currently being casted based on what you possess. I got a first hand feel of this when I walked in posh clothing shop in Beverly Hills (in my Jeans and T’s) and the looks on the girls behind the counter pretty much gave it away – Now I know how a low caste person entering a higher caste temple in India felt like …

At the end of the day – I drew the same conclusion that I drew on multiple occasions when I pondered similar questions about the fate of our world – It is really up to us, the people, to come together and collectively make the right decision about our lives. Decision made under fear (for example another terrorist attack or gasoline prices) often leads to wrong people in the positions that make the highest impact in the world. This country of ours offers great opportunity for folks to appropriately use their vote and chose the right people in the political office to do the right thing – if we don’t use it wisely, then collectively, we deserve what coming to us … God Bless us all …

I was driving to work the other day when I heard this piece on NPR (radio). Steve Inskeep was interviewing an up and coming music star by the name of Justin Townes Earle. Earle has just released his debut album The Good Life (rock, bluesy, country-ish) and Steve was asking Earle about the album. Earle was addicted to drugs until the day a friend of his dragged him to the hospital. The guy has been clean for 4 years now and said that his failing body forced him to kick the habits. Earle played a few notes from a few songs from his album and I found them rather refreshing. The thing that struck me the most about Earle was how, this guy who was practically down in the pits and had lived a chaotic life, had managed to gather himself together and create some rather inspiring music. BTW, he is only 25 years of age.

The reason I share the above story with you is because often times, in every part of our life - romance, work, family - there are setbacks and disappointments. Some of these are self-created and others happen for no reason of ours. And these can indeed set you back. But it is experiences like these that can be converted to what we call game-changing, career-changing, or life-changing events. Failing is an integral part of the path to succeeding. Pick any great inventor, leader, or artist - every one of them will have a story from their early days which can be classified as a "defining moment" or the point of inflection.

One quality that sets the leaders apart from the others is that they never give up what they believe in and they are fighters. It's this relentless pursuit of something new, bold, and out-there that sets them apart. They do not believe in dwelling on the past but rather, learning from it and coming out smarter and stronger. But guess what, these are not qualities that they were born with. These are qualities that they cultivated and internalized over a period of time, something all of us can learn from and leverage in our professional and personal lives. This quality can give you a competitive advantage over your peers!!

So what are the things that you can start doing, differently? Where does one start? Here are some tips -

1. Embrace the setback - I know this is easier said than done, specially when you were really looking forward to an outcome/output. But by embracing the setback you do yourself a huge favor - you acknowledge that you gave it all you had and that it just was not to be this time. You take the setback as an opportunity to come back meaner and leaner, and "hit out of the ball park" next time around.

2. Introspect - Most people, in a setback situation, blame everything and everybody else. They go into the denial mode where the rest of the world is "enemy # 1". Guess what, this kind of attitude will really not get you anywhere. Rather, time is opportune to reach within and look inside to find things you could have done differently. Fool me once, shame on you, Fool me twice, shame on me!

3. Re-invent - That is what I am talking about! Do not let lessons learnt be lessons observed. Be different next time around. But, always, THINK, THINK, THINK before your next move.

4. Step out of your comfort zone - Use that sweet spot but do not get emotionally attached to it. Luck favors the brave and brave are the ones who take a chance. Show the world that you are a risk taker and see how you will get rewarded for that attitude.

5. Identify a role model - Imitate, Emulate. Find somebody that you think/believe has made it and try to replicate their path to success. Learn from other people's mistakes and save yourself some heart ache. Get with your role model and ask them to be your coach or mentor. Set that big ego of yours aside. :-)

6. Become part of the solution, not the problem - That's right. You need to pick sides here. Nobody wants a trouble maker or a whiner. Because that is what will get you branded as a loser. Think how the problem can be solved and share it with the rest of the team. Do not be shy.

7. Take charge - Do not be all philosophical about the setback and blame good old Karma or Destiny. It's your life, your career, your future. You need to do something about it. So for Pete's sake, show some character and grab the wheel for a change.

8. Articulate what you want - The most important of all things, know what you want. This may take some time but you need to figure out if what you just lost was something that you really wanted in the first place. Maybe you had it all wrong to begin with. Maybe it was something else you should have set your sights on.

So next time you think things are going South, put some/all of the above techniques/tips to use. The results may just surprise you.

Note: Photo Credit

If you think that you know every tenet and trick of achieving ultimate power in your field of work because you have read Sun Tzu’s “The Art of War” or because you are well versed in the Machiavelli-ism or because you are familiar with the renditions of Chanakya, think again. You haven’t even come close to what this book has to offer! It provides the teachings of these Great War Politicians and a whole lot more – that too in the form of easily digestible nuggets of 48 laws.

The book’s been around for some time now (first published almost 10 years ago) and I first read it a few years ago. I still think this book is one of the best books (on management and leadership) that I have ever read. Also, after reading this book I can relate with some of the decisions that corporate CEOs and the politicians make. I can better understand what law they are trying to adopt or ignore.

I personally think that these are fairly good laws for those who wish to attain power in their life; regardless of the area that they work in. I’ll be the first to admit that I don’t agree with all the laws given in this book – I don’t think I’ll be able to apply ALL of them – even if I had the right circumstance or motivation. But then, may be that’s why I’m not as powerful as I could possibly be. For example – one of the laws mentioned in this book is “Pose as a friend, work as a Spy” – I guess I can never do this – I’m either a good friend or a good enemy but never a slimy version of both at the same time. With that said, I did and continually do apply some of the other laws (which I agree with) to benefit my cause and further my case (from time to time).

The followings are the laws outlined in the book in the form of 48 chapters. Each chapter then offers past historical events that got favorable or unfavorable results after following or not following the law. The author has masterfully gathered these historical tidbits along with quoting relevant writings of the politicians or political advisors to support each law.

Law #1. Never Outshine the Master

Law #2. Never put too Much Trust in Friends, Learn how to use Enemies

Law #3. Conceal your Intentions

Law #4. Always Say Less than Necessary

Law #5. So Much Depends on Reputation – Guard it with your Life

Law #6. Court Attention at all Cost

Law #7. Get others to do the Work for you, but Always Take the Credit

Law #8. Make other People come to you – use Bait if Necessary

Law #9. Win through your Actions, Never through Argument

Law #10. Infection: Avoid the Unhappy and Unlucky

Law #11. Learn to Keep People Dependent on You

Law #12. Use Selective Honesty and Generosity to Disarm your Victim

Law #13. When Asking for Help, Appeal to People’s Self-Interest – Never to their Mercy or Gratitude

Law #14. Pose as a Friend, Work as a Spy

Law #15. Crush your Enemy Totally

Law #16. Use Absence to Increase Respect and Honor

Law #17. Keep Others in Suspended Terror: Cultivate an Air of Unpredictability

Law #18. Do Not Build Fortresses to Protect Yourself – Isolation is Dangerous

Law #19. Know Who You’re Dealing with – Do Not Offend the Wrong Person

Law #20. Do Not Commit to Anyone

Law #21. Play a Sucker to Catch a Sucker – Seem Dumber than your Mark

Law #22. Use the Surrender Tactic: Transform Weakness into Power

Law #23. Concentrate Your Forces

Law #24. Play the Perfect Courtier

Law #25. Re-Create Yourself

Law #26. Keep Your Hands Clean

Law #27. Play on People’s Need to Believe to Create a Cult like Following

Law #28. Enter Action with Boldness

Law #29. Plan All the Way to the End

Law #30. Make your Accomplishments Seem Effortless

Law #31. Control the Options: Get Others to Play with the Cards you Deal

Law #32. Play to People’s Fantasies

Law #33. Discover Each Man’s Thumbscrew

Law #34. Be Royal in your Own Fashion: Act like a King to be treated like one

Law #35. Master the Art of Timing

Law #36. Disdain Things you cannot have: Ignoring them is the best Revenge

Law #37. Create Compelling Spectacles

Law #38. Think as you like but Behave like others

Law #39. Stir up Waters to Catch Fish

Law #40. Despise the Free Lunch

Law #41. Avoid Stepping into a Great Man’s Shoes

Law #42. Strike the Shepherd and the Sheep will Scatter

Law #43. Work on the Hearts and Minds of Others

Law #44. Disarm and Infuriate with the Mirror Effect

Law #45. Preach the Need for Change, but Never Reform too much at Once

Law #46. Never appear too Perfect

Law #47. Do not go Past the Mark you Aimed for; In Victory, Learn when to Stop

Law #48. Assume Formlessness

The only additional law (that I have observed powerful folks apply in the past) that this book may not have covered (though Laws #2 and #14 do come close) is “Understand the fact that in politics and war – there are no permanent friends or permanent enemies”. I must credit a Bollywood movie (titled “Page 3”) for this law.

We can all learn a few things from Mr. Iacocca’s new book titled “Where have all the leaders gone?”. I must be honest – I bought and read the book to cover my bases for supporting my opinion on the subject of Leadership (to support my views in my previous blog posting) – to make sure a legendary CEO’s thoughts on leadership are not contradictory to mine. This book turned out to be more than just my quest for pursuit of this abstraction. I got his views nonetheless - the short answer to that question is “yes and no”. Lee thinks and argues that leaders are MADE, not BORN. He argues that true leaders (usually) show their compelling capabilities and worth during the time of crisis. But then, (here comes my twist on this – just so I could hold on to my deep belief a bit longer) if you think about it a bit more – only those with inborn leadership skills would shine during the time of crisis – How can you possibly train someone for it?

Anyway, Lee provides a list of 10 C’s for an effective leader – He encourages us to put all the potential political leaders through this test and the more C’s that a leader possesses, the better choice you end up making. 9 C’s of leadership that Lee mentions in his book – right off the bat in Chapter 1 –

1. A leader has to show CURIOSITY –who reads a lot and keeps informed.

2. A leader has to be CREATIVE – An out of the box thinker.

3. A leader has to COMMUNICATE – My note - Our dear current president will definitely fail this test miserably.

4. A leader has to be a person of CHARACTER – My note - Slick Willey will definitely fail this one.

5. A leader must have COURAGE

6. To be a leader you've got to have CONVICTION, a fire in the belly

7. A leader should have CHARISMA – My note - JFK and Bill Clinton got this one nailed (How can this trait be taught – its beyond me)

8. A leader has to be COMPETENT - My note – now this is the only trait that you could teach.

9. You can't be a leader if you don't have COMMON SENSE – My Note – Try teaching this. Many of our current leaders would definitely fail this test.

Then he goes on to say “The Biggest C is Crisis – Leaders are made, not born. Leadership is forged in times of crisis”. I could not connect the dots here to make the link between making of the leaders vs manufacturing en-mass. Hence I said earlier “Yes and no” as answer to the question if Lee agrees with my line of thinking on this subject.

Anyway here is the rest of my book review –

The book is critical analysis of current corporate and government leadership – through the eyes of an angry; 82 years old; legendary CEO of our times. As you know, Lee has run two out of the “big three” in Detroit (Ford and Chrysler) in the past and has successfully transformed the companies from the being a losing behemoth to lean mean and profit making machines (we are still talking in the past – late 80s). I personally think that selling of Chrysler to the Germans and subsequent rumors of it being sold to the Chinese has broke this Camel’s back – and Lee is pissed. Top this with the current administration fiascos (one after the next) – it has to incense the great CEO who has seen the true glory of this country. This anger and frustration has really inspired this book and he maintains the fire throughout the book.

Lee definitely misses the good old days of US – tries to find the threads that were crucial to making the US the greatest country in the world. He finds the current gaps that (if not filled and fixed) would cause downfall of this great country - And tries to convey his ideas on the fixes that would eventually; again, deliver the “promise of America”. And by the way, he is not happy with the corporate greed, corporate ethics (or lack there of), and true to his character – Lee holds no bar – he is taking no prisoners here. One sentence out of the book would convey better what I mean – “We have become a nation of overeaters, pill popper, TV watching, iPod wired, shopoholics, Attention deficit Disordered people ….”.

The book is a MUST READ; especially for those are feeling the same level of anger and frustration towards the government and the corporations. This book will provide a good deal of assurance that if we used our virtue and work ethics, this great country still has the required drive to deliver the true “American Dream” for anyone who strives hard for it. And by the way, if you are closer to retirement and have mistakenly stumbled upon this blog – or if you know of someone who is closer to retirement – This book offers good advise to prepare the folks who are retiring and offers advise on how to do it correctly; those too are based on Lee’s own mistakes.

Was that a nail-biter of a match or what??? If you missed it or only caught the last few quarters, be sure to watch the entire game on YouTube, etc. You get to see how two well deserving and competent teams duke and grind it out in the middle, and how a great final is scripted. I made sure that all of my weekend errands were completed on time so that I could get that prime seat, in front of my 50" HD TV, and watch the final. Now I wasn't rooting for any particular team but was keen on getting a decent return on the time I was about to invest in front of the TV. All I wanted was a good duel and then, as they say - May the best team win! It was also kind of special as this was the first time my 3 year old son was going to watch this great American tradition. It was also an opportunity for me to introduce him to some basic rules of the sport.

I am sure most of you would agree with me that there are a number of similarities between how a good team or player plans and executes on the footbal field and how a good company or employee does the same in a work environment. Like any great sporting tradition, you always have certain key take-aways or lessons, which are equally applicable to an individual's professional career as they are to a player's sporting career. Whether it is strategy, planning, execution, relationships, situational fluency, maturity, or team-work - the list goes on and on - one can take a lesson, a quality, or an approach from the work field and reasonably apply to the sport field. Doing the opposite would be equally appropriate and meaningful.

Certain parts, plays, and players of the Super Bowl XLII stood out for me and I thought it would be worth sharing them with all of you -

1. Mental toughness is a key differentiator - Although Eli Manning was considered talented and deserving to be in the Super Bowl, he was still considered a David to Tom Brady, the Goliath. Eli had a formidable and champion opponent in the form of Tom but he looked more determined than any other person on that field, that day. He knew he had nothing to lose and everything to gain, which is exactly what he used to motivate himself and stay focussed. His on-field agility, accuracy, presence of mind, and play-making clearly demonstrated the highlights of a good leader, whether it's in sports or business.

2. Sometimes numbers do not always tell the real story - Sometimes one needs to look beyond numbers. During the first half, Giants completed more yards than the Patriots (139 to 81) and held on to the footbal twice as long. However the scoreboard still showed the Giants trailing the Patriots by 4 points at the half way mark. As much as numbers help bring clarity to a situation, always make sure that you understand the context as that will help you put things in perspective and lead you to draw more informed decisions.

3. Being tagged as a favorite works both ways - Prior to the game, Patriots had been set aside as the overwhelming favorites to win the championship. They had had a perfect season and had been literally untouchable all season long. Forecasts were being made regarding all kinds of prior NFL records being broken. Of course, they were getting all the primetime news coverage and adulation, but guess what, they were also feeling the pressure that comes along with being a favorite. There are a truck load of expectations that come along with that tag and that is something that is not always easily handled. If you find yourself being one (a favorite), do not let that get to your head, do not get bogged down by what people may or may not say or think, and most importantly, never forget what helped you get to where you are.

4. It ain't over 'til the fat lady sings - The 4th quarter showed the true, fighting character of the two teams. The lead exchanged hands a few times and both teams, at one point or another, thought they had The Vince Lombardi Trophy in the bag. But it all came down to the wire. The Gaints were behind in the final minutes and only a Touchdown could get them the ultimate prize. Even though the clock was not on their side, they never gave up. Their offence, led by their soon-to-be crowned MVP, led a spirited and determined string of plays and runs, which eventually got them the glory. Every second, minute, hour, and day counts and matters. Throwing in the towel, before the buzzer, is never and should never be an option. That one last drive or effort could be the difference between winning or losing the contest!

5. Competetion always raises performance - Finally, what was on display were two fine footbal teams, who had earned deserving spots in the finals. The level, quality, and caliber of plays were of the highest class. Each team knew that the other team was equally, if not more competetive, and that is what helps one reach in to their hearts and souls, and raise their performance to the next level. Never be afraid of your competetion, be it on an individual, team, or company level. Learn from your competetion, be inspired from your competetion, use the competetion to your advantage. Google versus Yahoo. Oracle versus SAP. Toyota versus GM. India versus China. Federer versus Nadal. Plenty of examples out there for you to study and learn from.