How to Use Machiavellian Tactics

Sometimes one man can make a difference. The basic personality type embodied by Niccolo Machiavelli of the Renaissance period has given us a kind of blanket label to describe the type of person who is distrustful, cynical and often ruthless, willing do trample others to get ahead. The Machiavellian personality type uses an array of strategies to protect him/herself from getting "lost in the herd."

Instructions

1. Don't give away information. To a "non-Mach" or trusting person, information is to be shared, and telling stories is a beautiful part of everyday communication. But to a Machiavellian, information is something to be kept, to be sold or bartered in some unfolding eventuality.

2. Keep an eye on others. The phrase "Keep your friends close, and your enemies even closer" is typically Machiavellian. Although detached, he/she monitors others from a distance to see where their interests lie.

3. Evaluate and "use" others. The Machiavellian wants to be able to make use of contacts for specific purposes at specific times. To this end, he/she might make detailed lists of possible ways to benefit from a contact.

4. Play people against each other. Another famous tendency of the "Machs" is to foment conflict between parties to affect some change in a situation. It's not hard to do, with a little strategic disinformation.

5. Keep your game on. The major part of a Machiavellian, or really any extreme Type A lifestyle, is to never slip up. These hard driving individuals tend to hold themselves to high standards, and that's one reason they can become so powerful. As they say in grassroots social organizing, initiative is power.

Tips & Warnings

• Use psychological tests to see how Machiavellian you are. Psychologists have developed rubrics to test for this personality tendency. You might want to evaluate yourself to see if you need to become a little less or a little more Machiavellian.

Resources

• Includes a polemic on Machiavelli
• Mach blog