A few years ago, when I was in a job hunt, I was fortunate enough to meet some of the most successful businessmen here in Albania. When I say successful, I mean people that are in top 10 richest Albanian list and not rich by Albanian standards, simply rich. The casual job meeting happened due to the nature of my father’s job, who, at that time, had a good position in a governmental institution.
I had just come back from my studies in Greece so I had no idea who I was meeting. When I told my friends whom I was having a coffee with, they would get excited and tell me that I was lucky and, for sure, I would get a job because this guy was powerful and rich and whatever.
The day arrived, the meeting happened and I was left with a bitter taste. That dude was arrogant, rude, overconfident and so full of himself. I already knew that even if he offered me a job, I would definitely not accept it. But, there is always a “but”, he was successful and powerful. And guess, what? He would not be where he is right now, being kind and nice to people. I met a few others, too. All they had in common was rudeness and overconfidence.
Was I mad because they didn’t offer me a job? Not at all. In contrary, it made me realize that I would never be able to put up with bosses bullshit.
There is a general perception that you become successful if you are a jerk. Not only they are jerks, but these people have some narcissistic traits which come as no big surprise. Narcissistic people have charisma, they like attention and they like being on a pedestal. We have already seen them in movies, one of the most famous being “Devils wear Prada”. Miranda Priestly, a powerful fashion magazine editor, in order to keep her influential position, made some moves that are morally questionable. In addition, we see her mistreating and torturing her personal assistant Andrea Sachs a recent graduate, whose personal life went down on a rollercoaster.
This was movie but if you want real example life:
Steve Jobs: A total jerk.
Mark Zuckerberg: Half jerk
Kanye West: A complete jerk
Donald Trump: The jerkiest of the jerk (I don't think he is so successful, but I couldn't miss the chance to add him to this list of jerks, whatever)
Travis Kalanick: An Asshole (http://www.businessinsider.com/uber-travis-kalanick-bio-2014-1)
Hate The Game, Not The Players
The quest for power has been existing as long as humans have been around. Nowadays, power means money. To see the jerks make it ahead in their professional aspect is not so new. As Niccolò Machiavelli wrote in his book “The Prince”
“Never attempt to win by force what can be won by deception.”
“A man who is used to acting in one way never changes; he must come to ruin when the times, in changing, no longer are in harmony with his ways.”
The Machiavellianism of successful people is not a big surprise, too. I am quite sure Niccolo would be very proud of the above-mentioned men. Jerks use all kind of strategies for them to get their way. In fact, they are the one who won’t stop at all to get what they want, even if that means breaking rules. Not only they are able to break rules, but they can also get away with it. When it comes to money games, nothing is personal. And the narcissistic jerks are better at it. Manipulation is easy for them and being goal-oriented they don't accept the vile nature of their behavior. They never stop until they reach the status that they want. When it comes to business success, honor and integrity don't help in increasing profit and gaining power.
Do I have less respect for Steve Jobs? Maybe yes, maybe not. But I am writing this post in a Mac Air and sometimes, I use my boyfriend’s iPhone to take some really good pictures. In the end of the day, these assholes left or are leaving a legacy behind and their products sell. They surely did something right. Although, I can’t say the same for Albanian assholes. They are assholes, that’s it.