If you're climbing the corporate ladder and eager to succeed, you can glean some valuable lessons from mobsters who are employees of the longest running organization in history: the Mafia.
If we shed our prejudices, we'll find that accomplished mobsters are just like top business leaders.
The Mafia shares the same power structure as any corporation. A don is exactly like a CEO, steering the business (or family) into the future. His capos are middle-managers or department heads, and his soldiers are employees.
Whether corporate or Mafia, people who acquire diplomatic skills, leadership qualities, and the enthusiasm to motivate will master their respective fields
If we shed our prejudices, we'll find that accomplished mobsters are just like top business leaders.
The Mafia shares the same power structure as any corporation. A don is exactly like a CEO, steering the business (or family) into the future. His capos are middle-managers or department heads, and his soldiers are employees.
Whether corporate or Mafia, people who acquire diplomatic skills, leadership qualities, and the enthusiasm to motivate will master their respective fields
When John Gotti took over the Gambino family, mobster Louie Milito had issues with his appointment decisions. Milito felt he was being pushed aside as promotions went to less experienced mobsters. Instead of holding his tongue, Milito took part in office politics, expressing his dissatisfaction. Gotti's new regime called for his immediate dismissal and Milito's whispering was stopped by the whisper of a bullet passing through a silencer. Would Milito have taken a shot had he directed his original dismay to Gotti himself? We will never know.
Avoid office politics. If you have something to say, go through the appropriate channels and express your concerns constructively, to the right people. Your corporate survival is at stake.
Avoid office politics. If you have something to say, go through the appropriate channels and express your concerns constructively, to the right people. Your corporate survival is at stake.
2. Lesson 12 - Roll Up Your Sleeves but Keep Your Pants On
Even if you haven't spotted a blow torch in boss's top drawer, stay away from the his or her goods and the goods of your coworkers. It's the surest way to make enemies and ruin your career before it starts.
3. Lesson 45 - Just Get the Job Done!: Flexibility
Vinnie the Vault could crack any safe. The first time I saw Vinnie in action, I
expected him to slip on leather gloves, put a stethoscope to the safe, and spin the dial. Instead, Vinnie opened up a tool bag and began to drill into the metal safe, then banged away at it with a sledgehammer. Soon, we were in. Though it was a lot noisier and sloppier than I had expected, Vinnie got the job done, and that was the bottom line.
A lot of people expect things to be done a certain way and fail to realize that everyone has their own way of doing things. Let them do their thing. As long as they get the job done successfully, they should be kept on your team.
expected him to slip on leather gloves, put a stethoscope to the safe, and spin the dial. Instead, Vinnie opened up a tool bag and began to drill into the metal safe, then banged away at it with a sledgehammer. Soon, we were in. Though it was a lot noisier and sloppier than I had expected, Vinnie got the job done, and that was the bottom line.
A lot of people expect things to be done a certain way and fail to realize that everyone has their own way of doing things. Let them do their thing. As long as they get the job done successfully, they should be kept on your team.
4. Lesson 33 - Let's Meet in the Back for a "Sit-Down": Mediating Disputes and the Art of Compromise
The Mob's main instrument for resolving disputes is called a "sit-down." Occasionally, two men of equal rank will "sit-down" together to air out their grievances with a mediator who holds a position of authority in the family--i.e. a middle manager--presiding. It's understood going into the "sit" that this mediator's decision is final.
Those who know the Mafia only through the media will have trouble believing
that the Mob goes to great lengths to avoid violence. All day long, mobsters bump heads on the street. Every beef is brought to the table, from a stolen bottle of whiskey to a billion dollars in stolen bonds. I once even had a "sit-down" over a truckload of brassieres. Aside from money, the "sit" can settle disputes over a man's reputation, a question of respect, or even squabbles between mobsters' wives and daughters.
The Mob knows that grudges interfere with growth and simmering disputes boil over into serious trouble. In the workplace, encourage people to talk out their differences. Learn from the Mob's tireless efforts for the sake of diplomacy, the most powerful weapon in their arsenal.
Those who know the Mafia only through the media will have trouble believing
that the Mob goes to great lengths to avoid violence. All day long, mobsters bump heads on the street. Every beef is brought to the table, from a stolen bottle of whiskey to a billion dollars in stolen bonds. I once even had a "sit-down" over a truckload of brassieres. Aside from money, the "sit" can settle disputes over a man's reputation, a question of respect, or even squabbles between mobsters' wives and daughters.
The Mob knows that grudges interfere with growth and simmering disputes boil over into serious trouble. In the workplace, encourage people to talk out their differences. Learn from the Mob's tireless efforts for the sake of diplomacy, the most powerful weapon in their arsenal.
5. Lesson 35 - Why Hit Men Tell Jokes Over a Dead Body: Bonding With Subordinates
Manhattan's Feast of San Gennaro is like a Mafia company picnic. The Mafia is a
"family," and a family that plays together, stays together. Professionals bond by playing together, too. A two-seater golf cart is the perfect vehicle for bonding; contracts are signed at the office, but deals are hatched on the green.
In a relaxing environment, we drop our guard and realize how much we have in common with one another. Truth is, adults like to play as much as children and adults are bound together more by interests than by friendship. Sure, professional behavior is critical in the workplace, but strengthening your bond with your colleagues is conducive to progress.
"family," and a family that plays together, stays together. Professionals bond by playing together, too. A two-seater golf cart is the perfect vehicle for bonding; contracts are signed at the office, but deals are hatched on the green.
In a relaxing environment, we drop our guard and realize how much we have in common with one another. Truth is, adults like to play as much as children and adults are bound together more by interests than by friendship. Sure, professional behavior is critical in the workplace, but strengthening your bond with your colleagues is conducive to progress.
6. Lesson 85 - It's Good to Be King: But No One is Above the Law
A Lucchese mobster once told me, 'The family belongs to us. We put our boss there, an' we can take him down." Usually, the body of a Mafia don drops along with his approval rating. This danger keeps most bosses in line.
You might think, Well, I'm not a Mob boss, no one's going to shoot me. Think again. You're not immune to employee discontent. A petty employee might break the pencil sharpener or water cooler, steal the pens and pencils. No big deal. What about the employee who gives away company secrets, that inside guy? Every organization has its share of jerks--you can't help that. But if you're disliked, you risk mutiny.
Al Capone was liked by his employees. He owned a piece of an Italian restaurant
where a rival mobster, Joseph Aiello, offered ten grand to the chef to sprinkle a little poison over Capone's pasta instead of parmesan cheese. The chef, who had developed a strong relationship with Capone, went straight to Big Al and told him the plot.
You might think, Well, I'm not a Mob boss, no one's going to shoot me. Think again. You're not immune to employee discontent. A petty employee might break the pencil sharpener or water cooler, steal the pens and pencils. No big deal. What about the employee who gives away company secrets, that inside guy? Every organization has its share of jerks--you can't help that. But if you're disliked, you risk mutiny.
Al Capone was liked by his employees. He owned a piece of an Italian restaurant
where a rival mobster, Joseph Aiello, offered ten grand to the chef to sprinkle a little poison over Capone's pasta instead of parmesan cheese. The chef, who had developed a strong relationship with Capone, went straight to Big Al and told him the plot.
7. Lesson 19 - The School of Hard Knocks: Experience
When I was released from prison, if you were a potential employer looking at my resume, a few salient facts would have jumped off the page:
� Three violent felonies
� No trade
� No higher education
Shall I continue? To tell the truth, I'd be leery of working for anyone who would hire me in the first place based on the above. Yet I have several credentials that don't seem to fit anywhere on a resume:
� Honorable
� Ambitious
� Resourceful
� Word is gold
� Friends trust him with their lives, and he's proven worthy of that trust
� Refuses to quit
� Never makes the same mistake twice
The School of Hard Knocks teaches you with a high premium on experience, which opens your eyes to a million lessons that can never be learned in a classroom.
If you're nervous about your competition for a higher position and you feel as if other candidates may have attended better schools or have superior on-paper attributes, push those feelings aside. Have confidence that your previous professional and personal experiences have equipped you with a powerful set of smarts--and use those to your advantage to show that you're more than just a glossy resume when it comes to your work.
� Three violent felonies
� No trade
� No higher education
Shall I continue? To tell the truth, I'd be leery of working for anyone who would hire me in the first place based on the above. Yet I have several credentials that don't seem to fit anywhere on a resume:
� Honorable
� Ambitious
� Resourceful
� Word is gold
� Friends trust him with their lives, and he's proven worthy of that trust
� Refuses to quit
� Never makes the same mistake twice
The School of Hard Knocks teaches you with a high premium on experience, which opens your eyes to a million lessons that can never be learned in a classroom.
If you're nervous about your competition for a higher position and you feel as if other candidates may have attended better schools or have superior on-paper attributes, push those feelings aside. Have confidence that your previous professional and personal experiences have equipped you with a powerful set of smarts--and use those to your advantage to show that you're more than just a glossy resume when it comes to your work.
8. Lesson 27 - The Key to Growth: Admitting When You're Wrong
Al Capone ordered the deaths of hundreds of men and personally killed a few
himself. Yet he allowed the hood who'd made chop suey out of his face to live.
One night when Capone was a teen, he spotted a pretty girl--mobster Frank
"Galluch" Gallucio's sister. Capone tried to pick her up--and despite her expression of her disgust at the chubby, balding, pimple-faced thug, kept it up and commented on her goods. Unfortunately for Capone, Galluch handled a knife like a Benihana chef, and the gangster was rushed to Coney Island hospital. "Scarface" was born.
Surprisingly, Capone didn't seek revenge. He might have been a wiseass, but he knew he was wrong. This showed early wisdom and later proved invaluable when years later, Capone rose to the top of the Mafia's food chain and worked frequently with Galluch and other mobsters of his kind.
himself. Yet he allowed the hood who'd made chop suey out of his face to live.
One night when Capone was a teen, he spotted a pretty girl--mobster Frank
"Galluch" Gallucio's sister. Capone tried to pick her up--and despite her expression of her disgust at the chubby, balding, pimple-faced thug, kept it up and commented on her goods. Unfortunately for Capone, Galluch handled a knife like a Benihana chef, and the gangster was rushed to Coney Island hospital. "Scarface" was born.
Surprisingly, Capone didn't seek revenge. He might have been a wiseass, but he knew he was wrong. This showed early wisdom and later proved invaluable when years later, Capone rose to the top of the Mafia's food chain and worked frequently with Galluch and other mobsters of his kind.
9. Lesson 32 - How to Hit Your Target Without a Gun: Motivating Your People
I was astonished to find that men in my crew seldom thought past their upcoming plans for the weekend. They were in need of direction, loose clay waiting to be molded. Whether in the Mob or the real world, your team members don't always believe that they have the ability to achieve big things--they may not believe in themselves. However, if they believe in you because you've emerged as a leader, then you can instill in them a strong sense of confidence and motivate them by assuring them, "We can do this!" It takes more than one "mastermind"-in-the-making to pull something off, and without my crew, I would never have succeeded.
10. Lesson 38 - How to Bury the Hatchet--But Not in Someone's Head
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| Some of the greatest partners in organized crime began as enemies. Salvatore Lucania, later known as "Lucky" Luciano, was only a teen when he started a protection racket in Manhattan. Luciano and his gang threatened and beat up kids unless they paid him a weekly tribute. One day, a little Jewish boy named Meyer was dragging his way through the snow when Luciano and his gang surrounded him. Meyer defied Luciano's orders and told the gang to find something better to do. Instead of pouncing on him, Luciano felt respect for Meyer and offered him his hand. The two young men shook then and there and began the greatest partnership in organized crime to date. Luciano and Meyer went on to dominate rackets for decades and helped each other in difficult situations until their deaths many years later. |
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