A Modern Day Machiavelli

Machiavellianism - noun - personality trait characterized by use of deceit, cunningness, a cynical view of human nature, and lack of morality (frontierin.org).

I often wonder whether or not the competition inherit in capitalism is a causative factor of Machiavellianism in anyone pursuing the gold ring on the carousel, the realm of business. The psychological malady has its eponymous origins in 16th century Italy with Niccolo Machiavelli, a philosopher, statesman, and author of The Prince, the content of which led his readers to view him as an atheist and immoral cynic (britannica.com). Needless to say, he probably would have had more friends and followers had he been born in the early 1960s and published in this century. I say that because sometimes I think I am surrounded by Machiavellians. 

Case in point: Last Sunday, I attended an intimate Super Bowl party hosted by two of my closest friends, two successful entrepreneurs that have sustained various enterprises, including a marriage for over forty years. To accompany me and my daughter, I decided to invite along an ex-boyfriend of mine, who has been struggling to find a job in recruiting for six years. Since the my entrepreneurial friends are both recruiters, I figured they wouldn't mind throwing my ex a bone in the form of a business connection, or at least, some solid, practical advice. I never suspected that one of the two, a woman whom I have known since we were both in the fifth grade, would transmogrify instantly into a modern day Machiavelli, and neither did my ex. Insidiously, practically off the cuff, she devised a plan that included a revised resume of forged experience. In short, she proffered my ex use of her company as a legitimate place of employment even though he has no knowledge of platforms they use or anything else that a prospective employer might ask him to relate the minutiae of in an interview. If the prospective employer reached out to my friend during the course of a background check, she would be complicit with her husband in mendacity, and he would most likely get a job offer.  My ex, who is on the smart, yet moral side, declined the offer, knowing full well that a machiavellian plot like this would most likely backfire as the employer would most likely delve further into tax records, etc. Consequently, the lie would be uncovered, and he would be blackballed in the industry. His attempts at finding gainful employment would be stultified. 

Of course, I am not naive in that I know that the aforementioned kind of thing happens all of the time in business. Sadly, it is almost the way of the world–cynical, immoral people cheating and rationalizing it just to obtain what they want or need in less time than it takes to travel the legitimate route. I suggested to my ex yesterday that he ask my friend to employ him part time just so that he could legitimize including the experience on his resume. Since my machiavellian friend is often consumed with her own work, she might just need a sidekick to lighten her burden. And I am hoping she'll agree to the idea, which I'll admit is a good one. Yet even if she does, she won't automatically kick off Machiavelli's comfortable, Italian leather shoes simply because they are, after all, comfortable–perhaps too much so. It might take her getting caught red handed in a scam to remind her that the Machiavellian way isn't the correct one even though it might just be a time-honored tradition inside the steel and glass of capitalism. 

Still, I'd like to think the ancient proverb "Cheaters never prosper" applies.

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