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larry1138's review against another edition
funny
informative
fast-paced
4.25
This was a simple, quick, fun, and funny read, so this review will also be just as short. Stanley Bing has compiled an entertaining and casually sociopathic guide on how to be more like Machiavelli in the modern day particularly if you work in business. Along the way, he references well known figures in late 90s- early 2000s business and culture. The book was published in 2002 so younger readers (myself included) might not know many of the people mentioned but there are certainly a few that definitely stand out as prime examples of Machiavellian Princes. Oh how I wish I could know what Bing's reaction was to witnessing the Trump and Giuliani of 2020s as opposed to the ones he knew in the 1990s.
A recommend from me if you want some insight into why some of your coworkers and especially your bosses seem so goddamn cutthroat sometimes. Or if you wanna become more of a sociopath. Or if you need a cynical laugh or two in your life.
A recommend from me if you want some insight into why some of your coworkers and especially your bosses seem so goddamn cutthroat sometimes. Or if you wanna become more of a sociopath. Or if you need a cynical laugh or two in your life.
_dunno_'s review against another edition
3.0
I'm a long, long way from the corporate world, and I'm all in favour of downshifting and simple living, so the applicability of the Machiavellian advice is far from happening. But, hey, I do enjoy humour and business anecdotes!
rigorjunky's review against another edition
1.0
Examples of some very stale workplace dynamics, so it's more quaint than anything. If you're looking for practical instruction, I'd suggest 'House of Cards'. ;)
kdaddy's review against another edition
4.0
Absolutely hilarious.
You work hard, you save the company money, you deserve that spa day on the company time and tab. :)
You work hard, you save the company money, you deserve that spa day on the company time and tab. :)
luna002's review against another edition
2.0
I read this book thinking it would be a modern "Prince", and I was pretty disappointed. I don't think this book teaches you anything new. It has only one narrative: "CEO's are bad", and that's a lazy and common narrative. At the beginning, i was actually enjoying the writing style; it was sassy and satirical, which I found entertaining. However, it is so overused that it gets boring really fast. Overall, this was a reading I regret AND only finished because of how short this book is. I give this a 2 out of 5, not because of the author's ideas, but his use of quotes.
ocapmc's review against another edition
2.0
Firstly, when I saw this on the shelf at the library amongst the other books about leadership, I said, aloud, "Just read 'The Prince!'" Machiavelli literally tells you what he would do in that book.
However, this is a satirical account of Machiavellian values as applicable to business, and thus should not be taken seriously. Interestingly, Bing mentions Trump and Weinstein in this book, doing neither any favours with his writing, and it makes for a different reading experience in 2018 than I presume it would in 2000 when it was published. Context is of course key when assessing this text, but I found it only mildly humourous and not as pithy as I'd have liked.
Cute. But in a much more real sense, not cute at all.
However, this is a satirical account of Machiavellian values as applicable to business, and thus should not be taken seriously. Interestingly, Bing mentions Trump and Weinstein in this book, doing neither any favours with his writing, and it makes for a different reading experience in 2018 than I presume it would in 2000 when it was published. Context is of course key when assessing this text, but I found it only mildly humourous and not as pithy as I'd have liked.
Cute. But in a much more real sense, not cute at all.
laviniag's review against another edition
3.0
I'm a long, long way from the corporate world, and I'm all in favour of downshifting and simple living, so the applicability of the Machiavellian advice is far from happening. But, hey, I do enjoy humour and business anecdotes!
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