The 50th Law (with 50 Cent)

The Attacher:
In any court-like environment of power, you will
inevitably find people who are drawn to those who are successful or
powerful, not out of admiration but out of secret envy. They find a way
to attach themselves as friends or assistants. They make themselves
useful. They may admire their boss for some qualities, but deep down
they believe they are entitled to have some of the attention he or she is
getting, without all the hard work. The longer they are around the high
achiever, the more this feeling gnaws at them. They have talent, they
have dreams—why should the person they work for be so favored?
They are good at concealing the undercurrent of envy through
excessive fawning. But these types attach themselves because it gives
them some kind of satisfaction to spoil and wound the person who has
more. They are drawn to the powerful out of a desire to harm them in
some way.
Yolanda Saldivar (b. 1960) is an extreme example of the type. She
started a major fan club for the popular Tejano singer Selena, then
ingratiated herself into Selena’s business by becoming manager of her
clothing stores and accumulated more power. No one was more
sycophantic to the singer. But feeling deeply envious of the fame of
Selena and turning quite hostile, she began to embezzle funds from the
business, which she felt more than justified in doing. When confronted
about this by Selena’s father, her response was to plot to murder
Selena herself, which she finally did in 1995.
These types have a trait that is quite common to all enviers: they
lack a clear sense of purpose in their life (see chapter 13 for more on
this). They do not know their calling; they could do many things, they
think, and often try different jobs. They wander around and feel empty
inside. They naturally envy those who act with a sense of purpose, and
will go so far as to attach themselves to such a person’s life, partly
wishing to get some of what they themselves are missing and partly
desiring to harm the other person.

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In general, be wary of those who are too eager to attach themselves
to your life, too impatient to make themselves useful. They try to draw
you into a relationship not by their experience and competence but by
the flattery and attention they give you. Their form of attack is to
gather information on you that they can leak out or spread as gossip,
harming your reputation. Learn to hire and work with those who have
experience rather than just a pleasing manner.