The 50th Law (with 50 Cent)

Never appear to take, always to give: the Taboo.
Taking something from
people they have assumed they possessed—money, rights or privileges,
time that is their own—creates a basic insecurity and will call into
question your authority and all the credit you have amassed. You make
the members of the group feel uncertain about the future in a most
visceral manner. You stir up doubts about your legitimacy as a leader:
“What more will you take? Are you abusing the power that you have?
Have you been fooling us all along?” Even the hint of this will harm
your reputation. If sacrifices are necessary, you are the first to make
them, and they are not simply symbolic. Try to frame any loss of
resources or privileges as temporary, and make it clear how quickly
you will restore them. Follow the path of Queen Elizabeth I and make
the husbanding of resources your primary concern, so that you never
end up in this position. Make it so that you can afford to be generous.
Related to this, you must avoid overpromising to people. In the
moment, it might feel good to let them hear of the great things you will
do for them, but people generally have an acute memory for promises,
and if you fail to deliver, it will stick in their mind, even if you try to
blame others or circumstances. If this happens a second time, your
authority begins to sharply erode. Not giving what you promised to
deliver will feel like something you have taken away. Everyone can talk
a good game and promise, and so you seem like just anyone else we
encounter, and the disappointment can be profound.
Rejuvenate your authority: Adaptability.
Your authority will grow with
each action that inspires trust and respect. It gives you the luxury to
remain in power long enough to realize great projects. But as you get
older, the authority you established can become rigid and stodgy. You
become the father figure who starts to seem oppressive by how long he
has monopolized power, no matter how deeply people admired him in

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the past. A new generation inevitably emerges that is immune to your
charm, to the aura you have created. They see you as a relic. You also
have the tendency as you get older to become ever so slightly intolerant
and tyrannical, as you cannot help but expect people to follow you.
Without being aware, you start to feel entitled, and people sense this.
Besides, the public wants newness and fresh faces.
The first step in avoiding this danger is to maintain the kind of
sensitivity that Elizabeth displayed throughout her life, noting the
moods behind people’s words, gauging the effect you have on
newcomers and young people. Losing that empathy should be your
greatest fear, as you will begin to cocoon yourself in your great
reputation.
The second step is to look for new markets and audiences to appeal
to, which will force you to adapt. If possible, expand the reach of your
authority. Without making a fool of yourself by attempting to appeal to
a younger crowd that you cannot really understand, try to alter your
style somewhat with the passing years. In the arts, this has been the
secret to success of people like Pablo Picasso, or Alfred Hitchcock, or
Coco Chanel. Such flexibility in those who are in their fifties and
beyond will give you a touch of the divine and immortal—your spirit
remains alive and open, and your authority is renewed.