▲Now, imagine a business operating for around two centuries, facing extremely tough competition (other crime organizations), with numerous enemies (law enforcement), and with minimum information leaks. Morality aside, they must be doing something right.

▲The ninth commandment says: "Money cannot be appropriated if it belongs to others or to other families."

▲The document, colloquially called the Mafia's 10 commandments, is essentially a guide on how to be a good mafioso, and it gives valuable insight on how the organization operates.

▲In 2007, the Italian police discovered a code of behavior for Mafia members following the arrest of Sicilian Mafia boss, Salvatore Lo Piccolo.

▲The tenth commandment is a list that specifies those who cannot be part of the Mafia.

▲"Anyone with a two-timing relative in the family."

▲This is essentially about business ethics. You should respect your competitors and fairness in business.

▲Honesty is the best policy, and you should be accountable, transparent, and honest when conducting business. Sometimes the truth has consequences, so you must be prepared to face them.

▲"Anyone who behaves badly and doesn't hold to moral values"

▲The seventh commandment goes as follows: "Wives must be treated with respect."

▲These are all about vetting and selecting the right candidate for the job. Any red flags should be taken into account when hiring new talent.

▲Rule number eight says, "when asked for any information, the answer must be the truth."

▲The fifth commandment is "always being available for Cosa Nostra is a duty - even if your wife's about to give birth."

▲This shows how important networking is. It's all about the people you know and who they'll introduce you to.

▲The Sicilian Mafia dates back to the 19th century, making it one of the oldest and most powerful crime organizations in the world.

▲The Sicilian Mafia, referred to by members as Cosa Nostra ("our thing"), is an organized crime enterprise originally from Sicily, Italy.

▲"Anyone who has a close relative in the police"

▲Cosa Nostra's third rule is "never be seen with cops."

▲The first rule of the code says "No-one can present himself directly to another of our friends. There must be a third person to do it."

▲Avoid having too close of a relationship with your competitors. Information will potentially be leaked, rumors will be spread, and people will stop trusting you.

▲While you should be aware of what your competitors are doing, you should focus on building your own brand. It doesn't matter how great a deal they've got, you'll need to find a way to get a great deal yourself.

▲Taken literally this would mean that you'd have no work-life balance. But the lesson to be learned here is one about loyalty, dedication, and prioritization. Sometimes you need to sacrifice some things in life for the sake of a better future.

▲Appointments should be respected, even if some people feel that the person is unqualified. Corporate hierarchies are important and should be respected.

▲Rule six says: "Appointments must absolutely be respected."

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Mafia's 10 commandments are not much different from many businesses' core values, including loyalty, respect, and honesty.

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Respect is an important core value in both business and personal lives.

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The Sicilian Mafia is one of the world's most powerful organized crime institutions. But how can such a ruthless organization, responsible for so many gruesome crimes, teach us about business values?

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The second commandment says: "Never look at the wives of friends."

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Rule four says: "Don't go to pubs and clubs."

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Take precautions not to jeopardize your business because you had one too many and did something stupid.

Unconventional business lessons from unlikely sources

Business lessons from Cosa Nostra

08/11/24 por StarsInsider

LIFESTYLE Mafia

The Sicilian Mafia is one of the world's most powerful organized crime institutions. But how can such a ruthless organization, responsible for so many gruesome crimes, teach us about business values?

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