Gene Simmons: How To Gain Power And Money In Your Career

I spoke to Gene Simmons, Co-founder of KISS and author of On Power: My Journey Through the Corridors of Power and How You Can Get More Power, about why he focused on power for his new book, how he defines the word power, how employees can gain power in the workplace, how technology can be used for good or evil and his best career advice.

KISS has sold over 100 million CDs and DVDs worldwide, and continues to sell out stadiums and arenas around the world, breaking box-office records set by Elvis and The Beatles. KISS also boasts over 3,000 licensed / merchandise items and was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame at the 2014 induction ceremony.

Simmons is co-founding partner of ROCK AND BREWSrestaurants. He continues to be a highly sought after Keynote Speaker for private and corporate events, through his GENE SIMMONS RICH AND FAMOUS EXPOS venture

Dan Schawbel: After your previous books, why did you decide to focus on “Power” for this one?

Gene Simmons: Quite frankly, everything I learned in school, served me very little in the real world. And I suspect that is true for everyone going through the public school system. Columbus may or may not have discovered America in 1492, but I am sure a few Indians may have other opinions.

I had High hopes and aspirations when I taught sixth grade for a short time in Spanish Harlem. And it became crystal clear to me that the kids in Spanish Harlem, couldn’t give a squat about Jane Austen. Nor should they. Idyllic English countryside yarns, had little to do with the every day reality of living in New York. Racial divides. Post pubescent angst and all sorts of other issues.

So I tried to connect with the kids by bringing in a Spiderman comic book. About a pimply faced teenager, who lived with his grandmother, and have seen his grandfather died before his eyes by a criminal. He was not liked by the police. And he certainly wasn’t liked by the bad guys. And on top of that, he was awkward around girls. This one connected with the kids. But I got in deep trouble with the Board of Education, because it was not approved “literature.”

I went off six months later, and started wearing more makeup and higher heels than most women and I cofounded a rock band called KISS. We would go on to become America’s number one gold record award winning group of all time, in all categories (RIAA).

Along the way, I felt I had to give back. So I started writing books. All kinds of books. One was called ME, Inc. Be an army of one, I said. You have an inferred fiduciary duty to yourself, I said. It is your responsibility to learn language skills, I said. It is your responsibility to be at the right place, at the right time, with the right thing, I said.

And then I started hearing Machiavellian comments like power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely. And decided to look further into the writer of The Prince. And I found the publics perception of what Machiavelli wrote, wanting.

So I decided to write a book that delineated the issues of my money and power, and tried to point out that neither is necessarily good or evil. They are simply tools. Fire is a moral. It is neither good, nor evil. It depends how you use it. Fire is certainly good to warm yourself by.