Rising Through the Ranks
Unlike in legitimate businesses, men often rise in the Mafia through murderous means. Albert Anastasia killed his don to become the boss. So did John Gotti. This is why a don can never truly be at peace. The vice president of sales may be concerned about an aggressive young salesman who is out to get his job, but it is unlikely that he will be whacked by the junior man. The mob is full of stories off bosses being whacked, especially during the '20s and '30s, when the mob was in its infancy.
People often run into difficulty when they hire friends and relatives. But some Mafia families, like the Detroit family, are a collection of intertwining relationships, both through blood and through marriage. There are also cross-family marriages that link together powerful Mafia families.
On the lower rungs of the Mafia ladder, promotions can come more peacefully. A soldier can make capo without necessarily having to whack his superior; though, this does happen. Transfers of power naturally happen based on merit, but just like any other business, it is not always what you know but who you know. A favored underling can rise within the ranks and surpass more deserving mobsters.
