Lessons in Leadership

// Lessons in Life and Leadership from Machiavelli by Richard Vetere

Italian political strategist Niccolo Machiavelli was born in 1469 and died in 1527, but his ideas remain remarkably relevant. Sayings derived from his writings, such as "The end justifies the means" and "Keep your friends close and your enemies closer," are still in use, and his political treatise, The Prince, is still in print.

For many people, the term "Machiavellian" suggests manipulative behavior, and they mistakenly believe that Machiavelli advocated immorality. He was a realist who believed that a leader should put the welfare of his people ahead of moral concerns, but he warned against immorality.

Here, lessons we all can learn from him...-Anticipating the worst and taking action can overcome bad luck.-Machiavelli acknowledged that our success and failure can be determined by things beyond our control, but he also believed that the role of chance could be minimized. It's bad luck to be wiped out by a flooding river, but if we had constructed dams and dikes before there was a flood, the damage might have been minimized. Risk can never be eliminated, but it can be contained by those who plan ahead and take action.

Example: A businessman shouldn't blame fate when a deal falls apart. If he had been more proactive in laying the groundwork for other deals, the one failure wouldn't matter as much. -The only reliable allies are those who benefit from our success.-Machiavelli warned princes against leading mercenary troops into battle. Mercenaries might not give their full effort or might turn on their employers. Instead, we should team up only with those who truly benefit from our victory or our opponent's defeat.

People are fickle about all things except one -- they will always look out for their own interests. As long as our success is in their interests, they will be on our side.Before we place our trust in anyone, we must first ask, Are the interests of this person truly in line with our own? If not, is there a way to make it so?

Machiavelli would be in favor of profit-sharing programs that give employees a stake in their employer's success. -Our activities during free time often shape our success.-Machiavelli warned leaders that they must concentrate on the study of war even in peacetime. He recommended as appropriate hobbies hunting and reading books about great military leaders. Free time and work time really are all part of the limited amount of time we have at our disposal to succeed at our goals. That doesn't mean we can't enjoy ourselves on our days off, but it does mean that we should search for productive uses for these hours.Examples: Dinner at a nice restaurant could be turned into a networking opportunity if a potential business contact were invited along.

A well-written business biography could replace the novel on your nightstand. -Forgiving those who do us wrong is a mistake.-When we forgive those who try to harm us, we undercut the efforts of those who are loyal. It is better to punish those who deserve to be punished and show love to those who truly deserve our love. -Passion is the best motivator.-

Machiavelli believed that you can't lead people into battle by explaining the logic of a situation -- you must do so by enflaming their passions. Even in our everyday lives, it pays to seek out people who believe passionately in what they do. Speak with tradespeople and professionals about their businesses before hiring them. Try to gauge their passion for their work.Example: The gardener who is passionate about plants will do a better job with your flowers than someone who is doing it just to pay the bills. The accountant who is passionate about tax law will do a better job than someone who considers his/her vocation dull. -

Trust enemies above friends for frankness.-When Machiavelli advocated keeping friends close but enemies closer, he meant that we can trust our enemies to criticize us when we deserve to be criticized. Friends are often less honest with us. Some become jealous of our success and secretly root against us. Others agree with everything we say in a misguided attempt to protect our feelings, even when they know we're wrong. When we surround ourselves with flatterers, we're on the road to failure.

-The hard route to the top is often the best.-Some people are born into money and power, while others have to earn them. Don't waste time being jealous of those to whom fortune has given a head start -- such people often lose in the end. Machiavelli saw that leaders who inherit their success are more likely to fail than self-made people who are forced to learn important life lessons during their own climbs.

Bottom Line/Personal interviewed Richard Vetere, author of more than 40 plays. To write his latest play, Machiavelli, a comedy, Vetere did extensive research on Machiavelli.