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.

Well Done British Airways

This scene took place on a British Airways flight between Johannes burg, South Africa& London.
A white woman, about 50 years old, was seated next to a black man.

Very disturbed by this, she called the air hostess. "You obviously do not see it then?" she asked. "You placed me next to a black man.
I did not agree to sit next to someone from such a repugnant group. Give me an alternative seat."
"Be calm please," the hostess replied.
"Almost all the places on this flight are taken. I will go to see if another place is available."

The hostess went away & then came back a few minutes later. "Madam, just as I thought, there are no other available seats in Economy Class.
I spoke to the captain & he informed me that there is also no seat in Business Class. All the same, we still have one place in First Class."

Before the woman could say anything, the hostess continued. "It is unusual for our company to permit someone from Economy Class to sit in First Class.
However, given the circumstances, the captain feels that it would be scandalous to make someone sit next to someone so disgusting."

She turned to the black guy & said, "Therefore, Sir, if you would like to, please collect your hand luggage, a seat awaits you in First Class."

At that moment, the other passengers, who'd been shocked by what they had just witnessed, stood up & applauded.

This is a true story. If you are against racism, please send this to all your friends; please do not delete it without sending it to at least 1 person.

WELL DONE British Airways.

The Key

The following is an edited excerpt from The Key. It is the essence of what Vitale is trying to communicate.

Please Forgive Me: If you feel stuck in any area of your life ... it could very well be due to a lack of forgiveness.

Maybe you didn’t forgive the other person. Maybe you didn’t forgive yourself. It doesn’t matter. Holding on to past emotions, memories, or stories are guaranteed to tie up your energy and block your ability to attract what you want.

What you have to do now is forgive.

I used to struggle with this one. I was afraid that if I forgave someone, I would not learn the lesson they gave me and I would be suckered again. But as I looked at that belief, I realised it was just that: a belief. It wasn’t reality. It wasn’t factual. It wasn’t true.
But let’s look at this more closely so you understand forgiveness and the power of it as a clearing method.

Forgiving another person is, in part, an ego trip. When you say “I forgive you” to someone, you are saying you had some sort of hold over them. You were the King or Queen, and by the “I forgive you” decree you could pronounce them “free” of your resentment. That’s not forgiveness. It may even be a form of manipulation.

What’s more powerful is to say “I’m sorry” to the people you hurt.

A couple of decades ago I made a list of people I felt I had hurt. I went to them and paid them money if I owed it; returned tools or objects if I had walked off with them, and told them I was sorry for my behaviour. I did my best to make peace with my past. It was a wonderful feeling.
I also know there is a level of forgiveness beyond being forgiven by others or forgiving others. The forgiveness that becomes one of the most powerful clearing methods you can use in an instant is the one where you forgive yourself.

It’s your perception of a situation or person that is an error. It’s not the other person. Yes, they may have done something you prefer they hadn’t done. But it’s your judgment of them that causes the friction. When you let go of your judgment, you free yourself. And often, when you free yourself, the other person does what you wanted all along. But your motivation has to come from forgiveness of you.

Success at Work

SUCCESS AT WORK'



Activity is the application of all that we knowand all that we feel, combined with our desire tohave more than we have and become more than we are.'


LIFE is not designed to give rewards in proportion to our needs but to the level we deserve. Whatever life has handed to us, it is our responsibility to DO something daily at work with what we have been given. That is how we change obstacles into opportunities - by taking all that we have and all that we are and putting them into work on a daily basis.



Sooner or later we must convert knowledge and good feelings (PMA) into activity at work. The better we feel about ourselves and our opportunities, the greater our chances for success at work (and at home).



But by just knowing and having a positive attitude will not bring results at our work place, as knowing and doing are poles apart! They merely determine our potential for achievement. Whether we actually achieve our goals at work (a promotion, a better job, a bonus, etc.) is ultimately determined by our daily activity. Completing the picture of your dream requires action.



If we have a sincere desire to go for our goal, than we are compelled to find every possible means to implement all that we know and feel on a daily basis at work.



Every single day of our life at our work place, we need to do a little bit more that we already know. We must find ways to demonstrate on the outside all that we possess on the inside. Otherwise, our dreams will die inside of us and the desires of our hearts remain unfulfilled. Why some people fail and others succeed at a similar work place can sometimes seem unfair. Some seem to receive so much and yet merit so little.

Some good people seem to have so little while the dishonest seem to have so much. The answer might well be that we do not work at achieving our goals...and they do. We do not take all that we are and put them into our work daily. They do. We do not stay up late at night developing new plans to achieve our dreams and work hard day after day to make those dreams a reality. They do. We do not learn all that we possibly can about our industry and our markets. They do. We do not make every effort to get around the right sources of influence, to associate with those people who can help us to achieve our goals. They do. While we are dreaming about the promise of the future, they are doing something about it. And they are doing it consistently and with an intensity and a level of commitment that would put many of us to shame. And so if life does not seem fair sometimes, we have no one to blame but ourselves.

Imagine how different our world would be if we make a commitment right now to put into daily action at our work place all that we currently are, wherever we currently are and with whatever we currently have. What if, starting right now, we convert our dreams into plans and our plans into refined activities that would lead toward the achievement of our goals? What an incredible difference we could make! What a life we could then share with our families and what an inheritance we could leave to the next generation - all because we cared enough to do something with our lives and to put all our skills and talents into our work.

If we want to succeed, sooner or later our level of daily activity at work must equal our level of intent. Talking about achievement is one thing; making it happen is something altogether different. If we seem to take more joy in talking about success than we do in achieving it, then all the things that we should be doing and could be doing on any given day at work never seem to get done.


We already know more than we need to know at workto achieve our goals, to succeed. All we need todo now is begin to DO what we already KNOW!Finally, we must discipline ourselves daily at work to convert dreams into plans, plans into goals and goals into small daily activities that will lead us, one sure step at a time, towards a better future.



Remember to ponder all that is possible, that to do what is possible we must sometimes challenge ourselves with the impossible. As said the ancient warrior: "It is better to aim the spear at the moon and strike the eagle, than to aim at the eagle and strike only a rock!



" THE CHANGE PROCESS TOWARDS SUCCESS AT WORK



STEP 1: DECIDE WHAT?We must first decide what we want to achieve and be. WHY?Our mind must have order which is specific images of what we want to achieve and be. HOW?We must decide on our Goals, and align them to our Life Purpose WHEN?Now!



STEP 2: INTERNALISE WHAT?We must plant the images of our Success into our Unconscious Mind. WHY?We have to integrate our thoughts, feelings and actions in order to move our images into reality. HOW?We have to internalise the images through the technique of Spaced Repetition, Affirmations, Visualisation and Emotionalisation (S.A.V.E.) in a Relaxed and Emotional state. WHEN?S.A.V.E. daily



STEP 3: PLAN WHAT?Planning is the tool that outlines: What to do? When to do? Who to do? WHY?People do not plan to fail but fail to plan. HOW?Define goal and deadline. Break down and list activities or work plan. Prioritise to do the hard things first. Work backwards from end to start. Block time. Delegate or contract out. WHEN?Plan daily.



STEP 4: DO WHAT?Steps 1-3 are useless if not done. WHY?Only the doing gets things done. HOW?We do/move into action only if we are motivated. WHEN?Daily



STEP 5: CHECK WHAT?Daily Activity level/daily activity deviations. WHY?To provide information to make modifications/corrections. HOW?If all planned activities are completed, seek new ways to further improve. If not, identify the cause and provide solutions. WHEN?Daily



STEP 6: LEARN WHAT?Learn form mistakes/successes. WHY?Learning from mistakes makes us wiser; learning from success makes us confident and competent. HOW?List down mistakes/successes and ask: how it happened, why it happened, what can I learn? WHEN?Daily

Negative Thoughts ??

"How do I stop my negative thoughts?" - is a question that I have been asked many times.

If you have ever asked this question then you will feel such enormous relief in knowing the answer, because it is so simple. How do you stop negative thoughts? You plant good thoughts!
When you try to stop negative thoughts, you are focusing on what you don't want - negative thoughts - and you will attract an abundance of them. They can never disappear if you are focused on them. The "stop" part is irrelevant - the negative thoughts are your focus. It doesn't matter if you are trying to stop negative thoughts or control them or push them away, the result is the same. Your focus is on negative thoughts, and by the law of attraction you are inviting more of them to you.

The truth is always simple and it is always easy. To stop negative thoughts, just plant good thoughts! Deliberately plant good thoughts! You plant good thoughts by making it a daily practice to appreciate all the things in your day. Appreciate your health, your car, your home, your family, your job, your friends, your surroundings, your meals, your pets, and the magnificent beauty of the day. Compliment, praise, and give thanks to all things. Every time you say "Thank you" it is a good thought! As you plant more and more good thoughts, the negative thoughts will be wiped out. Why? Because your focus is on good thoughts, and what you focus on you attract.

So don't give any attention to negative thoughts. Don't worry about them. If any come, make light of them, shrug them off, and let them be your reminder to deliberately think more good thoughts now.

The more good thoughts you can plant in a day, the faster your life will be utterly transformed into all good. If you spend only one day speaking of good things and saying "Thank you" at every single opportunity, you will not believe your tomorrow. Deliberately thinking good thoughts is exactly like planting seeds. As you think good thoughts you are planting good seeds inside you, and the Universe will transform those seeds into a garden of paradise. How will the garden of paradise appear? As your life!