Niccolo Machiavelli and Leadership
Niccolo Machiavelli (1469-1527)
Italian philosopher (pictured right) from Florence.
From his book, The Prince came the term Machiavellian (see point 2).
He opposed the ruling tyrants of Florence, the Medici family, and was imprisoned, tortured
and sent into exile.
His most famous book is...
The Prince (1532)
What did he say about leadership?
1. Be cruel to be kind
To keep order and unity, you may have to be:
“It is far better to be feared than loved, if you cannot be both”, he said.
But always make sure you’re not hated for incompetence (e.g. inconsistency and
inflexibility).
2. The ends justify the means (now called
Machiavellian)
A leader should preferably do good but may have “to act treacherously, ruthlessly, or inhumanely” to achieve
what he wants.
Normally a leader will do things that are neither “entirely good nor entirely
evil”.
Only attack an evil, if you have the power to defeat it. If you don’t, ignore it, because it
will either:
- have no effect until well into the future.
3. The importance of how people see you
A good leader doesn’t need all the qualities of leadership but must appear to have
them.
It is sometimes better to seem good than to be good. So deceit is
acceptable.
The best leader has the people’s support by:
- openly showing love for them
- firm opposition to their enemies.
4. Getting to the top is easier than staying there
Being a good leader is much more difficult than becoming one.
Opposition will come from:
- the powerful and wealthy (who are afraid to lose what they’ve
got).
- people who want more money and power than they have at the
moment.
5. Make change attractive
Change is difficult for people to accept.
So, when leaders do change anything, they must make it:
- similar as possible to how things were done before.
Leaders should anticipate their future problems, so that they can find help and make plans
to solve them.
Encouraging people to change is much better than forcing them to do
it.
6. Tough humility
Leaders should be prepared to:
But such humility mustn’t turn into cowardice in the face of any
enemies.
7. Be decisive
Leaders should make decisions as quickly as possible with the:
- courage and (if necessary) force of a
lion.
- cunning and deception of a fox.
Dictatorship may be necessary in times of emergency.
8. Pick good people
Avoid:
- flatterers.
- yes-men (people who agree with everything the leader says).
Instead pick wise advisers who:
- give constructive criticism.
Leaders should listen to and question what they say before making a final decision.
9. Seek the good of everyone
Leaders should not do things for themselves but for their people, particularly giving them:
- the confidence and ability to do well and be good.
So these are vital:
10. Learn
Learn from your own and other people’s past successes and
failures i.e. learn from history.
11. Beat your enemies
- try to win them over onto your side.
But, if you have to fight them, make your battles “short and big”, striking
quickly with the will and resources to win.
Key quotes on
leadership
It is far better to be feared than loved, if you cannot be both.
A prince should not deviate from what is good, if that is possible, but he should know how to do evil, if that
is necessary.
A leader ought to inspire fear in such a way, if he does not win love, he avoids hatred.
A leader never lacks legitimate reasons to break his promise.
It is unnecessary for a prince to have all the good qualities I have enumerated but it is very necessary to
appear to have them
Key quote on
change
The one who adapts his policy to the times prospers.
Key quote on interviewing and
selection
The first method for estimating the intelligence of a ruler is to look at the men he has around him.
Key quote on
motivation
Benefits should be conferred gradually, and in that way they will taste better.
Key quote on decision
making
Prudence is not in avoiding danger...but calculating risk and acting decisively.
Key quote on
strategy
No enterprise is more likely to succeed than one concealed from the enemy until it is ripe for execution.
Key quote on influencing
people
Men are so simple...that the deceiver will always find someone ready to be deceived.
|