Sun Tzu and Machiavelli Leadership Lessons: Become a Better Leader Using the Timeless Principles from The Art of War and The Prince

By River Williams

Discover how to become a better leader with the ancient wisdom of two of history's most incredible leaders.

 

Do you want to improve your leadership skills? Interested in learning from legendary figures who shaped the world? Then keep reading.

 

Inside this book, you'll uncover powerful lessons about leadership from two of history's most incredible figures – the Chinese military strategist and author of The Art of War, Sun Tzu, and Italy's famous Niccolò Machiavelli, the father of modern political thought.

 

With lessons about leadership qualities, the science of deception, the power of knowledge, and much more, this comprehensive book arms you with the knowledge you need to take your leadership skills to the next level.

 

You'll also discover lessons on how to get the best out of people, how to communicate clearly and effectively, and how to overcome obstacles. Using profound and insightful advice, this book is perfect for any leader who wants to drastically improve their skills.

 

Buy now to uncover how you can become a better leader today!

• Language: English
• Publisher: River Williams
• Release date: May 8, 2020
• ISBN: 9781393988502

Book preview

Sun Tzu and Machiavelli Leadership Lessons

Become a Better Leader Using the Timeless Principles from The Art of War and The Prince

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By River Williams

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Table Of Contents

Introduction

The Structure of This Book.

Section 1: The Lives and Times of Sun Tzu and Niccollo Machiavelli

Chapter 1: A History of Sun Tzu and Machiavelli

Sun Tzu - Master Sun and The Art of War

Niccolo Machiavelli and The Prince

Chapter 2: Machiavelli, Morality, and Ethics

The case against Machiavelli

The Prince's Most Notorious Advice

The Case for Machiavelli

On Metaphors

Section 2: Leadership Qualities - How the Words of Sun Tzu and Machiavelli Can Help Leaders Become Great

Chapter 3: Strategy and Tactics

What is Strategy?

Tactics

How Do You Devise Your Strategy and Tactics?

Chapter 4: The Art and Science of Deception

The Expectation Effect

The Placebo Effect

Self-Fulfilling Prophecies

Other Examples Where Deception Works

When Deception Goes Bad - The Scandal of Enron

Chapter 5: Knowledge - The Currency of Power

How Knowledge Will Help You

General Tips on How to Gain this Knowledge

Chapter 6 - Fear Versus Love

What is Fear?

The Four Stages of Fear

Stage One - Imagination

Stage Two - Fear itself

Stage Three - Paralysis

Stage Four - Memories

What Will a Business a That Runs on Fear Look Like?

Chapter 7: How to Get the Best Out of People

Knowledge is Still Power

Treat People with Respect - Even the Enemy

The Goodwill of the People

It's Not Just the People in Your Organization

Barons versus the People

Learn from Previous Great Leaders

Live Among Your People

Break Bad News in One Go, but Drip-Feed Good News

Where to Seek Advice

The Dilemma of Outsourcing

When is it right to outsource?

Rewards

How to Make People Hate You

How to Make People Love, or At Least Like You

Flatterers

Sun Tzu and Recklessness

Dealing with Dissent

Oversolicitude

Do not Underestimate the Enemy as this Will Lead to Certain Defeat

Being Admired

A Leader’s Insubordination -When to Disobey Rules

Breaking the Law

Chapter 8: Direction, Communication, and Vision

Direction

How to Clearly Communicate a New Strategy

Vision

Chapter 9: Integrity and Honor

What is Integrity?

What is Honor?

Machiavelli, Honor, and Integrity

Chapter 10: How to Stay in Power

Managing Organizational Change

Reveal Your Plans

Chapter 11: Great Leaders, Bad Generals, and Other Words of Wisdom from Sun Tzu

Bad Rulers

Sun Tzu's Five Conditions for Victory

Six Poor Behaviors of a General that Led to Defeat

Hot-Headedness

Conclusion

References

Introduction

Sun Tzu and Niccolò Machiavelli were entirely different. Separated by two millennia, Sun Tzu was a Chinese general and military strategist who lived around 500 BC, while Machiavelli, born in 1469, was an Italian diplomat and historian. Sun Tzu was a general; and Machiavelli a career diplomat.

But they also had three things in common. Both were involved in waging wars and forging new empires. Both men were also skilled writers. Sun Tzu wrote a treatise on battle strategy and tactics called The Art of War and Machiavelli wrote a book providing detail on how princes or dukes can ensure that they are successful when attempting to acquire and hold on to new states and principalities.

The third thing they have in common is the lasting legacy of their books, not all of it positive. Sun Tzu's book is regarded as the first, and still one of the finest books on military strategy. As a consequence, he remains a revered figure.

Machiavelli's book, on the other hand, was effectively banned by the Catholic Church 50 years after its original publication, and the term Machiavellian remains in modern usage to describe an individual who is politically unscrupulous, underhanded, and cunning.

While both books were products of their time, what they have to say concerning leadership still resonates today. There are many profoundly important lessons that modern leaders can take away from both Sun Tzu’s and Machiavelli's classic volumes.

What I want to show you in this book is how, if you are a leader in today's modern world, many of the tactics and strategies promulgated by both men can help you. This fact applies to any form of leadership, whether it's family, self-discipline, or leading organizations of any size and stature.

This book primarily concentrates on the world of business, but the strategies and tactics passed on to you in this book directly from the words of Sun Tzu and Machiavelli apply to any leadership situation the world over.

The Structure of This Book

The first, shorter section of this book will provide a brief history of the times of Sun Tzu and Machiavelli because it's worthwhile to understand the periods from which their most famous works, The Art of War and The Prince, sprung. They are the products of their eras, but fortunately, many things have not changed from those times, and that's why the lessons are still applicable today.

I also believe because of Machiavelli's uniquely infamous reputation, that it's important to talk about the morality and ethics behind The Prince and of Niccolò Machiavelli himself, and to establish where those moral stances fit today.

The second section of this book, whose main topic concerns leadership, takes a helicopter view of the primary qualities expected of a leader, not just back in Machiavelli's or Sun Tzu's time but today as well. Most of the titles of the chapters in this section are words that are found in most modern business courses as essential attributes of great leaders, with one rather obvious exception. Both Sun Tzu and Machiavelli have a special place in their hearts for deception as a wartime and management technique. I will devote the first chapter to explain why they put such store into deception, and why you should too if you want to become a truly effective leader.

Section 1: The Lives and Times of Sun Tzu and Niccolò Machiavelli

Chapter 1: A History of Sun Tzu and Machiavelli

I don't think it is necessary to know everything there is to know about Sun Tzu and Machiavelli. For your interest, there are dozens of books about both men and, after reading this book, if that's something that interests you, knock yourself out and do your research.

However, I want to concentrate on how both of their philosophies and writings can help today's leaders, and it is, therefore, important to establish the credentials of both men. There are thousands of books on war, military strategy, politics, and leadership written and published in the last 2000 years, so why should you place particular emphasis on these two men and their two most famous books? Let's find out.

Sun Tzu - Master Sun and The Art of War

Sun Tzu's birth name was Sun Wu. The term Sun Tzu is an honorific title meaning Master Sun awarded to him long after his death. That is what most scholars of the last 500 years have called him, and Sun Tzu is now what he is popularly known as so that is what I will stick to for the rest of this book.

We cannot be precisely sure when Sun Tzu was born, but reliable historians approximated his lifetime as somewhere between 544 and 496 BC—the middle of the Eastern Zhu period of ancient China. This is an essential element in Sun Tzu's story because the Eastern Zhu period was divided into two separate zones, chronologically speaking; the Spring and Autumn zone, followed by the Warring States period. It is hardly surprising to learn that Sun Tzu's career as a Chinese general military mastermind, writer, and philosopher reached its zenith just before and during the Warring States period.

It is also no great shock to learn that this period received its name because the Chinese region at that time was in a state of constant turmoil. Warfare dominated the political and physical landscape, and several factions battled for military and administrative supremacy. The Art of War was indeed a book crafted and written in a time of almost total war.

The book is divided into 13 chapters, elegantly and concisely written. Although Sun Tzu wrote it during a time of particularly warlike conditions in China, much of the book lends itself to modern warfare. With chapter titles such as Laying Plans, Waging War, Attack by Stratagem, and Weak Points and Strong, the topics are easily recognizable by today's modern general.

Not only that, but much of the advice, tactics and strategies laid down in the book are adaptable for use in other walks of life, specifically the topic of leadership in modern business.

The Art of War proved to be such a powerful and versatile little book that it has been cited in many ways by various historical figures and movements. The Japanese samurai swore by it, and Mao Tse Tung used it during the Chinese Revolutionary War. The Vietcong referred to it during the Vietnam War, the Finnish Army used it, as did the US Army, who list The Art of War as recommended reading. General Norman Schwarzkopf, leader of the US Army in the Iraq War 1990-91, also claimed that he drew inspiration from the