Leadership Lessons from the Ancient World How Learning from the Past Can Win You the Future

by Cotterell, Arthur; Lowe, Roger; Shaw, Ian

• ISBN13: 9780470027097
• ISBN10: 0470027096
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2006-07-28
• Publisher: WILEY

Summary

As the demand for comparative studies of leadership rises, managers and trainers are looking harder than ever for new studies to which trainees will not bring preconceived idea. This unique book delivers just that. Though the contexts have changed, the examination of ancient events from a business perspective provides a wealth of useful insights on how the process of leadership works. From China's first emperor Liu Bang on vision and Pericles on integrity to Alexander the Great on communication and Ramesses II on courage, Leadership Lessons from the Ancient World combines history with business to show that the universal strategies used by great leaders of the past are still relevant today.

Author Biography

Arthur Cotterell, former Principal of Kingston College in London, has spent many years combining senior educational management with historical research. He is the respected author of more than thirty books, and is now writing on the Chinese empire, from the history of which he considers one can learn as much about leadership as from Ashridge or Harvard.

Roger Lowe, Vice Principal for Planning and Resources at Kingston College, is a chartered manager with experience of management training in both the public and private sectors. For Roger, the lessons of ancient leadership in this volume are particularly relevant at a time of globalization and technological advance.

Ian Shaw is a training and development manager with Nestlé Purina Petcare. Having worked in a variety of large and small companies, his current work is strongly focussed on leadership development. It is his firm belief that leadership development will play a key role in sustaining commercial success over the next decade.

Table of Contents

Preface	vii
Introduction	ix
Courage: The daring of Ramesses II at Kadesh	1	(14)
Risk taking: Thutmose III's handling of his forces	15	(14)
The ability to motivate: The military revolution of Wuling	29	(16)
Creating a compelling vision: The commoner emperor Liu Bang	45	(12)
Developing people: The Han emperor Wu Di's approach	57	(16)
Focusing on results: The strategy of Themistocles	73	(16)
Integrity: The political supremacy of Pericles	89	(14)
Taking decisive action: The critical decisions of Epaminondas	103	(14)
Influencing people: Alexander's multi-ethnic kingdom	117	(18)
Leaving a legacy: The abdication of Candragupta	135	(16)
Representing the business: Hannibal's invasion of Italy	151	(16)
Creativity: The resourcefulness of Zhu Geliang	167	(16)
Learning: Li Shimin and Wei Zheng	183	(16)
Change: Sulla's constitutional reforms	199	(16)
Networking: Cicero's efforts to find allies	215	(16)
Dealing with conflict: The policies of Vespasian	231	(18)
Empowerment: Diocletian's imperial reforms	249	(16)
Recognising achievement: The triumph of Belisarius	265	(16)
Winning as a leader	281	(16)
Suggestions for further reading	297	(14)
Index	311