The Secret HR Director: Machiavelli - your next HR Guru

Forget Ulrich, I’ve been reading a renaissance man for all seasons: Niccolò Machiavelli. Tired of the latest leadership tome, I’ve been turning back to the writing of an Italian polymath who lived 500 years ago. 

Machiavelli, often denigrated as being, well, Machiavellian, was actually an early political scientist, amongst an impressive array of other things. His most famous work – ‘The Prince’ – is a study of leadership and people management, written in 1513.  

So, what can we take from it? 

Well, one thing he said was “the first method for estimating the intelligence of a ruler is to look at the men he has around him.” Pretty true, I’d say, when you look at the choices some CEOs make for their Boards. And, thinking of some CEOs I’ve worked with, “it is better to be feared than loved, if you cannot be both” certainly held true for a couple of them, renowned for their weekly ritual torture at the senior leadership meeting. Mind you, Machiavelli did cite Cesare Borgia as an example of a successful leader.