Leadership Secrets Of Attila The Hun
Leadership Secrets of Attila the Hun, 20th Anniversary edition,* just crossed the transom at work. Remember when? Some cynics might say the cruel realities of the early ’90s and pretty much the entire the ’00s would tend to render ridiculous any cultish macho business self-help books from the ’80s. Bah. What’s a Hun care about a bunch of junk bond-wielding power nerds in Armani power suits?
I’d like to watch him run through them. Meanwhile, Attila’s enjoying a burst of popularity as history and drama on the BBC and the History Channel. Good unclean Hun fun. “Scourge of God,” now there’s a moniker.
In this barbarous age, maybe the leadership lessons of a man who marshalled his hordes across the civilized world in 451 are relevant again. Assorted 20th and 21st century bubble bursts aren’t the ruthless horseman’s fault nor that of his hordes. Nor do they detract from the fundamental soundness and admirable qualities of thoughtful, inspired 5th century marauding principles as expressed in chapters such as “Lust for Leadership: You’ve Got to Want to Be in Charge” and ”Booty: Rewarding Your Huns.”
Here’s a good one. “The Omen of Aquileia: The Essentials of Decisiveness.” Will scour that for anything that might help our president in his current difficulties and report back. “Picking Your Enemies Wisely” looks relevant, too. ”Responsibilities of a Chieftain” and “The Bones of Caravans Past: Lessons Learned” could also be useful.
I liked this Amazon review:
Whether or not the book has factual historical basis is beside the point. I approached this book with what they call in filmmaking as “suspension of disbelief”. When read against the backdrop of ordinary experiences, most of the author’s analogies and aphorisms amazingly make sense.
* This is an earlier edition of Leadership Secrets of Attila the Hun. The new one doesn’t seem to be up at Amazon yet.
Topics: Noble savages, ancient mysteries, books, history
Posted by Jules Crittenden at 11:10 pm on Wednesday, October 21, 2009
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