Military strategy as management style
By Malaika Horne
For the St. Louis American
Rappers extol him, while others revile him. Tupac Shakur read his works in prison and emerged calling himself “Makaveli.” But who exactly is Machiavelli?
Like most brilliant people, he is grossly misunderstood. So, check out this formidable figure, a political and military strategist born in Florence, Italy in 1469. Yet, his savvy and intellect, even “street smarts,” rival those of anyone today.
Machiavelli has an image problem. He is most closely associated with corruption, cunning and deceit, particularly in his book, The Prince. Other books, such as Discourse on Ivy, show him to be much more even-handed. (For more information, visit www.ctbw.com/lubman.htm.)
I highly recommend Machiavelli on Management – Playing and Winning the Corporate Game by Gerald R. Griffin, especially for those who must negotiate what can be a cryptic and complex corporate world. Essentially, those who survive and succeed in big business will reap rewards in spades.
Women and people of color who are fairly new to corporations should spend some time learning the culture, or the rules, formal and informal. For example, be a keen observer and a good listener and ask good questions of people who have good answers.
In Winning the Corporate Game, Griffin expounds on many of Machiavelli’s views. He writes that you can view your behavior in the workplace or your career moves like a game; one must “be a good player,” but not devious. And, get a sponsor, said Machiavelli – someone with influence who looks out for your interest.
“The Romans always endeavored to have some friends in these new countries who could aid them by opening the way for them to enter, and also serve as a means for retaining their possessions,” Machiavelli wrote in The Discourses. He advised to have colleagues or allies. But, even here, he said, use caution and be a good judge of character.
These are all commonsense tactics. But who said sense was common?
Another intriguing concept is “Management by Appearance.” Managers who seek change, he wrote, “must at least retain the resemblance of the old form. For the great majority of mankind are satisfied with appearances, as though they were realities, and are often even more influenced by the things that seem than by those that are.”
The extent of Machiavelli’s influence on rappers such as Jay-Z, P. Diddy, Damon Dash or Nelly is uncertain. For sure, rap has vanquished rock, and Public Enemy’s influential hip-hop album Fear of a Black Planet was recently added to the Library of Congress’ National Recording Registry. Rappers are the new moguls, and they name-check Machiavelli. So, check him out.
Malaika Horne, Ph.D. is director of the Executive Leadership Institute in the College of Business Administration at UM – St. Louis.