The man Niccolo Machiavelli was a diplomat in Florence, a city-republic that flourished during the Italian Renaissance,roughly 500 years ago.His name reeks of manipulation .Through his Book,The Prince ,which he dedicated to the great Lorenzo Di Piero De Medici.,He espouse some trickery as a means to maintain power.He was no less a master of diplomacy and good leadership.There is so much to learn from his writings which can be applied to the business world
Here are what Florentine diplomat can teach you.
1. Maintain an air of power.A good leader must be viewed as powerful and sophisticated .He must associate his self with great minds and exhibit great aura.
2.Pay attention to employees.Machiavelli stressed that ruler must be aware of his subjects' morals at all time,That way he could makes changes or address their grievances before dissatisfaction becomes rebellion .
3.Do not let others know what you are thinking.Once you become predictable,your power decreases significantly.To succeed in business just like in Poker game, you must hide your true thoughts.If people see you coming,you have given them time to prepare to outdo you.catch them off with your actions.
4.Appeal to peoples' passion .To gain loyalty , a leader must often appeal to passion over reason.Politicians know this,that is why they result to emotionally charged concepts like liberty and patriotism.Once a customer associates your product with something fundamentally good you have gained a loyal customer.
5.Assume your competitors want to take your place.Machiavelli says the leaders must always watch their back.Even the person closest to the king must always be viewed with a skeptical eye.
6.Don't isolate yourself.a good leader always avoid making a proverbial fortress staying visible and interacting socially.
7. Create a legacy.If your predecessor was great, you must be better
Think of artists who gained more fame by breaking with the precedents of the past.You too can differentiate yourself from the past.
