"The Prince" and Modern Leadership

Paper Summary:

The paper discusses Machiavelli's beliefs on love, fear, kindness and generosity and shows how although these ideas are a little extreme for today's world, the basic principles are still relevant in strategic leadership today. The paper points out, however, that at the time Machiavelli wrote "The Prince", Italy was being faced with barbarism, civil wars, and other European threats and so it was absolutely necessary that any ruler who wanted to succeed have an extreme hold on his country and his people. The paper emphasizes that leaders today must realize they live in a different world that does not need such forceful leadership.

From the Paper:

""Every ruler should want to be thought merciful, not cruel; nevertheless, one should take great care not to be merciful in an inappropriate way," (Machiavelli, p. 58). Niccolo Machiavelli explored the qualities of what it is to be a good leader in his classic work The Prince, and did so without sugar coating any ideas in order to save himself from sounding cruel and uncaring. Machiavelli knew what it took in order to lead others efficiently, and to lead a country into success rather than into ruin. His work, The Prince, explores the delicate balance between fear and love; he also explains how a leader should do anything in his power to protect the state, and in this motivation his actions are justified. He believes that although cruel deeds may sometimes necessary to keep the state together, a leader should never go too far as to make his followers hate him. A leader should install fear only when necessary, and otherwise be loved for his kindness and generosity."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Bagley, Gerald. 1989. Do you have to be a Machiavellian to succeed? Security Management. Vol. 33.
• Caudill, Duchan. 2008. Of love and fear: Machiavelli's The Prince. Classic Literature. http://classiclit.about.com/library/bl-review/uc-duchan-theprince.htm
• Machiavelli, Niccolo. 2005. The Prince. 15th ed. Cambridge University Press.

More papers on "The Prince" and Modern Leadership:

• Analytical Essay # 124650 : "The Prince" and Modern Business"
• Term Paper # 97656 : "Machiavelli's "The Prince"
• Book Review # 105653 : "Niccolo Machiavelli's "The Prince"

APA Citation:

MLA Citation: