History Lessons: What Business and Management can Learn from the Great Leaders of History - Softcover

Jonathan Gifford

3.88

17 ratings by Goodreads

9780462099361: History Lessons: What Business and Management can Learn from the Great Leaders of History

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0462099369 ISBN 13: 9780462099361

Publisher: Marshall Cavendish International Asia Pte Ltd, 2010

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Pericles of Athens, Abraham Lincoln, Genghis Khan, Elizabeth I, Napoleon Bonaparte, Zhou Enlai, Winston S. Churchill, Lee Kwan Yew - some of the great leaders who changed the course of history. Their actions and thoughts, and the way in which they shaped history s great events, are an enduring and invaluable source of inspiration for today s manager or executive. In this fascinating, cross-disciplinary book, Jonathan Gifford examines the behaviour of twenty-four great leaders in the context of eight critical leadership functions (Changing the Mood, Boldness of Vision, Doing the Planning, Leading from the Front, Bringing People with you, Making Things Happen, Taking the Offensive, Creating Opportunities) and uses the lens of history to provide contemporary managers with new insights and perspectives into the very human art of leadership and with potential solutions to the essentially familiar problems faced by the great leaders of history.

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Review:

Don' t be put off by the title: this albeit unconventional business text examines the past to provide lessons for today s business owner. An essential element to the success of any firm is leadership. Without someone at the helm with a plan for the future of the company and the personal qualities to inspire those around them a business is likely to fail. History Lessons examines some of the greatest leaders in history, such a Martin Luther King, Winston Churchill and George Washington. The text evaluates what specific qualities they had that ensured their success and inspired loyalty in those around them. Chapters include planning, leading from the front and creating opportunities. After the main business concept has been outlined three different individuals are profiled before their business relevance to the chosen topic is teased out. Unsurprisingly, the text does contain historical information that is not necessarily applicable to businesses. However, this is genuinely interesting and it never feels like Gifford is just imparting historical knowledge for the sake of it the points are all ultimately linked to how to be a successful leader. This is a book for experienced business owners that don t need a nuts and bolts approach to running a firm but are seeking to become more effective leaders --New Business Magazine (UK), Summer 2010

There's nothing new about finding management lessons in history, but few books offer quite as comprehensive a collection of examples as this one.You can learn planning from Napoleon Bonaparte, about making things happen from Oliver Cromwell, how to take the offensive from Saladin or even how to create opportunities from Genghis Khan. Its all fascinating stuff and there is much of practical use to be learned. Its quite a useful primer for anyone who bunked off history too. 8/10 --Business Life (UK) April 2010

History Lessons: What Business and Management can Learn from the Great Leaders of History by Jonathan Gifford sets down eight competences exemplified, often in an extreme form, by great leaders Each competence is put into the context of business management so that the particular abilities of the great leaders of history can be easily related to present day management situations. The competences fall into three groups. The precursors of action changing the mood, boldness of vision and planning; driving action leading from the front, bringing people along and making things happen; and finally, building taking the offensive and creating opportunities. Three great leaders from world history have been selected to exemplify each competence, resulting in a fascinating range of men and women, drawn from different backgrounds, nationalities and historical eras. For example, the leaders chosen to illustrate making things happen include Oliver Cromwell, George S Patton and Zhou Enlai far from the usual list of individuals cited in books on leadership. In a few pages, each individual is placed into the historical, social and political context of their time. The cultural setting of their leadership prowess is scrutinised and a compelling picture is painted for each one. It is no mean feat to draw together so complete a picture of a person exemplifying a particular competence in half a dozen pages packed with interesting detail and insight. The book will enthuse any reader who enjoys biographies, has a general interest in history, or is keen to improve their leadership skills. It may appear a stretch to imagine that Genghis Khan has lessons to teach modern managers but setting aside an imperfection or two, he can be seen as the creator of an opportunity that led to kick-starting the renaissance. --'Professional Manager magazine, Chartered Management Institute, July 2010

There's nothing new about finding management lessons in history, but few books offer quite as comprehensive a collection of examples as this one.You can learn planning from Napoleon Bonaparte, about making things happen from Oliver Cromwell, how to take the offensive from Saladin or even how to create opportunities from Genghis Khan. Its all fascinating stuff and there is much of practical use to be learned. Its quite a useful primer for anyone who bunked off history too. 8/10 --Business Life (UK) April 2010

History Lessons: What Business and Management can Learn from the Great Leaders of History by Jonathan Gifford sets down eight competences exemplified, often in an extreme form, by great leaders Each competence is put into the context of business management so that the particular abilities of the great leaders of history can be easily related to present day management situations. The competences fall into three groups. The precursors of action changing the mood, boldness of vision and planning; driving action leading from the front, bringing people along and making things happen; and finally, building taking the offensive and creating opportunities. Three great leaders from world history have been selected to exemplify each competence, resulting in a fascinating range of men and women, drawn from different backgrounds, nationalities and historical eras. For example, the leaders chosen to illustrate making things happen include Oliver Cromwell, George S Patton and Zhou Enlai far from the usual list of individuals cited in books on leadership. In a few pages, each individual is placed into the historical, social and political context of their time. The cultural setting of their leadership prowess is scrutinised and a compelling picture is painted for each one. It is no mean feat to draw together so complete a picture of a person exemplifying a particular competence in half a dozen pages packed with interesting detail and insight. The book will enthuse any reader who enjoys biographies, has a general interest in history, or is keen to improve their leadership skills. It may appear a stretch to imagine that Genghis Khan has lessons to teach modern managers but setting aside an imperfection or two, he can be seen as the creator of an opportunity that led to kick-starting the renaissance. --'Professional Manager magazine, Chartered Management Institute, July 2010

About the Author:

JONATHAN GIFFORD is a business man, historian and author, whose writing focuses particularly on the human aspects of leadership and management. After reading philosophy at the University of Kent at Canterbury, Jonathan worked for a number of major media organizations, beginning his career at the Guardian newspaper in the 1970s. He went on to work for the Sunday Express, the Mail on Sunday, and later for BBC Worldwide, where he launched the award-winning BBC History Magazine in 2000. Jonathan is a director of the digital design agency, Bluequest Media, and is the author of History Lessons (Marshall Cavendish, 2010) and Blindsided (Marshall Cavendish, 2012). He lives in Oxfordshire with his wife and children

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