The Leadership Genius of Julius Caesar
The Leadership Genius of Julius Caesar
Modern Lessons from the Man Who Built an Empire
Edition: 1
Pages: 144
Publication Date: 17 October, 2016
Available in all formats
EPUB
ISBN:
9781626566958
PDF
ISBN:
9781626566941
You don't have access to this content. Please try to log in with your institution. Sign In
Eternally fascinating, Julius Caesar was a leader ahead of his time whose grassroots, front lines leadership still has much to teach us 2000 years after his death.
History is littered with examples of tyrants, hopelessly out of touch with the plight of the commoners, ruthlessly pursuing their own ambitions or hedonistic whims. But Caesar was a different kind of leader. Despite some bad press, in fact he never saw himself as above the average Roman citizen. Although he certainly knew he was an extraordinary human being, he also regarded himself as fundamentally one of the people, and acted like it. In his life and in his career, he created a new paradigm of leadership, and along the way, created the path to success for any leader in a complex organization.
In a book that Doris Kearns Goodwin has called “brilliantly crafted to draw leadership lessons from history,” Philip Barlag uses dramatic and colorful incidents from Caesar's career to illustrate what modern leaders can learn from him. Central to Barlag's argument is the distinction between power and force. When leading his own organization, Caesar never used brute force to motivate his followers. Time and again he exercised a power rooted in his demonstrated personal integrity and his essentially egalitarian relationship with the Romans. People followed him because they wanted to, not because they were compelled to. Over 2000 years after Caesar's death this is still the kind of loyalty every leader wants to inspire. Barlag shows how anyone can lead like Caesar.
History is littered with examples of tyrants, hopelessly out of touch with the plight of the commoners, ruthlessly pursuing their own ambitions or hedonistic whims. But Caesar was a different kind of leader. Despite some bad press, in fact he never saw himself as above the average Roman citizen. Although he certainly knew he was an extraordinary human being, he also regarded himself as fundamentally one of the people, and acted like it. In his life and in his career, he created a new paradigm of leadership, and along the way, created the path to success for any leader in a complex organization.
In a book that Doris Kearns Goodwin has called “brilliantly crafted to draw leadership lessons from history,” Philip Barlag uses dramatic and colorful incidents from Caesar's career to illustrate what modern leaders can learn from him. Central to Barlag's argument is the distinction between power and force. When leading his own organization, Caesar never used brute force to motivate his followers. Time and again he exercised a power rooted in his demonstrated personal integrity and his essentially egalitarian relationship with the Romans. People followed him because they wanted to, not because they were compelled to. Over 2000 years after Caesar's death this is still the kind of loyalty every leader wants to inspire. Barlag shows how anyone can lead like Caesar.
Description
Eternally fascinating, Julius Caesar was a leader ahead of his time whose grassroots, front lines leadership still has much to teach us 2000 years after his death.
History is littered with examples of tyrants, hopelessly out of touch with the plight of the commoners, ruthlessly pursuing their own ambitions or hedonistic whims. But Caesar was a different kind of leader. Despite some bad press, in fact he never saw himself as above the average Roman citizen. Although he certainly knew he was an extraordinary human being, he also regarded himself as fundamentally one of the people, and acted like it. In his life and in his career, he created a new paradigm of leadership, and along the way, created the path to success for any leader in a complex organization.
In a book that Doris Kearns Goodwin has called “brilliantly crafted to draw leadership lessons from history,” Philip Barlag uses dramatic and colorful incidents from Caesar's career to illustrate what modern leaders can learn from him. Central to Barlag's argument is the distinction between power and force. When leading his own organization, Caesar never used brute force to motivate his followers. Time and again he exercised a power rooted in his demonstrated personal integrity and his essentially egalitarian relationship with the Romans. People followed him because they wanted to, not because they were compelled to. Over 2000 years after Caesar's death this is still the kind of loyalty every leader wants to inspire. Barlag shows how anyone can lead like Caesar.
History is littered with examples of tyrants, hopelessly out of touch with the plight of the commoners, ruthlessly pursuing their own ambitions or hedonistic whims. But Caesar was a different kind of leader. Despite some bad press, in fact he never saw himself as above the average Roman citizen. Although he certainly knew he was an extraordinary human being, he also regarded himself as fundamentally one of the people, and acted like it. In his life and in his career, he created a new paradigm of leadership, and along the way, created the path to success for any leader in a complex organization.
In a book that Doris Kearns Goodwin has called “brilliantly crafted to draw leadership lessons from history,” Philip Barlag uses dramatic and colorful incidents from Caesar's career to illustrate what modern leaders can learn from him. Central to Barlag's argument is the distinction between power and force. When leading his own organization, Caesar never used brute force to motivate his followers. Time and again he exercised a power rooted in his demonstrated personal integrity and his essentially egalitarian relationship with the Romans. People followed him because they wanted to, not because they were compelled to. Over 2000 years after Caesar's death this is still the kind of loyalty every leader wants to inspire. Barlag shows how anyone can lead like Caesar.
Table of contents
- Cover Page
- Title Page
- Copyright Page
- Dedication
- Contents
- Timeline of Key Events in Caesar’s Life and Career
- Preface
- Introduction
- 1 Lead with Power, Not Force
- 2 Lead from the Front
- 3 Defy Convention
- 4 Bet on Yourself
- 5 Keep the Lines of Communication Open
- 6 Co-Opt the Power of Others
- 7 Preempt Your Enemies
- 8 Invest in Your Power Base
- Epilogue
- Appendix: Cast of Characters
- Bibliography
- Acknowledgments
- Index
- About the Author
Review quote
“When we look to great leaders as role models, we often don't look far enough back in the past. Julius Caesar was one of the most influential leaders in history, and Barlag shares timeless lessons that today's leaders can use to build trust and drive change.”
-Adam Grant, Professor of Management, The Wharton School, and New York Times bestselling author of Originals and Give and Take
“Phillip Barlag captures in a creative way key leadership skills that transcend the passage of time. Caesar's success was not accidental-it was grounded in some firm principles.”
-Paul Polman, CEO, Unilever
“The Leadership Genius of Julius Caesar is an innovative and engaging read for all leaders. While drawing on events and people from the ancient world, the lessons and storytelling are relevant and timely now. Whether political, military, or business, any leader responsible for moving an organization forward-in times of prosperity or crisis-can benefit from its insight.”
-Jaap de Hoop Scheffer, 11th Secretary General, NATO
“Even as times change and technology progresses, the continual quest for enhancing our abilities remains the same. In The Leadership Genius of Julius Caesar, Phillip Barlag highlights the lessons and insights from Caesar's life and career to illuminate the qualities needed to guide any team toward greater loyalty, camaraderie, and success.”
-Keith Ferrazzi, author of the #1 New York Times bestsellers Who's Got Your Back and Never Eat Alone
Biz Books
12/04/16
BY
Jim Pawlak
“The Leadership Genius of Julius Caesar – Modern Lessons from the Man Who Built an Empire” by Phillip Barlag (Berret-Koehler Publishers, $24.95). Most books written about Caesar were written by historians and focused on his accomplishments. Barlag delves into the ‘how' of the accomplishments by identifying his leadership skills – many of which are topics of today's business books.
The major leadership lesson: Caesar used power, not force, to lead. He understood that power comes from the ability to motivate others by focusing on a common goal. In wartime, he lived that goal by marching beside his troops, eating in their mess hall and listening to their feedback, and talk of what they planned to do when the campaign ended. He called his troops ‘comrades' to remind them that he was one of them. They chose to follow him because they respected him and trusted him to keep his word.
At the Battle of Munda, his army was tired and wanted to rest before engaging the enemy again. Caesar drew his sword and raced up the hill alone – but not for long. His troops saw he was ‘leading from the front,' and raced after him. Putting his life on the line showed his commitment to victory. Leading from the front becomes critically important when tough decisions have to be made.
In times of peace, Caesar worked ‘across the aisle' and reminded political opponents that they were citizens of Rome and owed a responsibility to all Romans. He spoke of mutual benefit. This increased their interest in working with him.
We all know how it ended. His opponents became jealous as Caesar's popularity and power grew. They feared that, as emperor, he would resort to force to rule. They clearly didn't understand the man's motivation.
-Adam Grant, Professor of Management, The Wharton School, and New York Times bestselling author of Originals and Give and Take
“Phillip Barlag captures in a creative way key leadership skills that transcend the passage of time. Caesar's success was not accidental-it was grounded in some firm principles.”
-Paul Polman, CEO, Unilever
“The Leadership Genius of Julius Caesar is an innovative and engaging read for all leaders. While drawing on events and people from the ancient world, the lessons and storytelling are relevant and timely now. Whether political, military, or business, any leader responsible for moving an organization forward-in times of prosperity or crisis-can benefit from its insight.”
-Jaap de Hoop Scheffer, 11th Secretary General, NATO
“Even as times change and technology progresses, the continual quest for enhancing our abilities remains the same. In The Leadership Genius of Julius Caesar, Phillip Barlag highlights the lessons and insights from Caesar's life and career to illuminate the qualities needed to guide any team toward greater loyalty, camaraderie, and success.”
-Keith Ferrazzi, author of the #1 New York Times bestsellers Who's Got Your Back and Never Eat Alone
Biz Books
12/04/16
BY
Jim Pawlak
“The Leadership Genius of Julius Caesar – Modern Lessons from the Man Who Built an Empire” by Phillip Barlag (Berret-Koehler Publishers, $24.95). Most books written about Caesar were written by historians and focused on his accomplishments. Barlag delves into the ‘how' of the accomplishments by identifying his leadership skills – many of which are topics of today's business books.
The major leadership lesson: Caesar used power, not force, to lead. He understood that power comes from the ability to motivate others by focusing on a common goal. In wartime, he lived that goal by marching beside his troops, eating in their mess hall and listening to their feedback, and talk of what they planned to do when the campaign ended. He called his troops ‘comrades' to remind them that he was one of them. They chose to follow him because they respected him and trusted him to keep his word.
At the Battle of Munda, his army was tired and wanted to rest before engaging the enemy again. Caesar drew his sword and raced up the hill alone – but not for long. His troops saw he was ‘leading from the front,' and raced after him. Putting his life on the line showed his commitment to victory. Leading from the front becomes critically important when tough decisions have to be made.
In times of peace, Caesar worked ‘across the aisle' and reminded political opponents that they were citizens of Rome and owed a responsibility to all Romans. He spoke of mutual benefit. This increased their interest in working with him.
We all know how it ended. His opponents became jealous as Caesar's popularity and power grew. They feared that, as emperor, he would resort to force to rule. They clearly didn't understand the man's motivation.
Similar titles
