This review was submitted by mauzenne.
Unfortunately, large organizations are rife with politics. You're not going to be successful simply being nice and smart. You'll have to outmaneuver others at times to get your agenda approved. While poisoning others may not be apropos, the underlying rationale that "in difficult times really good ends can justify really bad means" still rings true. Well written too.
That said, keep in mind that many people say they have read this book and have not. Further, there is frequent use of the term "Machiavellian" referring to political intrigues and cunning that purportedly come from this book. But frankly, that's a VERY thin reading. There's more here than that. And, keep in mind, this book was written 500 years ago, before management even as an IDEA existed.
Think of this as a prehistoric organizational treatise.
Comments
This book might best be
This book might best be described as a primer on how to secure power. However, this is not a "follow me" primer for the individual that is seeking to learn and implement a servant-leadership type of environment.
I'm not a fan of the book because it is a difficult read, made only slightly easier by an understanding of the historical circumstances that were surrounding Florence at the time of the writing.
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