Customer Reviews

The Wisdom of Alexander the Great: Enduring Leadership Lessons From the Man Who Created an Empire

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No one doubts the extraordinary achievements of Alexander, especially given his relatively brief life (356-323 B.C.), achievements which included the successful invasions of Asia Minor, Egypt, Mesopotamia, the Middle East, the Persian Empire, Afghanistan, Sogdiana, and Bactria. His greatest battles include Granicus, Issus, Gaugamela, and Hydapses. What we know about him is based almost entirely on the works which survive written by Arrian, Rufus Curtius, Siculus Diodorus, and Plutarch. For most readers today, these are but names of countries, locations, and authors which probably have little inherent appeal. Interest in Alexander, however, does and should remain keen.

In this volume, Kurke carefully traces his life and career inorder to answer questions such as these:

1. How was Alexander able to accomplish so much from his succession (at age 20) to the throne of Macedonia (following his father Philip's assassination) until his own death only thirteen years later?

2. What "enduring leadership lessons" can be learned from Alexander's achievements, lessons which are relevant to our contemporary world?

Kurke focuses on 34 episodes which he organizes within the first four chapters, then shares his own "Concluding Thoughts About Leadership" in Chapter 5 followed by "Concluding Thoughts About Alexander" in Chapter 6. I presume to suggest that readers begin with "A Brief Chronology of Alexander's Life" which is located in the Appendix. Presumably they (as did I) will frequently refer back to it while proceeding through the core narrative which consists of a four-stage Leadership Process: Reframing Problems, Building Alliances, Establishing Identity, and Directing Symbols. Kurke also includes his own insights at the conclusion of each of the four chapters (i.e. one per process stage).

Frankly, it is difficult for me to grasp the nature and extent of Alexander's achievements. For example, under his leadership, his armies eventually conquered approximately 90% of the (then) known world...and he is reputed to have known the names of most (if not all) of his 10,000 soldiers. Another example: A student of Aristotle, Alexander was later trained as a doctor and personally attended to the wounds of his soldiers and refused medical treatment of his own (countless) wounds until after his men had been properly cared for. Still another example: Faced with the separate but related problems of (a) providing for his wounded and aged veteran warriors while (b) maintaining control of areas that had been conquered, he established approximately 70 cities and towns of strategic value, occupied by Macedonian veterans and local volunteers who, together, managed those cities and towns effectively.

With regard to the aforementioned "enduring leadership lessons" which Kurke proposes and discusses, it would be a disservice to him as well as to those who read this brief commentary to provide a list now. They are best examined within the context which Kurke carefully creates for each. Also, it makes more sense to correlate them within the four-stage sequence of the Leadership Process. Obviously I think very highly of this book which, in my opinion, makes a substantial contribution to our understanding of what can be described (for lack of a better term) as classical leadership and management principles. They will, of course, have varying degrees of relevance to those who read this book now but all are worthy of careful consideration.

Well-done, Lance Kurke!

As soon as the book was delivered at my house, I swallowed it in a few hours and I must say that it was extremely tasty and satisfying.

Kurke successfully manages to create the four strategic topics to practise for great leadership - Reframing Problems, Building Alliances, Establishing Identity and Directing Symbols. Towards the end of the book I realised that I was about to start complaining about the lack of information with regards to Alexander's general background, but I felt relieved with the final 6 pages.

I am sure that I will read this book many other times, and I will recommend it highly to anyone with an interest in history or in individual success.

On a critical point, I was disappointed by the Crossing the Gedrosian Dessert chapter. It is true that there is no clear evidence of what were Alexander's reasons for enduring this tough journey but Kurke takes it for granted that Alexander was misinformed by the local guides. Probably Kurke chose this version to create the need for his reasoning. Though many other history books and biographies of Alexander support the fact that Alexander did it on purpose to punish his men after their mutiny.

Maybe this is an aspect of Alexander's character that should be studied in depth.

Zen

In The Wisdom Of Alexander The Great , author Lance Kurke's principle focus is on the leadership and leadership lessons of Alexander of Macedonia, providing both historical background and insights into how Alexander made a habit of re-posing problems for maximum solutions. The approach is recommended for both history and business students at the college level and provides some excellent new insights based on history and one especially notable leader's strategies that are as effective today as they were more than two millennia ago.

"Read history...that is where civilization stores its best heroes," says author, Dr. Kurke, who clearly demonstrates there is much to learn from both the mistakes and the triumphs of this magnanimous leader. Dr. Kurke succinctly outlines how Alexander the Great's approaches toward problems and people can be used in daily practice in the business world. An eye-opening book that captures key leadership processes. I highly recommend it as a resource to be referred to again and again.

I had the pleasure taking Dr. Kurke's Leadership class while working on my MBA, and of seeing him give two uplifting presentations on Alexander the Great. I am so glad that he published his book, giving all of us more access to his insight into this majestic leader. Thank you Dr. Kurke! I highly recommend this book.

This book teaches readers about four strategic topics to practice to enable them to be great business leaders. The author is of the view that by studying Alexander the Great, one can derive important lessons which they can use in today's fiercely competitive operating environment.

It is easy to dismiss the author's premise in that the environment during Alexander's time is very different from the present one. However, if one employs the lessons with care, bearing in mind the historical context, I think the author did a commendable job of coming up with an interesting and insightful book. Those that are open minded will find the book a useful addition to the collection of other management books by the likes of John Adair and Peter Drucker.

I have always been fascinated by Alexander since I first learnt about him at secondary school. This is a man that by age 33 had conquered most of the then known world. It is a wonder how he managed the logistics of moving a huge army, feed it, provide water and other combat supplies, cater for the injured and effectively maintain a string of cities that he had captured. It was, therefore, little wonder that I welcomed Lance Kurke's addition to the voluminous literature on Alexander the Great by enabling me to see how I can use some of the lessons learnt from his brilliant campaigns.

I particularly enjoyed reading about Alexander the Great's approach towards challengers and people and how I can use this knowledge in refining my leadership and management expertise. This is an insightful book that is highly recommended.

A wonderful look at principles of leadership and critical thinking within the context of the situation that a leader may find themselves in. It is fresh and easy to grasp.

It is also a good way to show examples of critical thinking to any profession.

It is easy to read and apply for anyone who needs to lead or critically think.

I've read a lot about how Alexander's Tactics led to victories in some of the most famous battles in history. But until this book I had never thought of the organizational problems he had to face.

The military history books say, Alexander had 40,000 troops. But, how did he feed them, what did he do with wounded. This book is written from the standpoint of relating Alexander's actions to the modern business world, comparing the situations to Apple Computer, General Motors, Ben & Jerry's and other organizations. I'm not so sure however, that it shouldn't be on your military history bookshelf.

This short summary extracts some of the most interesting incidents from the life of Alexander the Great and makes them accessible. It offers some great anecdotes - though the narratives about captives being raped or killed, and archers shooting out the eyes of elephants may put off some readers. Author Lance B. Kurke does a great service to anyone who likes a good yarn, but who doesn't like wading through dense books. By casting the career of the mighty Macedonian as a compendium of management lessons, Kurke even makes it possible for people to justify reading sagas about a classical hero at the office. At times, the author must reach in order to draw an appropriate management lesson out of Alexander crossing a river or killing his best friend. In fact, a few of the management lessons are rather obvious, while others seem shallow or downright puzzling. But that is a minor protest. On the whole, the author succeeds in his purpose. While this book won't displace Peter Drucker on the manager's bookshelf, we recommend it for reading on the treadmill or exercise bike, or as a pleasant diversion during a short plane ride or a solitary lunch.

The book drives home just a few basic concepts and delivers them well by giving examples. One is almost tempted to take the virtues and skills of Alexander and merge them into the qualities of a "level five leader" to create a mold for a modern leader with a bit more character than we normally see in these types of books.

This book is definitely worth buying if you've already purchased several books on business strategy or leadership. The book makes good contributions to both subjects.