Alexander the Great's Art of Strategy: The Timeless Lessons of History's Greatest Empire Builder (Hardcover)

by Partha Bose (Author) "THE MEDITERRANEAN SEA HAD KICKED UP A STORM THAT NIGHT..." (more)
Key Phrases: succession process, United States, Second World War, New York (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
Indian-born strategy adviser Bose sees Alexander the Great as a paragon of strategy and leadership for contemporary businesspersons. And apparently, he's not alone: Baz Luhrman, Norman Schwarzkopf, Oliver Stone and Ted Turner all agree the ruler was onto something. Bose here takes readers through the major events of Alexander's life, inserting observations and lessons relevant to business. The history sections-covering Alexander's birth and early education under Aristotle's tutelage to his death and the dissolution of his vast empire-are engaging, though far from comprehensive. While Bose doesn't purport to be a historian, he is a partner and chief marketing officer of an international management consultancy. Despite that, he does a poor job of pulling lessons from the empire builder's biography. For example, "The Art of Deceptive Strategy" describes how Alexander conquered a supposedly invincible band of Indian warriors in 328 B.C. by creating a phantom threat. Bose then describes how, in the 1980s, Ralston Purina created a phantom threat in the pet food industry. The parallel is obvious, but defeating an enemy is hardly the same as creating a market. Moreover, in his enthusiasm, Bose seems at times to be recommending Alexander's most brutal tactics as business strategies. The results can be unintentionally humorous. In a chapter on leadership styles, the historical tidbit "when [Alexander's] closest friend, Hephaistion, died of a fever in Ecbatana, Alexander had the physician treating him crucified" is followed immediately by "Alexander's trusting leadership style evoked fierce loyalty from those around him." Illus.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review
"As inspirational reading for the managerial class… this book fits the bill." -- Mark Miller, The Wall Street Journal

"Bose has illuminated the ways Alexander’s ways are the ways for twenty-first century leadership." -- Warren G. Bennis, coauthor of Geeks and Geezers --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: Gotham (April 14, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 159240006X
• ISBN-13: 978-1592400065
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.3 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #874,905 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

28 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A must read for strategists & leaders, October 30, 2004

By	Vivek Chaudhuri "Viv" (Malvern, PA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

The flow of this book is in alignment with the thought process of business executives. The USP of this book is it has historical pieces coupled along with strong analysis to churn out wisdom for leaders as well as strategists in every sphere.

May be a few historical points are not spot on in this book. However, the readers of this book should not be in pursuit of history but wisdom acquisition from the life of the greatest conqueror of all time, Alexander the Great, who never lost a war.

This book makes a close analysis into what made Alexander so special. Apart from being gifted with special traits of a natural leader, Alexander was able to make huge magnitude of impact during his short life due to his forward thinking father, Philips of Macedonian. Aristotle, mentor of Alexander, helped him develop a strong analytic framework of mind and appreciation for looking at issues from various perspectives. The book mentions that the "think global act local" approach was first promulgated by Alexander. As one reads on, one will understand how and why many leaders / strategists (in various spheres) over the centuries have been inspired by Alexander the Great.

19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Like ancient history & business?, February 21, 2006

By	Joe S - See all my reviews

This review is from: Alexander the Great's Art of Strategy: The Timeless Leadership Lessons of History's Greatest Empire Builder (Paperback)

Then this is for you. While working on the WEF competitive reports with Besife Tonwe, we got into a discussion about how despite all the technology advances human nature has changed little in 3000 years. I thought not. Besife's claim was that read Niall Ferguson's House of Rothschild and you pretty much have the narratives of the 1929 crash and the 2000 tech wreck - except they take place between 1798 and 1848. Bose's book was the test and confirms his theory. Rats.

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Alexander -- we could use him in the Middle East today, May 23, 2003

By	Nicholas P. Sullivan (Newton Centre, MA United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Alexander the Great's Art of Strategy is a book with multiple layers that will appeal to different senses and touch different nerves in the same reader at different times. On one level, it is a pure coming-of-age tale about a young boy who sets out to conquer the world (and just happens to succeed). How could a youth from the outlying and much disparaged province of Macedonia conquer Sparta and then rule all the Greek city states with power and authority-and then use that as a springboard to conquer the mighty Persians? Mentoring by Artistotle from the age of 13 certainly helped, but clearly Alexander's innate leadership skills-fueled by an ego and tempered by wisdom-were his calling card through life.

Alexander's leadership skills were not all instinctual or natural. Much of his success was grounded in a strategic approach to every battle, every campaign, every conquest, which gave him and his men the conviction that they could out-think and out-perform the enemy at every turn. What makes Alexander's strategic military thinking of value to today's business leaders was that many of his actions are grounded in basic logistics. How do you bring 3,000 men with supply animals and cargo trains across the Hindu Kush mountains? By establishing forward supply bases so that the men can move without carrying supplies. How will men react if their ships are burned and they can't afford to lose in battle to the Persians? They will attack with vengeance.

It is the study of Alexander's leadership styles-his various penchants for boldness, simplicity, quickness, surprise, willingness to embrace new cultures, and a willingness to attack with force but an aversion to inflicting unnecessary pain and destruction-that is the most engaging aspect of the book. In each case, mini case studies from the present business (or military) world show how Alexander's timeless strategies have been and can be applied to gain a competitive advantage.

Finally, the book is a sweeping historical tale that covers a mere 20 years, but follows Alexander's inexorable surge from Greece to Egypt to Persia, across Afghanistan and into India. He dies of natural causes on the way back to Macedonia at the age of 32, his men weary from years away from home, but laden with riches and multicultural inheritances and leaving behind a legacy that exists to this day. Reading this book against the backdrop of current events in the Mideast, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and India, one longs for a world leader with the political skills of an Alexander the Great.