Key Point #13
Machiavelli was a man with noble wisdom. He spoke the bare truth of leadership. While some may not agree with his notions, they do hold some value. Five-hundred years later, leadership remains standing on some of the same foundations, questions, and values. Today’s society may have many reasons to believe in shared leadership. But, when push comes to shove Machiavelli composes valuable points. Being feared or loved, avoid hate, and being a ruler, are points Machiavelli makes which, resonates with me. To be feared or to be loved is a question many leaders have battled with for centuries. Many leaders are unsure which side they fall on. I’m sure if a happy medium existed, most all of us would choose the middle. However, in …show more content…
Meaning a leader must tell their followers what to do. The followers do not advise the ruler, the ruler advice’s the followers unless asked. Machiavelli states, “ A prince, therefore, should always take counsel, but when he wants, and not when others want it; on the contrary, he should discourage everyone from counseling him about anything unless he asks it of them” (39). Machiavelli makes an important point. A ruler cannot do his job when many of his followers are telling him how to do it. While some suggestions here and there may be okay, a follower must not tell a leader how to lead. A follower can help the leader but, only when asked. This avoids unnecessary input. When working at Dunkin’ Donuts, I valued the opinions of my workers. Sometimes their input was helpful, such as if we were running low on a product. However, having too many employees voicing their opinions got in the way of me doing my job and seeing what was best for the company. I began slowly only taking their input when asked. This defiantly eased my job. Though hearing employee’s ideas is great and will help the company, it is important to ask for them versus having them just tell you. Machiavelli states a ruler must be a good questioner and a good listener. This is very true. Asking for employees input will show them validation. Listening to their ideas will better the company in the long run. It is very important to consistently ask questions in order to prevent unneeded input. Asking and listening will allow a ruler to lead with no
Machiavelli was a man with noble wisdom. He spoke the bare truth of leadership. While some may not agree with his notions, they do hold some value. Five-hundred years later, leadership remains standing on some of the same foundations, questions, and values. Today’s society may have many reasons to believe in shared leadership. But, when push comes to shove Machiavelli composes valuable points. Being feared or loved, avoid hate, and being a ruler, are points Machiavelli makes which, resonates with me. To be feared or to be loved is a question many leaders have battled with for centuries. Many leaders are unsure which side they fall on. I’m sure if a happy medium existed, most all of us would choose the middle. However, in …show more content…
Meaning a leader must tell their followers what to do. The followers do not advise the ruler, the ruler advice’s the followers unless asked. Machiavelli states, “ A prince, therefore, should always take counsel, but when he wants, and not when others want it; on the contrary, he should discourage everyone from counseling him about anything unless he asks it of them” (39). Machiavelli makes an important point. A ruler cannot do his job when many of his followers are telling him how to do it. While some suggestions here and there may be okay, a follower must not tell a leader how to lead. A follower can help the leader but, only when asked. This avoids unnecessary input. When working at Dunkin’ Donuts, I valued the opinions of my workers. Sometimes their input was helpful, such as if we were running low on a product. However, having too many employees voicing their opinions got in the way of me doing my job and seeing what was best for the company. I began slowly only taking their input when asked. This defiantly eased my job. Though hearing employee’s ideas is great and will help the company, it is important to ask for them versus having them just tell you. Machiavelli states a ruler must be a good questioner and a good listener. This is very true. Asking for employees input will show them validation. Listening to their ideas will better the company in the long run. It is very important to consistently ask questions in order to prevent unneeded input. Asking and listening will allow a ruler to lead with no