How one man ruled the known world

Citation

McNeilly, M. (2003), "How one man ruled the known world", Strategy & Leadership, Vol. 31 No. 3. https://doi.org/10.1108/sl.2003.26131cae.002

How one man ruled the known world

Mark McNeillyis a business strategist for a Fortune 100 Corporation. An amateur military historian and former infantry officer, he is the author of Sun Tzu and the Art of Business: Six Strategic Principles for Managers and Sun Tzu and the Art of Modern Warfare, both from Oxford University Press. His email address is mcneilly@suntzu1.com and his Web site is www.suntzu1.com.

Alexander the Great's Art of Strategy

Partha BosePublished by Gotham Books, New York, 2003

For business managers who enjoy reading about history and strategy, Parth Bose's Alexander the Great's Art of Strategy offers a serious book about both. For those who yearn to build a business and achieve greatness, Bose offers principles that worked for Alexander and might enlighten modern day empire builders too.

Bose, a partner and chief marketing officer of the prestigious Monitor Group management consultancy and former Editor-in-Chief of the McKinsey Quarterly, thoroughly assesses the career of Alexander the Great. Identifying the methods by which Alexander achieved his rapid success, Bose then applies those concepts to today's business challenges. By choosing Alexander, Bose has picked a worthy and interesting model. Alexander's achievements include conquering huge empires, building great cities and facilitating the interchange of major cultures, all while still a young man. Great leaders, both ancient and modern, have marveled at his accomplishments and studied his campaigns. Yet for all Alexander's successes, in the end he became a megalomaniac, turned on his closest friends and died without a successor capable of uniting his empire. As a result, his empire proved short-lived. Bose provides insights for today's manager from both Alexander's meteoric rise as well as the sudden fall of his star.

Preparations for greatness

According to Bose, Alexander was set on the path to greatness by two men – his father, King Philip of Macedonia and Aristotle, the philosopher Philip hired to tutor Alexander.

King Philip created the powerful Macedonian army, introducing new tactics, weaponry and logistical improvements to make it invincible. Philip then used this army to conquer the city-states of Greece to the south and create a Hellenic empire to rival that of Persia. To lead this army and run his government, Philip created a special class of men called the "Companions'". Philip founded a school at Mieza, near the Macedonian capital of Pella, where the Companions were trained in the military, political and philosophical arts.

Aristotle was brought to be the headmaster of the school and Alexander became his leading pupil. Aristotle introduced Alexander and the Companions to the entire range of knowledge of his time. The students also were urged to learn constantly, to question, to debate and to decide. These were the mental skills they would need to go with the physical talents required for success on the battlefield.

With this legacy and heritage, Alexander quickly took power after his father, Philip, was assassinated. Gathering a combination of his boyhood friends now in the Companions and his father's leading generals, Alexander quickly consolidated his position as heir. He dealt harshly with rival princes as well as rebellious Greek city-states. Once ensconced on the throne and his internal situation strengthened, Alexander moved to direct Greece's focus outward. He was determined to conquer their traditional rival, Persia.

In a few short years Alexander defeated the Persian Empire, marched his army to the borders of India, built great cities such as Alexandria, and introduced Hellenic culture to the East.

Bose tells us that it was at the height of such successes that Alexander began to fancy himself as a god, even forcing his old comrades to treat him as such. Trusted friends and supporters who hoped to bring Alexander to his senses were eliminated. Even Aristotle became a hunted man.

His legacy was the legend of empire, not its perpetuity. When Alexander died at the young age of 32, his realm that encompassed most of the known world was divided among his leading commanders.

History's lessons

Alexander the Great's Art of Strategy covers the expanse of this epic story, with each chapter ending with a "Summary of Themes" that highlights the main lessons the reader can apply to their business. Some are common-sense strategic ideas, such as "The Importance of Choosing Where to Battle" and "When to Enter and When to Exit". However, others ask the reader to look at his organization and ask such questions as:

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  King Philip left Alexander a strong government and a great army. What legacy has your company founders left that can be leveraged for success?

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  Who are your Companions, your leaders for the future? How are they selected? Who is training them and what training do they need? Who is your Aristotle?

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  How are you using symbolic gestures to motivate and direct your team?

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  What means are you employing to cut through your toughest Gordian Knots?

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  Are you promoting loyalists over talent? Are you quashing criticism because you believe yourself infallible?

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  Does your company have a clear succession plan?

There is an old saying, "Fools learn by experience. Smart people learn by the experience of others". Partha Bose's Alexander the Great's Art of Strategy allows the reader to learn from the achievements and foibles of one of the most remarkable men of all time.