The Way of the Warrior: Business Tactics & Techniques from History's Twelve Greatest Generals

The business-as-war metaphor has become trite, and books that talk about what executives can learn from warriors are now cliched. Government military adviser Dunnigan and software executive Masterson point out here that military leaders spend little of their time in combat; their day-to-day activities are devoted mostly to doing everything from feeding their troops to assuring they have sufficient military resources. In other words, they spend the bulk of their time managing. The authors round up the usual suspects from the category ""military masters""--Alexander the Great, Charlemagne, Napoleon, MacArthur, Patton--then highlight particular traits that supposedly made them effective managers. What these warriors had in common--besides courage and leading by example--are excellent communication and people skills, a belief in training and an overarching vision. Today's managers are probably better off studying the kinds of organizations these leaders put together than trying to memorize their fighting tactics to use in the boardroom. (Nov.)