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This paper summarizes the germinal leadership book, The Prince by Machiavelli. After a brief summary, the paper will discuss the importance of the book to leadership and the lessons that can be applied to educational leadership. Summary The Prince begins with an overview of the two types of Princedoms which are, according to Machiavelli (1513 / 1992), hereditary or new (p. 1). Hereditary Princedoms are those that are passed down through many generations.
New Princedoms can be blended into hereditary Princedoms; these are usually geographically close to the hereditary Princedom and its people generally speak the same language. New Princedoms can also be wholly new and are often obtained via a hostile means; in many cases, the new Princedom's people are of a different language and culture. To be successful running and keeping control of a mixed or wholly new Princedom, the leader must consider several factors. The method by which the Prince came into leadership may be cruel or heroic. New laws and institutions may be introduced; for this the Prince must decide whether to live in the new Princedom or set up colonies to maintain rule.
A third alternative is destruction, "for in truth, there is no sure way of holding other than by destroying, and whoever becomes master of a City accustomed to live in freedom and does not destroy it, may reckon on being destroyed by it" (Machiavelli, 1513, p. 11). The book presents all three alternatives in the form of examples of leaders both historic and his contemporaries. Next, the book turns to a discussion of potential threats to power. Machiavelli asserts that the Prince must remain powerful and always be wary of powerful outsiders who might try to unseat him. He says, "that some such person will be called in by those of the Province who are discontented either through ambition or fear" (Machiavelli, 1513, p. 5).
For this reason, the Prince should act as protector of his weaker neighbors and seek to weaken those who are stronger. Going on, Machiavelli discusses the importance of modeling oneself after those who have been successful. He stresses that "the wise man should always to follow the roads that have been trodden by the great, and imitate those who most excelled, so that if he cannot reach their perfection, he may at least acquire something of its savour" (Machiavelli, 1513, p. 12). In addition to modeling oneself after those who came before, new princes must have either fortune or ability in order to reach the pinnacle of authority. Machiavelli asserts that ability is the better quality because it is more beneficial to the leader.
Machiavelli continues, reasserting the difficulty that new Princes have when they try to establish new laws. He says that there is nothing more dangerous "than to set up as a leader in the introduction of changes" (Machiavelli, 1513, p. 13). Next, Machiavelli returns to the ways in which new principalities are acquired -- namely, either by good fortune or by superior ability. While a fortunate Prince may have an easier time becoming lord of his subjects, he finds it very difficult to keep them under his control.
In contrast, a Prince who rises because of natural leadership qualities finds it harder to acquire his principality but easier to maintain it once conquered. Machiavelli also discusses two men who have become Princes through cruelty. This first is Agathocles, who eventually became the King of Syracuse. "Once established in that post, he resolved to... hold by violence and without obligation to others " (Machiavelli, 1513, p. 21) his authority. Machiavelli comments that "to slaughter fellow-citizens, to betray friends, to be devoid of honour, pity, and religion, cannot be counted as merits" (p. 21). In this case, Machiavelli does not attribute Agathocles's unless to either Fortune or merit.
The second example is Oliverotto of Form. Like Agathocles, he killed many of his enemies. However, Machiavelli makes an important distinction as to what kind of violence is effective. "We may learn the lesson that on seizing a state, the usurper should make haste to inflict what injuries he must, at a stroke, that he may not have to renew them daily, but be enabled by their discontinuance to reassure men's minds" (p. 23). In this way, the Prince will allow the citizens to gradually forget the Prince's cruelty so that they will eventually learn to trust and respect him. The second half of the book discusses military strategies Princes should apply to maintain successful rule.
Machiavelli stresses the importance of having good laws and good armies adding that armies are more important because they are necessary for order and protection. He also continues to emphasize the importance to the Prince in keeping the faith of those under his rule. Recognizing that people are not always faithful followers, Machiavelli (1513 / 1992) reminds the reader "that there are two ways of contending, one in accordance with the laws, and the other by force" (p. 45) the latter being used often since the former rarely works. Conclusions There are many lessons from The Prince that can be applied to contemporary society. The first lesson for leaders is that despite the methods by which a person becomes a leader, there are many skills involved in maintaining that leadership. Bass (1990) calls Machiavelli "an early situation alist...
giving different advice to the prince about how to deal with acquired political states, depending on whether the states were culturally or politically similar or different from his own" (p. 135). In addition, Machiavelli discusses the leader-follower relationship at length. Of chief concern is maintaining favor with followers as Machiavelli states, "a Prince best secures himself when he escapes being hated or despised, and keeps on good terms with his people" (Machiavelli, 1513, p. 48). His basic message is that leaders must surround themselves with loyal followers and be cautious of those who are in opposition.
According to Bass (1990), Machiavelli's advice is that "strong, ruthless, and cynical leadership is required of the prince because people are completely and inherently self-interested and self-serving" (p. 134). In public schools, principals surround themselves with teachers and other administrators with whom they share similar views. This is necessary for the overall success of the organization. The second lesson for leaders, and a much less popular viewpoint, is that to maintain leadership there comes a time when those who are in opposition must be eliminated. In Machiavelli's time, that meant physical destruction. Taking a less harmful view of this idea, it suggests that when a person's negativity or incompetence inhibits the leader's ability to create change, that person must be dealt with.
In education, principals work to coach ineffective teachers to leave the profession because these teachers hinder the overall progress of the school. Despite the negative connotations associated with Machiavellianism, his views on leadership were not very different from many held today. The Mach scale was developed to measure how closely people associate themselves with "Machiavelli's dictum's about how the leader should act toward others" (Bass, 1990, p. 135) in order to be most successful. Positive attributes such as the ability to resist social influences, focus on the task, and take initiative are associated with people who score high on the Mach scale (p. 135). Bass holds that while most people will not admit it, they closely associate leadership with power and "the use of Machiavellian tactics is probably...
widespread" (p. 139). In conclusion, The Prince has important messages for those studying leadership today. Machiavelli's work continues to be studied to today as an early model of successful leadership and while the violent tactics employed in the 1500 s are not relevant in American society, many are still being practiced in other countries. As a "guide to effective leadership, " (Bass, 1990, p. 4) Machiavelli is "still widely quoted" (p. 4). References Bass, B. M. (1990).
Handbook of leadership (3 rd ed. ). New York: The Free Press. Machiavelli, N. (1513 / 1992). The Prince. Toronto: Dover Publications, Inc.
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