Leadership Secrets of Attila the Hun

Rating:
Summary: Best book of leadership ever!
Review: I think that this book will eventually have Cliffs Notes. Wess Roberts' works are a business management Bible for the 20th Century and will be the "new revelation" for the 21st. I consider him to be one of the greatest minds in leadership. I've used his works in all of my business ventures. Now, if I can only get him to write another Attila book.

Rating:
Summary: A great leader who's lifestyle exceeded his era !
Review: I thought this book used history in a entertaining form to keep my interest not only on how Atilla thought, but the lifestyles to live or succeed in 454 AD. Great book for history buffs who may seek a management refresher course.

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Summary: What's next, "Persuasion Secrets of Joseph Goebbels"?
Review: I thought this was a joke when I heard about it. First the managerial class studied the "Art of War". Now they want a few more pointers from Attila the Hun? God help us!

Rating:
Summary: Informative, sometimes funny, book
Review: I'm surprised at the negative reviews for this book. A lot of this book is written tongue-in-cheek (I doubt any manager wants to be known as the "scourge of God"): a sense of irony doesn't hurt when reading it. Anyway, I thought a lot of the maxims (this book is basically a book of maxims) were quite helpful: when to reward your employees, when not to; how greatness can be achieved through extreme of personality. I guess a lot of readers don't like the take-charge attitude of the author but in my mind it can spur on action. But I am not a manager and may be speaking from ignorance. In any case, I enjoyed this book as a vacation from the many predictable books you read on leadership. I also recommend Lincoln On Leadership by Donald Phillips.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent! Throw all of your other leadership books away!
Review: It has been a while since I have read this cover to cover, but I find myself, as a USAF officer, constantly referring to the contents of this book for guidance. The simplistic and humorous approach taken by Dr Roberts makes this a fun read and breaks down leadership into simple common sense which most people already know but don't use. Throw away all of those other complicated and over rated books that try to tell you how to get more out of people and just lead them using the information given in this book. Remember LEAD PEOPLE and manage things. It is a great gift for anyone in a leadership position. Enjoy.

Rating:
Summary: Roberts does it again!
Review: It is still very difficult to define "leadership" within the parameters set by a variety of would-be arbiters. Leadership, put simply, is directing people to where you want them to go, no matter where they are led. Good leaders do not have to be moralists, or lead people to a higher consciousness on the path to the desired destination. What is being studied are the methods employed, the personality involved and the force of character that urges a mass of persons to follow a character or the vision of a single individual. Atilla was no angel and was certainly not beloved, but by virtue of the effects of his efforts to amass support for his cause, has placed him among history's greatest leaders.

Rating:
Summary: 3 Stars for Attila
Review: Leadership Secrets of Attila the Hun is a great book. It contains a good combination of ancient history and modern management. Wess Roberts uses a fresh and entertaining approach. It was unlike any business related book I have read. It was like reading a story book. It was really interesting and very enlightening. The concepts were presented in a clear and easy to understand manner. The ideas were somewhat basic but they prove to be essential.

Rating:
Summary: Great leadership primer
Review: Sure, if you're looking for an in-depth treatise on Attila or Leadership you are bound to be disappointed. I have read this book numerous times and have assigned it to my subordinate managers as required reading. In every case those people have been pleasantly surprised with how easy it is to read, understand and apply to improve their leadership and management practices. It gets individuals interested in picking up other, more detailed works on leadership and management that they might not have been drawn to in the first place.

Rating:
Summary: Great leadership primer
Review: Sure, if you're looking for an in-depth treatise on Attila or Leadership you are bound to be disappointed. I have read this book numerous times and have assigned it to my subordinate managers as required reading. In every case those people have been pleasantly surprised with how easy it is to read, understand and apply to improve their leadership and management practices. It gets individuals interested in picking up other, more detailed works on leadership and management that they might not have been drawn to in the first place.

Rating:
Summary: Could be better.
Review: The initial steps taken by the author to validate his reasons for profiling Attilla are informative and historically accurate, however, there seems to be an underlying desire to parallel Sun Tzu's "Art of War". The conclusions offered by the author are somewhat vague while the "pearls of wisdom are brief. Overall, Sun Tzu did a much better job centuries before.