Rating: 
Summary: This book is a joke
Review: This book is just another in a long line trying to capture on the success of 'Management Techniques of Attila the Hun' which came out some years ago. But you know that the bottom of the history barrel is being scraped when you toss up Elizabeth as a teacher for today's modern CEO. Elizabeth is if anything the ANTI role model for today's CEO !! Here's why; She was notoriously indecisive all of her life utterly incapable of making a decision in anything, driving her advisors to utter frustration and fury. She was incapable of following the advice of anyone no matter their expertise for more than a few days at a time. She constantly played one advisor against another, thus increasing the infighting and inefficiency in her government, and was stingy to the extreme in any rewards to those who served her. Her word and promises were viewed as utterly worthless by foreign ambassadors and rulers. Does this sound like the personality of a Gates, Welch, McNeely, etc??Why then did England prosper under her?? Well, as Bismark once said about this country; 'God protects fools, drunkards and the United States'. In other words she was just plain lucky. She was lucky that her enemies, France and Spain, were weak from civil war and war with each other. She was lucky, as so many other English rulers have been, that England is an island thus making it difficult to invade. In fact the very navy that protected her against the Spanish Armada had very little to thank her for for its inception, growth and maintenance. Napoleon said, 'I dont want smart generals, just lucky ones'. That's what Elizabeth was but that certainly is not what constitutes initial and continuing success in today's business world. SKIP THIS BOOK !!!
Rating: 
Summary: Read a different book
Review: This book is not worth the time. It is repetitive and the speaker is not the best. Too many names were brought in. The author needs to work on getting ideas out clearly.
Rating: 
Summary: Elizabeth 1 from an Interesting Perspective
Review: This book will appeal to readers who want to get some leadership tips and be entertained by the fascinating history of Elizabeth 1. I gave it a 5 star rating because I enjoyed reading the book and came away with useful information. It is not a chronological account of Elizabeth 1. It reads more like one of the typical CEO self-help books out there using illustrations from the life and reign of Elizabeth 1 to make the point. For those interested in the history of Queen Elizabeth 1 this book provides a very interesting perspective because it analyzes Elizabeth 1 as a leader from a modern-day corporate leadership point of view. This is something you'll probably not find in any history book. For those interested in a book to help them be a better leader, this book is a refreshing change from the numerous CEO guide books out there. There's no doubt Queen Elizabeth I was one of the greatest leaders England ever had. What is even more amazing is that she achieved this greatness during a time when women were considered far less capable than men. The book shows how Elizabeth worked around her weaknesses and used her weaknesses to her advantage. In the 500 years or so since her reign is interesting to note that human nature has not really changed. I would not recommend this as the sole CEO self-help book you read, but together with others, it provides a memorable and interesting addition to helping you be better leader.
Rating:
Summary: "This blessed plot, this earth, this realm, this England..."
Review: This is one of the very best books which examine "lessons" to be learned from various historical figures. Elizabeth is among the greatest leaders and managers who ever lived. Axelrod concentrates on her as the chief executive officer, first of a country and then of an emerging empire during one of European history's most turbulent periods. Consider what occurred during Elizabeth I's reign: • Establishment of the Church of England (in 1559) • Re-establishment of the authority of the British crown at a time when other monarchies were deteriorating • Re-establishment of English coinage after the nation's near (and total) bankruptcy • Support of exploratory voyages (by Drake and Raleigh) in the New World to lay what eventually became the foundation of the British Empire • Support of the cultural arts during what is now regarded as England's "Golden Age" (ie the Elizabethan Age) of literature, theater, and music • Survival of all manner of foreign threats (eg invasion by the Spanish armada in 1588) as well as domestic conspiracies (eg numerous assassination attempts) Axelrod organizes his material within ten chapters and focuses on 136 separate but interrelated "strategic lessons" to be learned from Elizabeth I's leadership and management as monarch from 1558 until her death in 1603. One value-added benefit of Axelrod's presentation is the inclusion of direct quotations which are skillfully correlated with key points. For example, she frequently affirms her total faith and trust in those whom she governs: "Let tyrants fear, I have always so behaved myself that under God I have placed my chiefest strength and safeguard in the loyal hearts and good will of my subjects." Axelrod notes her accessibility to the so-called commoners, her eagerness to circulate among them, and her delight in interacting with them. Those who share my high regard for this book are urged to check out O'L. Higgins & Gilberd's Leadership Secrets of Elizabeth I. In this volume, the authors include comments by more than 100 modern executives whom they interviewed "to find out if Elizabeth's lessons were valid today and if the queen had served them as a role model." Yes and yes. I also recommend Starkey's brilliant biography which, in combination with the other two, brings this magnificent monarch to life; better yet, they suggest the relevance of that life to our own.
Rating: 
Summary: A perfect CEO?
Review: This work explains in great detail the positive aspects of the Virgin Queen, but ... it does not offer a complete picture of a true human being; mistakes made and corrected. The author tries to indicate a rigid and mechanical pattern in the decisions that Elizabeth takes, but the writer ends up contradicting his own predictions in some instances. A decent biography, but a poor correlation with business ideals.
Rating:
Summary: First draw your conclusions - then plot the data.
Review: Those who do not learn their history are doomed to repeat it, but those who learn it badly are doomed to write books about it. Elizabeth I is an amazing figure on the historical stage. She took a confused country and made a great nation out of it. Her guidance and tolerance in religious matters made her one of the greatest monarchs of all times. She was a woman on the throne at a time when most women could not hope to have their opinions taken seriously. In times of crisis she rallied her armies to defend the nation she ruled and despite much religious strife she earned the loyalty of both her protestant and catholic subjects. Alan Axelrod makes an attempt to carry forward her leadership secrets into wisdom we can all use today. Sadly, he seems to have written the book first and then filled in the blanks about the history. Each chapter Axelrod gives a quick overview of the topic to be covered and then gives the "leadership secret" followed by an anecdote to illustrate the point.
A fictitious example would be :
" 108 Eat Your Veggies"
"As Queen of England, Elizabeth often received letters from Mary Queen of Scots, saying how much she hated broccoli. In the end Elizabeth had Mary's head chopped off and the letters stopped." Sounds good? Well in practice it falls flat. First problem was that there seems to not be enough secrets to go around so they repeat. Topics like 'loyalty', 'gratitude', 'remember others', and 'be thankful' are all very much the same as Axelrod presents them and don't bear the amount of repetition that he gives them. Each time there is another anecdote but their aim is all the same. Another sticking point I, of course, the fact that some of the history is inconvenient and so has to be worked around. There is a point about avoiding playing favorites illustrated with Elizabeth having to execute her erstwhile favorite the earl of essex and how she learned the error of her ways and never did it again. In fact the reign of Elizabeth I is littered with her playing favorites most notably Robert Dudley. The blatant favor she showed him was a major factor in destabilizing her privy council on more than one occasion. The lesson on taking responsibility likewise falls flat. One example not given is how Elizabeth signed the death warrant for her cousin Mary Queen of Scots and the repudiated it as soon as she was executed. She threw some of her loyal servants in the tower for following her orders and wrote to all the European Monarchs to deny her responsibility. I wonder how that one never made it into the book. Many other facts of her reign are likewise skipped when they prove to be contrary to the author's intention. Her life and times were filled with many issues and problems unlike modern day. While there are many insights that can be gleaned from her life, they are not well presented in this book. There are a lot of great books on leadership in the market and lot of great books on history. This one is neither.
Rating: 
Summary: Insightful!
Review: You may have regarded Queen Elizabeth I of England in many ways - as a ruler, as a dramatic historical figure, as the prototype of a powerful woman, but have you ever thought of her as a corporate manager? Alan Axelrod has. He explains how the Virgin Queen exemplified principles of good business leadership during her reign from 1558 to 1603. He shows how these ideals helped her survive to become queen and how she used them to transform England from a tumultuous country to a powerful empire. Lessons from her rule can show any CEO a few things about leadership in perilous times. The book's combination of management principles with the drama of Elizabethan history makes for compelling reading. One critical note - the book skips around historically, which muddies the sequence of events. Otherwise, we at getAbstract recommend this excellent mix of enjoyable historical reading with powerful reminders about the fundamental principles of effective leadership.
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