The Wisdom of Alexander The Great: Enduring Leadership Lessons From The Man Who Created An Empire

Rating:
Summary: A must for the business bookshelf
Review: "Read history...that is where civilization stores its best heroes," says author, Dr. Kurke, who clearly demonstrates there is much to learn from both the mistakes and the triumphs of this magnanimous leader. Dr. Kurke succinctly outlines how Alexander the Great's approaches toward problems and people can be used in daily practice in the business world. An eye-opening book that captures key leadership processes. I highly recommend it as a resource to be referred to again and again.

Rating:
Summary: And Alexander said, "I share your fate."
Review: I had the pleasure taking Dr. Kurke's Leadership class while working on my MBA, and of seeing him give two uplifting presentations on Alexander the Great. I am so glad that he published his book, giving all of us more access to his insight into this majestic leader. Thank you Dr. Kurke! I highly recommend this book.

Rating:
Summary: Lots of things I never considered.
Review: I've read a lot about how Alexander's Tactics led to victories in some of the most famous battles in history. But until this book I had never thought of the organizational problems he had to face.

The military history books say, Alexander had 40,000 troops. But, how did he feed them, what did he do with wounded. This book is written from the standpoint of relating Alexander's actions to the modern business world, comparing the situations to Apple Computer, General Motors, Ben & Jerry's and other organizations. I'm not so sure however, that it shouldn't be on your military history bookshelf.

Rating:
Summary: Recommended for both history and business students
Review: In The Wisdom Of Alexander The Great , author Lance Kurke's principle focus is on the leadership and leadership lessons of Alexander of Macedonia, providing both historical background and insights into how Alexander made a habit of re-posing problems for maximum solutions. The approach is recommended for both history and business students at the college level and provides some excellent new insights based on history and one especially notable leader's strategies that are as effective today as they were more than two millennia ago.


Rating:
Summary: Unprecedented and Unsurpassed Greatness
Review: No one doubts the extraordinary achievements of Alexander, especially given his relatively brief life (356-323 B.C.), achievements which included the successful invasions of Asia Minor, Egypt, Mesopotamia, the Middle East, the Persian Empire, Afghanistan, Sogdiana, and Bactria. His greatest battles include Granicus, Issus, Gaugamela, and Hydapses. What we know about him is based almost entirely on the works which survive written by Arrian, Rufus Curtius, Siculus Diodorus, and Plutarch. For most readers today, these are but names of countries, locations, and authors which probably have little inherent appeal. Interest in Alexander, however, does and should remain keen.

In this volume, Kurke carefully traces his life and career inorder to answer questions such as these:

1. How was Alexander able to accomplish so much from his succession (at age 20) to the throne of Macedonia (following his father Philip's assassination) until his own death only thirteen years later?

2. What "enduring leadership lessons" can be learned from Alexander's achievements, lessons which are relevant to our contemporary world?

Kurke focuses on 34 episodes which he organizes within the first four chapters, then shares his own "Concluding Thoughts About Leadership" in Chapter 5 followed by "Concluding Thoughts About Alexander" in Chapter 6. I presume to suggest that readers begin with "A Brief Chronology of Alexander's Life" which is located in the Appendix. Presumably they (as did I) will frequently refer back to it while proceeding through the core narrative which consists of a four-stage Leadership Process: Reframing Problems, Building Alliances, Establishing Identity, and Directing Symbols. Kurke also includes his own insights at the conclusion of each of the four chapters (i.e. one per process stage).

Frankly, it is difficult for me to grasp the nature and extent of Alexander's achievements. For example, under his leadership, his armies eventually conquered approximately 90% of the (then) known world...and he is reputed to have known the names of most (if not all) of his 10,000 soldiers. Another example: A student of Aristotle, Alexander was later trained as a doctor and personally attended to the wounds of his soldiers and refused medical treatment of his own (countless) wounds until after his men had been properly cared for. Still another example: Faced with the separate but related problems of (a) providing for his wounded and aged veteran warriors while (b) maintaining control of areas that had been conquered, he established approximately 70 cities and towns of strategic value, occupied by Macedonian veterans and local volunteers who, together, managed those cities and towns effectively.

With regard to the aforementioned "enduring leadership lessons" which Kurke proposes and discusses, it would be a disservice to him as well as to those who read this brief commentary to provide a list now. They are best examined within the context which Kurke carefully creates for each. Also, it makes more sense to correlate them within the four-stage sequence of the Leadership Process. Obviously I think very highly of this book which, in my opinion, makes a substantial contribution to our understanding of what can be described (for lack of a better term) as classical leadership and management principles. They will, of course, have varying degrees of relevance to those who read this book now but all are worthy of careful consideration.

Well-done, Lance Kurke!

Rating:
Summary: Worth a Place in Your Business Strategy Bookshelf
Review: The book drives home just a few basic concepts and delivers them well by giving examples. One is almost tempted to take the virtues and skills of Alexander and merge them into the qualities of a "level five leader" to create a mold for a modern leader with a bit more character than we normally see in these types of books.

This book is definitely worth buying if you've already purchased several books on business strategy or leadership. The book makes good contributions to both subjects.

Rating:
Summary: The business crowd must be running out of heroes
Review: This is terrible! This book lacks even the most rudimentary Alexander scholarship and accepts many of the stories of the Alexander Romance without question. The lessons extracted may be fine but many do not truly come from Alexander the Great. I guess the basic assumption here is that nobody knowing anything about Alexander in depth will even read this volume. This is another in a recent rash of noncritical Alexander worshipping books. Please read some of the great books and literature on Alexander the Great to get a balanced picture.