Machiavelli on Business:Strategies, Advice, and Words of Wisdom on Business and Power

Niccolo Machiavelli lived from 1469 to 1527 in Florence, Italy, during the Renaissance, but his classic books are extremely relevant to the workplace of today .

As a politician and diplomat, he witnessed first-hand how ruthlessly leaders often behaved in order to gain and maintain their power.  His books advocated principles such as:

• “The ends justify the means.”
• “No enterprise is more likely to succeed than one concealed from the enemy until it is ripe for execution.”
• “It is much safer to be feared than to be loved if you cannot be both.”

His approach has come to be known as “Machiavellian,” and today it influences everything from office politics to labor negotiations to corporate mergers and acquisitions.

Our summary of Machiavelli on Business: Strategies, Advice, and Words of Wisdom on Business and Power, edited and introduced by Stephen Brennan, distills the key insights from several of Machiavelli’s books, including The Prince, The Art of War, and The Discourses, into a powerful primer on how to survive and succeed in your career, your organization, and your industry.