Last year, we celebrated (well, some of us did), the 500th anniversary of “The Prince,” Niccolò Machiavelli’s work of enduring genius. Contrary to his bad rap, Machiavelli is not a Dr. Evil, and “The Prince” is not a version of “Evil for Dummies.” Its lessons for GCs and for the executives they counsel are timeless.
No. 1: Heed selected advice from selected advisers. While the prince is the boss, he still needs advisers. But he drives the agenda, not them. So, Machiavelli writes that the prince decides from whom and about what he wants counsel, plus when he wants the advisers to offer it.
