The Prince

Year of publication: 2016

Author: Niccolo Machiavelli
61 pages
Link for purchase: https://amzn.to/2JJ8XuB

Originally published in 1532, the book "The Prince" is

divided into 26 chapters that bring the analyzes of
Niccolo Machiavelli about what the state was like at that
time and how a prince should behave to achieve success
and stay in the power.
Being an essentially political work, "The Prince" continues
to the present day in the bookstores, being translated
into new languages and analyzed, because its teachings,
for the most part, are still valid.

Main ideias of the book

The book has 26 chapters that we can divide into 3
parts that group the main subjects treated by

8
Score Machiavelli and bring insights on leadership and
strategy, which are:
8 Aplicability
9 Inspiration
● A study on the dominion of new territories
7 Innovation
and the maintenance of power;
8 Impact on results
● Analysis of the importance of weapons and
8 Structure
the army;
● Definition of the characteristics and virtues of
a prince /leader.

So let's get down to business?

For whom is this book suitable?

The teachings of Machiavelli are indicated for those who want to understand a little more
about strategy and practices of leadership and, from these studies, apply the concepts
nowadays.

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 Overview of the book
About Territories and Power

The first points to be addressed by the book reflect the

importance of the domination of territories and the
perpetuation of power in those regions.
Many conquerors have already faced challenges and
dominated cities with ease, but they have been If an injury has to be
unsuccessful in maintaining control over these
done to a man it
territories, either through lack of control of the
population, lack of leaders to control the region or lack should be so severe
of adequate military power. that his vengeance
It is necessary that the leader understands that each
need not be feared
principality (at the time of the writing of the book, Italy
was composed by principalities, that is, each city was
sovereign and had its own government, as well as its
own prince) has distinct characteristics and, each one
deserves to be dominated in a different way,
considering the laws already existing in the place,
adding the new laws and adapting according to the
characteristics of the population.
It should also be understood that each place has a distinct mode of governing, which also
needs to be taken into account. Thus, it will be easy not only to dominate new principalities,
but to control them properly and protractedly.
Machiavelli also says that the prince must pursue his goals at any cost, no matter what is
done. It is necessary that the main objective be the common good, but to achieve it, the
prince must use all the devices at his disposal.
The author even cites violent acts as a way to achieve your goals. But as long as the goal is
achieved, all possible methods for this must be considered. And thus came the thought that
gave rise to the famous phrase: "ends justify the means".
NOTE: It is worth mentioning that this phrase was not said by Machiavelli, but it sums up the
thought expressed in this chapter.

About Arms and Armies

Machiavelli states that a consolidated state needs good laws and good arms. The laws allow
an organization and provide a code which the people must follow, since the arms are
essential for the defense of the territory and to maintain the sovereignty.
In his studies, the author shows us the different types of weapons and the pros and cons of
each one, since each weapon should be used in a different situation, bringing different results
from that.
But the most important thing is to have a well-structured army, because it is your troops who
are responsible for defending the city or attacking new territories.
So it is up to the prince, the officer in charge of the army, to strengthen his troops, because
the kingdom can not depend on mercenary troops or auxiliary troops (allied kingdoms), since
they have distinct interests and are not fully committed to the cause.
A principality must depend on its own troops, otherwise "it is subject to luck, without heroism
to defend it in adversity," as the author says.
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 About being feared or beloved

In the Part III, Machiavelli shows which features a prince should have to stay in power and,
as we shall see, brings his famous question: "Is it better to be feared or loved?"
The first and main point is the responsibility of the prince as chief strategist and leader of
the army.
The author explains that a prince should the war as his aim, know his rules and develop his
discipline, because it is up to the ruler to be the guide in these situations, to keep the troops
organized and exercised, to know all of its territory and to know how to defend it , seeking
to achieve victory.
A leader should study illustrious people in order to be inspired and develop, he must always
be prepared to solve problems and be the example to be followed by his subjects.
At that point, Machiavelli deals with the values of a prince, concluding that the ideal would
be to possess all values. However, this is impossible, so one must develop the values that will
allow the leader to remain in power.
By developing these values, the prince must rely only on his virtues and attributes, making
his own knowledge-based decisions, as the only truly trusted ally is yourself.
A good ruler must strive for balance. It is up to him to balance his level of freedom and
rigidity, generosity and avarice, cruelty and mercy, knowing that all his attitudes will reflect
on the government and the thinking of the population on his leadership.
Thus, the author defines that by making these combinations, the most important thing is to
avoid the hatred of the people, as it is hatred that promotes revolts and overthrows rulers.
Parallel to this, arises the great and famous doubt about being feared or loved. Machiavelli
defines that the ideal would be to be both, but they are opposing characteristics that do not
complement each other.
So there is a definition that it is best to be feared, because love is fickle and unstable, for
example, the people will love you until they stop doing what interests them. Fear is
constant, which will bring respect and it will favor the perpetuation of power.
I now use a metaphor used by the book that brings great reflections. A prince, characterized
by animal nature, must be a mixture of foxes and lions, because the lion has the brute
strength to fight wolves, but he has no insight in escaping from the traps.
However, the fox knows the traps, but does not have the strength to fight with wolves. That
is, a prince needs to be characterized by all the best features to overcome obstacles.
Finally, princes become great when they overcome problems, face challenges and achieve
great achievements, being an example to their kingdom and winning the support of the
people, as the author explains, leaders who have lost the support of the people have lost
their power .

What other authors say about it?

In the book The Art of War, the importance of information is constantly addressed by author
Sun Tzu, as well as the relevance of having this knowledge in advance, promoting a
competitive advantage for his army. So, get insider information. However, to get this
information, the use of spies is essential. Through them you can understand the tactics of
the enemy and outline new strategies to overcome them.
Miyamoto Musashi, author of the Book of Five Rings clarifies the importance of using the
tools. A samurai must know the instruments at his disposal and know how to use them,
knowing the advantages and disadvantages of each one.
Finally, the book The Blue Ocean Strategy brings a new concept in strategy to obtain
prominence in the market. This innovation is based on exploring market opportunities in
which there are no competitors yet, named by the author of "blue oceans." In this way, there
is a separation of opponents and a differentiated form of growth.
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 Okay, but how can I apply this in my life?

After the main teachings, we can establish a relation of the studies of Machiavelli with our
reality of today. Of course, in the course of the book some ideas are not applicable, as
society has changed a lot and some things do not fit anymore, but I will list some topics on
how to translate these reflections into the world in which we live.
For this, let's take as an example that you have a company and, from these studies, you
need to implement some lessons in the day to day. Let’s go?

● Always analyze your land and your audience: if your company is entering a new
market or a new region, you must know the new reality. Just like in the principalities, each
market will have a specific characteristic and you, as a leader, need to know how to adapt to
this reality, not only conquering this new market, but knowing how to adapt, to then
maintain your domain;
● Focus on your goal: your actions should be planned considering your ultimate goal,
so that each of them will contribute to that goal. In this case, we can not entirely apply
Machiavelli's thoughts , as not everything is valid to achieve your goals, as it was 500 years
ago. It is up to us to filter their thoughts, adapt them and understand how to put them into
practice.
● Know your weapons and prepare your army: know your main products and how to
use them in the market. They are your weapons. Prepare your team, your employees, as
they will be your army. And an army must be prepared for the challenges and aligned with
the commander.
● Analyze your profile as a leader: map out your knowledge, skills, attitudes and values,
know which features to keep and which ones to improve, understand how your company's
audiences react to your command, and know that each person is different and demands
different actions. Balance characteristics and become a better leader.

● Work your relationship with employees: Establish a position with your team. Know
how to balance your characteristics, for example, being flexible, but knowing the time to be
firm. Being a leader is about balance.
● Focus on strategy: As a leader in your company, you are the prince and you must
guide your army towards strategies, knowing the best way forward to achieve the goals.
You have to inspire and be an example, so that your army is engaged with the challenges.

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