My youngest daughter is currently a college student, studying literature. This focus gives her a different eye on many of the HR topics I usually address in my blogs and that eye is what brings me to the topic of this blog. We were discussing her studies and she brought up a man named Niccolò Machiavelli. He is best known for his book, The Prince. The purpose of the book was to outline the goals of the Medicis, those ruling in Florence Italy, where he was living in the fifteen and sixteenth century, and how he believed they could attain those goals. His name is frequently associated with a very rigid sense of rules and some, when it was first introduced, thought his views were tyrannical – while this could be true at that time, with some creative interpretation, he had some important ideas that could apply to the modern day business world of Human Resources.

While the topic is a bit outside of my norm, today I’m going to, with the help of my daughter’s insight, address some of the things Machiavelli speaks about in his book and how they can apply to the business world of
Human Resources.

Give attention to all human components of a company.
Machiavelli was very adamant about a ruler being aware of the morale of his subjects’ at any given time – from the lowest peon to all the lords and ladies. This concept applies to a business hierarchy as well. This allows changes to be made before any negative action can take place – a good business leader is aware of any potential grievances before they become problematic and, then, can make provisions ahead of time.

Appeal to subconscious desires.
Sometimes it is more effective to, instead of making an effort to reach potential customers with reasoning, to use passion. Machiavelli thought a person in a position of power could use common denominators to gain trust. In the business world this is most commonly done through the use of clever marketing techniques – if a customer thinks that your company is something that is fundamentally good, they will be much more likely to become committed to your cause.

Stay involved.
Machiavelli strongly believed that the idea of fortresses was a mistake, because if a ruler locks himself inside of one, he can become out of touch with what is really going on outside of the walls he hides in. This applies to the business world because a good business leader should avoid making “fortresses” by staying available to employees and interacting with those in the office environment. That way he or she can always be prepared for anything that is thrown his or her way.

There were many other things that Machiavelli stated in The Prince that could be applied to the current business world with modern interpretation. Not everything he said applies to the current century but the ideas are the same – a successful leader cannot dissociate from those that are being lead by being available, able to associate and confident in their abilities. I suggest giving it a read and drawing your own conclusions, if not for business, for historic perspective – you never know what you can learn from the future by looking to the past. To stay at the edge of issues on HR and staffing, be sure to subscribe to the Human Capital Supply Chain Blog.