Leadership Secrets of Attila the Hun

Based on the book by Wess Roberts,

Warner Books, New York., N.Y., 1987

Attila the Hun

The Romans have done great things, but
their time is past. What they have done,
we can do. We should rule the world.
Attila the Hun

Lust for Leadership: Youve Got

to want to Be in Charge
Above all other traits, one who desires to
lead must possess an intrinsic desire to
achieve substantial personal recognition
and be willing to earn it in all fairness.

Lust for Leadership: Youve Got

to want to Be in Charge
You must remember that success in your
office will depend largely upon your
sustained willingness to work hard. Sweat
rules over inspiration.

Lust for Leadership: Youve Got

to want to Be in Charge
You must not be threatened by capable
contemporaries or subordinates. Be wise
in selecting capable captains to achieve
those things a chieftain can attain only
through strong subordinates.

Lust for Leadership: Youve Got

to want to Be in Charge
You've got to be ruthlessly ambitious. Never
be bored, disinterested, or cowardly in any
way about always strengthening your
position. Good leaders are lustful leaders.
Power is like sex, but don't appear
overeager, just extremely determined to
succeed under any circumstances, fair or
unfair. [This will inspire confidence in those you lead]

Peace in the Campus: Morale

and Discipline
Huns seek discipline in their lives. They
are more willingly to follow chieftains
who are themselves disciplined.

Peace in the Campus: Morale

and Discipline
Wise chieftains realize that unduly harsh
and unnecessary lax discipline will undo the
morale of their Huns.

Peace in the Campus: Morale

and Discipline
NEVER CONDONE A LACK OF MORALE OR
DISCIPLINE -- Terminate people at the first sign
of disrespect for the common good, but by no
means stifle individualism or punish the innocent
who don't know the common good. Definitely, do
not allow uncontrolled celebration. Pillaging and
looting are only fun if done in the name of
nationalism. [Discipline will build morale]

Peace in the Campus: Morale

and Discipline
NEVER TOLERATE ANYONE WITH THEIR
OWN AMBITIONS -- People who are "cunning"
are dangerous, especially new people who have
just joined the organization. Be vigilant about how
people lose their ambition and become team
players; that is the pattern you want everyone to
follow. Never reward anyone for what is a
common effort. [The spirit of unity must prevail]

The Fury of Internal Battles:

Cunning in the Tribes
Be wise and anticipate the Brutus of
your camp. Beware of the treacherous
Hun who pledges loyalty in public then
spreads discontent in private. Make every
effort to identify and remove those
ignoble characters, be they chieftains or
your best warriors.

The Fury of Internal Battles:

Cunning in the Tribes
Be approachable; listen to both good and
bad news from your Huns.
Be principled, not inflexible.

The Tribute: Paying and

Receiving Deference
When deference is born of fear, it results
in an unwillingness to serve and becomes
manifested as passive resistance to
authority and purpose.

The Tribute: Paying and

Receiving Deference
Real deference results in unyielding
loyalty- a tribe full of spirits and willing
to follow their chieftain in to the mouth of
hell.

The Tribute: Paying and

Receiving Deference
Always pay proper courtesy to your
subordinate leaders. Should you fail to
accord them respect, so will the
subordinates.

The Tribute: Paying and

Receiving Deference
MAKE OTHERS ADAPT TO YOUR
"CUSTOMS" -- Make people do things your way,
not their way. Make them adjust or adapt to you.
Express this as the way things are going to be from
now on, or pretend it's the way things have always
been. Refuse to acknowledge any other way of
doing things other than the way you do things.
[This will extract tribute and praise from those you
lead]

Battle Dress and Armament:

Chieftains Are As They Appear
to Their Huns
When on the hunt, be prepared to hunt.
Take your best bow and lace, and wear
the clothing that will serve you well as
you chase the wild beasts in the forest.

Battle Dress and Armament:

Chieftains Are As They Appear
to Their Huns
A chieftain should dress in fine skins and
furs-not to be draped by gold and silver
adornments. Pompous appearance breeds
hate and give rise to contempt and
laughter among the ranks.

Battle Dress and Armament:

Chieftains Are As They Appear
to Their Huns
ALWAYS APPEAR AS THE ONE IN
CHARGE -- Dress appropriately for your
high station in life. Own the biggest horse
and sword. Be first in everything, but never
appear pompous. [Be marked with armament that
distinguishes you from the masses]

Leading the Charge:

Responsibilities of the Chieftain
By their own actions, not their words, do
leaders establish the morale, integrity and
sense of justice of their subordinate
commanders. They cannot say one thing
and do another.

Leading the Charge:

Responsibilities of the Chieftain
Leaders must attach value to high
standards of performance and have no
tolerance for the uncommitted.

Leading the Charge:

Responsibilities of the Chieftain
Chieftains must teach their Huns well that
which is expected of them. Otherwise,
Huns will probably do something not
expected of them.

The Omen of Aquileia: The

Essentials of Decisiveness
Wise is the chieftain who never makes a
decision when he doesnt understand the
issue.

The Omen of Aquileia: The

Essentials of Decisiveness
A chieftain should allow his subordinates
the privilege of making decisions
appropriate to their level of responsibility.
Weak is the chieftain who reserves every
decision for himself out of fear that he
might lose control.

The Omen of Aquileia: The

Essentials of Decisiveness
It takes less courage to criticize the
decisions of others that stand by your
own.

The Omen of Aquileia: The

Essentials of Decisiveness
Self-confidence is critical to decisiveness,
for without it, a chieftain loses his
following in challenging situations.

The Omen of Aquileia: The

Essentials of Decisiveness
USE TIMING IN MAKING DECISIONS -- Never
rush a decision, although sometimes you have to
because the moment is ripe or an omen exists. It's
better to use timing, to find the obscure places and
critical elements needed to ensure you always
make the right decision. This way, you ensure that
even a less-than-perfect decision is followed.
[Time your decisions]

Horse Holders: The Art of

Delegation
Chieftains should never delegate
responsibilities necessitating their direct
attention.

Horse Holders: The Art of

Delegation
Wise chieftains grant both authority and
responsibility to those to whom they have
delegated assignments.

Booty: Rewarding Your Huns

Be generous with small tokens of
appreciation-they will multiply in retuned
loyalty and service.

Booty: Rewarding Your Huns

EXPLOIT THE DESIRE TO ENJOY THE
SPOILS OF WAR -- Harness your peoples'
desires for short-term gains. Grant small
rewards for light tasks. Reserve heaps of
booty for other times, and be generous with
items that hold a value to yourself. [Never
underestimate the ability to buy obedience]

Attila and the Pope: The Art of

Negotiation
It is never wise to gain by battle what
may be gained through bloodless
negotiations.

Attila and the Pope: The Art of

Negotiation
Honor all commitments you make during
negotiations lest your enemy fail to trust
your word in the future.

Attila and the Pope: The Art of

Negotiation
Never trust negotiations to luck. Enter
every session armed with knowledge of
the enemys strengths and weaknesses;
knowing his secrets makes you strong.

Attila and the Pope: The Art of

Negotiation
ONLY ENGAGE IN WARS YOU CAN
WIN -- Use diplomacy, negotiation, or other
techniques of conflict in battles you cannot
win. When in a political war, always keep
an eye to your rear. When in an external
war, go all out. [Waging war is a natural condition]

Surviving Defeat: There is Another

Day
Sometimes you will lose, regardless of
how prepared you are to win.

Surviving Defeat: There is Another

Day
Lament, if necessary, but do not dwell too
long on your bad moments lest they rise
to rule your emotions forever.
As a Hun breathes, all is not lost.

The Bones of Caravans Past:

Lessons Learned
We must never fail to analyze the past.
No bleached bone of a battle lost Hun
must go unnoticed as we prepare for the
future by laying aside the ill-conceived
and undisciplined strategies of our past.

The book ends with a selection of

Attilaisms Consider the following

A king with chieftains who

always agree with him reaps the
counsel of mediocrity.

The greatness of a Hun is

measured by the sacrifices he is
willing to make.

Seldom are self-centered,

conceited and self-admired
chieftains great leaders, but they
are great idolizers themselves.

Great chieftains never take

themselves too seriously.

It is unfortunate when final

decisions are made by the
chieftains headquarters-miles
away from the front.

The ability to make difficult

decisions separates Chieftains
from Huns.

Wise chieftains never place their

Huns in situations where their
weaknesses will prevail over
their strengths.

Delegation is not abdication.

Abdication is a sign of
weakness. Delegation is a sign
of strength.

Huns should engage only in

wars they can win.

For Huns, conflict is a natural

state.

Critical to a Huns success is a

clear understanding of what the
King wants.

There is more nobility in being a

good Hun than in being a poor
chieftain.

If an incompetent chieftain is
removed, seldom do we appoint
his highest-raking subordinate
to his place. For when a
chieftain has failed, so likewise
have his subordinate leaders.

If you tell a Hun he is doing a

good job when he isnt, he will
not listen long and, worse, will
not believe praise when it is
justified.

Leadership Secrets of Attila the Hun

Based on the book by Wess Roberts,

Warner Books, New York., N.Y., 1987