Alexander the Great's Art of Strategy : The Timeless Lessons of Historys Greatest Empire Builder

An entertaining and enlightening book about Alexander the Great, whose leadership and strategic genius made him one of history's greatest empire builders, and who has since influenced and inspired a great number of people from different fields - business, politics, military. Alexander the Great (356-323BC) is arguably the greatest military strategist, tactician and ruler in world history. He reigned over Greece, conquered the Persians, and marched as far as India. His achievements have influenced and inspired a great number of past and current military, political and business leaders. In business, many of the ideas and concepts associated with decision-making and strategy used today by managers and executives have their origins in Alexander the Great. In this book, Partha Bose provides an engaging examination of Alexander the master strategist and tactician. He looks at the ideas and actions of Alexander - how they were formed and applied - telling a story of a man whose influence was to extend for centuries later. On top of his strategic and tactical acumen, Alexander's sensitivity towards people and cultures, and his ability to motivate others, has made him one of the greatest figures in history whose influence has shaped business and other key contemporary fields.

"Bose skips deftly from the defeated Alexander trusting a shepherd to lead him through the snow to Persepolis, to Lou Gerstner's approach to trust when he arrived at IBM."
-The Economist

"Bose has written a long-needed book about a role model worth modeling and learning from, Alexander the Great. Not satisfied with just a well-written biography, Bose has illuminated the ways Alexanders ways are the ways for twenty-first century leadership."
-Warren G. Bennis, Distinguished Professor of Business at USC: the Thomas S. Murphy Distinguished Research Fellow at the Harvard Business School; and coauthor (with Robert J. Thomas) of Geeks and Geezers

"A fascinating analysis and application of the life and times of Alexander the Great. This is a synthesizing tome that informs and enlightens us about the way we can approach our world today."
-Guy Kawasaki, CEO, Garage Technology Ventures and author of Rules for Revolutionaries

"This is a book about ancient Greece in the sense in which Machiavelli's Prince is a book about Renaissance Florence. Partha Bose uses the career of Alexander the Great as a point of departure for comparing episodes from the distant past with episodes from recent business history to elicit timeless principles of strategy and tactics. It is one of those rare books that teaches lessons but is still fun to read."
-Ernest R. May, Charles Warren Professor of History, Harvard University, and author (with Richard Neustadt) of Thinking in Time: The Uses of History for Decision Makers

"A wonderful book. Required reading for any student of strategy and organizational structures."
-Alfred D. Chandler, Jr., Isidor Strauss Professor of Business History Emeritus, Harvard Business School, and author of Inventing the Electric Century

"A panoramic view of 2,500 years of political, military, and business history that challenges us to reflect on the ways that past strategic actions have shaped the way we solve problems and address issues today. Riveting...Indispensable."
-Pamela Thomas-Graham, President and CEO, CNBC

"Bose does a terrific job of capturing the critical value of strategic planning in politics, war, and business. Unlike many books on strategy and tactics, it is also a compelling read."
-Admiral Bobby R. Inman, U.S. Navy, (Ret.), LBJ School of Public Affairs, and Centennial Chair in National Policy, University of Texas at Austin

"I thoroughly recommend this book. It is an excellent read, a revealing and insightful history of Alexander and the influences of Aristotle's teaching, an excellent business book, showing the importance of training, openness, trust and the discipline of looking beyond the actions we initiate, whilst providing a vital warning of the dangers of hubris and the avoidance of conflict..."
-Sir John Harvey-Jones, MBE, former Chairman of ICI and author of Making It Happen, Reflections on Leadership

"Colorful and elegant, drawing on ancient history and current corporate events... a book of both historical and practical value..."
-Fred Hilmer, CEO, John Fairfax Holdings Limited, Australia