Steve Forbes never intended to write one of the more intriguing business books of 2009. In fact, he was more interested in something to read. While browsing in a Naples, Fla., bookstore, he came across a tome on Carthaginian general Hannibal, famous for crossing the Alps to invade the Roman Empire, written by John Prevas. Forbes’ favorable review of the book in his magazine led Prevas to ask for the publishing magnate’s contribution to an upcoming book on historical figures and leadership. The resulting contribution turned into an outright collaboration in the form of “Power, Ambition, Glory: The Stunning Parallels Between Great Leaders of the Ancient World and Today … and the Lessons You Can Learn.” Smart Business interviewed Forbes to get his perspective on the lessons history can provide to today’s leaders.
What parallels do you see between the destructive power of the ego of Alexander the Great and the financial crisis of 2008?
It’s human nature. You become a successful leader and you begin to think you know what you’re doing. You think you’ve got it and clearly others don’t. My father (late publisher Malcolm Forbes Sr.) liked to say that if you think you’ve arrived, you’re ready to be shown the door. What happens with these leaders is that they lose the sense of proportion. Their radar goes rusty, and they begin to think they can do whatever they want to do. They don’t think of themselves as living gods, as Alexander or Caesar did, but they certainly come close to it in ambition.
Is there a way that today’s leaders can discover their own blind spots before something hits them?
Recognize that one person can’t do it all. You have to have a team. You have to be willing, painful though it may be, to get feedback. One of the things Augustus Caesar did, after seeing what happened to his uncle, Julius Caesar, was to make it a point to consult people. He knew, human nature being what it is, he could go down that power path. It’s like an addiction, a drug addiction, the intoxication of having supreme power. With leaders, recognize what your shortcomings are and put together a team where you can get feedback. The nice thing about business is if you’re not doing something right in the marketplace, it will let you know pretty quickly.
It appears the book’s underlying theme is the ultimate importance of character. How does it play such an important role in history and leadership?
Character is that seemingly intangible quality that enables people to trust you. A good example of it was Xenophon (a Greek aristocrat turned warrior). He was a young guy going along for adventure during one of these secession wars in Persia. These (Greek) mercenaries had backed the wrong horse and suddenly found themselves surrounded. There were 10,000 of them cut off from the world right inside Persia, ready to be annihilated.
Xenophon rose up and said that they didn’t have to accept a passive fate of death. He knew they could get themselves out of the situation. Subsequently, he also knew when to be out in front in terms of leadership and when to pull back. He earned their trust by how he comported himself and how he made decisions. … So, when crises rose up that could have cost him his life, he avoided the death penalty more than once because he had earned their trust.
We see it in modern times with A.P. Giannini who created a great company like Bank of America. He was a man of character. He never took more than $50,000 per year in pay. Even adjusted for inflation, it’s small potatoes compared to [the salaries] you saw on Wall Street during the lead up to the financial crisis. Character is trust. It’s the hardest thing to win and the easiest thing to lose.
