The Leadership Genius of Julius Caesar

Modern Lessons from the Man Who Built an Empire

By: Phillip Barlag

Narrated by: Joseph Bronzi

History is littered with examples of tyrants, hopelessly out of touch with the plight of the commoners, ruthlessly pursuing their own ambitions or hedonistic whims. But Caesar was a different kind of leader. Despite some bad press, in fact he never saw himself as above the average Roman citizen. Although he certainly knew he was an extraordinary human being, he also regarded himself as fundamentally one of the people, and acted like it. In his life and in his career, he created a new paradigm of leadership, and along the way, created the path to success for any leader in a complex organization.

In a book that Doris Kearns Goodwin has called "brilliantly crafted to draw leadership lessons from history", Philip Barlag uses dramatic and colorful incidents from Caesar's career to illustrate what modern leaders can learn from him. Central to Barlag's argument is the distinction between power and force. When leading his own organization, Caesar never used brute force to motivate his followers. Time and again he exercised a power rooted in his demonstrated personal integrity and his essentially egalitarian relationship with the Romans. People followed him because they wanted to, not because they were compelled to. Over 2,000 years after Caesar's death, this is still the kind of loyalty every leader wants to inspire. Barlag shows how anyone can lead like Caesar.

©2016 Phillip Barlag (P)2016 Phillip Barlag

Very concise

This book discusses historical vignettes then describes what can be extrapolated. It is enjoyable and thought-provoking.

ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS ON LEADERSHIP.

Concise and easily digestible. It is the clearest look at what makes a great leader great and how we can all learn to lead from a Great Leader that lived 2000 years ago.

Caesar is always relevant

I appreciate that the author starts by warning us that this is not a history book. Roman history is used here to illustrate the difference between "power" and "force." Caesar was indeed a skillful leader and strategist, but he is described as a reformer dedicated to the service of the Roman people, glossing over the ambitious conqueror side of him. While it's true that Caesar was more diplomatic and less vengeful than most of his contemporaries, saying "he never used force" contradicts known facts and a few dead Gauls. However, since this is not a history treatise but a manual on business leadership, the book fulfills its objective, because that's exactly how modern businessmen lead: painting greed as free bread and putting up a nice circus for the populace. Just be careful and assume there is a dagger under every toga.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED BOOK

Caesar is more relevant than ever to the American republic.

There are ominous parallells between the phases the Roman republic went through and the American republic. The end of it, which usually Caesar is caricatured to be the selfish tyrant responsible for, Philip Barlag provides here a highly accessible, important, fresh analysis of Caesar. Barlag makes no claims of being a historian or trying to make a historical analysis, yet, I think - apart from the purpose of the book of shining light on an individual who like no one else managed to earn the devotion of his people - that is the main (!) reason why I highly recommend this book.

The historically 'correct' view of Caesar is generally that he is a self-serving, ambitious, ruthless, cut-throat individual, and that the political resistance he met, and which eventually took his life, was based on a correct understanding of him threatening the future of the Roman republic, which needed saving. My personal interpretation has always been that Caesar was the master-strategist, with incredible foresight, and a sense for the systemic and deadly seeds that had started growing in the republic. He understood the need for complete reform to save the republic. He also understood that it would take him to set it right, and he was willing to do what it took. What if Caesar hadn't been brutally murdered? Would the Roman Empire have fared better into a more sustainable form, and over time, return to a less corrupted republic (in Aristotele's classical definition)?

Machiavelli is scoffed at and misunderstood (I highly recommend Great Courses "Machiavelli in Context"). Yet, in the 15th century he looked around himself as a true social scientist with open-minded observations, and compared it to the classical humanist texts (Cicero). What he saw was that history is telling us that sometimes, to save a nation, something bigger than yourself, you have to do what it takes to create stability, safety and order. This is highly relevant as we know that Marcus Aurelius, whom I think it's impossible to admire if not love, failed as an emperor and actually created the first inevitable step towards the destruction of the Roman Empire. As Rufus Fears writes in the Greater Courses called "Famous Romans" (also highly recommended) in the chapter of Marcus Aurelius:

"...Plato's dream of a philosopher king became reality. No emperor was more dedicated to the service of his country than Marcus Aurelius, none was more humane. His Meditations remains one of the noblest works of ethics ever written, an enduring manual for all who would go through life with honesty and compassion. Yet, he was a failure as an emperor. His reign revealed the cracks in the seam of the empire that would plunge Rome into a decline from which it would never fully recover.

His humanity prevented his ridding himself and the empire of his worthless son, Commodus. He lacked the ruthlessness and vision to solve the empire's problems, foreign and domestic. For all tis nobility, his Meditations breathes a very different spirit from Scipio at Zama or Casear at the Rubicon.

IN THAT DIFFERENCE OF SPIRIT LAY THE CAUSE FOR THE DECLINE AND FALL OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE."

- Rufus Fears, Great Courses, Famous Romans

I personally cringe at having to lie or deceive, but I think that means that I'm not meant to be a leader of a nation, of being responsible for millions of people. I prefer having my peace and sanity, even if I don't get my way. That, however is not enough for a leader, which is Machiavelli's point. "A prince should be thought merciful, but it is important to be clear about what is cruel and what is merciful. Cesare Borgia was cruel, but his actions brought order to the Romagna. Florence's "mercy"allowed the neighboring city of Pistoia to be destroyed in bitter and violent internal factional disturbances. Who was merciful adn who was cruel?" (Machiavelli in Context, Great Courses)

Steve Jobs might be a modern example, as well as Jeff Bezos. They are no angels, but they got it done.

The United States stands for a beautiful realization of protection of individual freedom. I hope this won't be sacrificed on the altar today in exactly the same way as different groups are abusing the tolerance and freedom to be whoever you want to be in the United States today. We're in a crisis, and I'm silently waiting for the right person to step up and reunite the American people around the ideals on which it was founded. In other words, we need a Caesar. And BTW, he was not ruthless, he embodied Wisdom, Justice, Courage and Moderation - the universal, eternal values that Cicero also promoted.

Fascinating Analysis of Caesar's Leadership Style

The Author has explained well the Leadership Qualities of Julius Caesar.

There is a lot to be learned from him, and this is certainly relevant to our contemporary challenges, even if one is not necessarily a politician or senior manager.

There are some minor historical inaccuracies but this is more than compensated by the corporate background of the author.

Hail Caesar!

This book was an amazing read on how Julius Caesar was able to lead his army and his people. The author then equates those principles to modern day business practices. I thoroughly enjoyed it. The audible performance was spectacular.

A clear vision of Rome's challenges and answers

Brilliant assessments of Caesar's role in history and what it means for today's leaders. Caesar remains a misunderstood figure in history but this book sheds light on the man and the ultimate goals that he had for Rome. The tools Caesar employed are especially applicable to today's world and business challenges. They reveal the meaning of long term thinking and the management of adversaries.

pragmatic & insightful read of a timeless leader!

What made the experience of listening to The Leadership Genius of Julius Caesar the most enjoyable?

Barlag's ability to connect the dots and interpret historical events makes you feel like you have unprecedented access into Julius Caesar's thought process as he makes monumental decisions. At every turn in Caesar's meteoric rise to power, we see his unconventional actions, wisdom and patience to inspire others, garner influence and affect significant change -- all applicable to today's aspiring business leaders.

What other book might you compare The Leadership Genius of Julius Caesar to and why?

Good to Great by Jim Collins
Mastering the Challenge of Leading Change by James Dallas

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes!

Any additional comments?

A tremendous book and very quick read which you can personally put into action to be a better leader in any organization today.

ugh

This book is for a wanna be CEO who can't make it through the art of war. I swear the description said it was a history book but it's more of a Ted talk.