I had doubts about this book before I bought it, but unfortunately did not follow my own intuition...
Wes Roberts is not writing about Attila or his "leadership secrets". In fact very little is known about Attila....Rather, this book is about Roberts' own leadership thoughts, tricked out to appear as some sort of lost art.
Such books are like all the other "self-help" books out there - if they really helped, you wouldn't need to buy the next shyster's work!! But they continue to sell, as this one did, like crazy...ah, well :)

There is much more to this book than the philosophy and methods of leading an army. It shows keen insights into basic human psychology. As a school teacher, I found that many of Attila the Hun's insights into the thinking of adult warriors apply very much to children and teens. (This review is based on the 1985 edition).

Let's consider some examples. Attila the Hun wrote: "Discipline is not always welcomed by Huns...Discipline never allows deviation from order...Huns seek discipline in their lives." (p. 36). We can realize how this applies to children and teens who, despite all their protestations of parents and teachers being "mean" and "unfair", actually crave discipline. We also see why parents and teachers will be ineffective if they apply discipline inconsistently, and why it is a big mistake for adults to eschew discipline in favor of becoming "buddies" to children and teens.

Attila the Hun recognized that too much free time causes problems: "Never allow your Huns too many idle moments. These give rise to the beginnings of discontent." (p. 42). (During the American Revolution, General (later President) George Washington reputedly had his men built a fort, during the winter lull, for no other reason than to keep his men busy so that they would not drift into grumbling.)

The modern tendency to praise children for almost anything, all in the name of "self esteem", would not have found favor with Attila the Hun, who wrote: "Never reward a Hun for doing less than is expected of him. Otherwise, he will doubt your sincerity in rewarding appropriate acts and, even worse, expect reward for performing deeds for which you hold no approval." (p. 78).

I've personally met Wes while hosting a student speaker forum at the University of Utah. At the time, Wes was working for American Express and I remember today...over 20 years later how narcisistic and vulgar he presented himself. At the time these values were "popular" and it was a time when huge take-overs and ruthless tactics were the norm. We were treated to works like "Barbarian at the Gates" and "Wallstreet" where greed and making money at the expense of everthing honorable was the montra and the norm. When you read this book you should do so with the thought that these are leadership techniques of the past and do not adapt these techniques into your own life. As a historical piece to look at how greed and self-interest were out of control in America, it's perfect.

While this book is over 20 years old, it is a classic read for business professionals who seek more knowledge and different points of views from business books.

Leadership skills and ways to improve them are always a "hot topic". This book takes lessons from a great warrior and interprets them into stories that relate to the modern day corporate executive.

If you have made it this far in reading my review, take the next step and buy the book!

thom

This book offers a no frills and unorthodox view on leadership practices. I recommend this book to any one that is tired of the chop shop run of th emill leadership book. Quick read.