Ibn Khaldun: On Leadership

[Onasander]

I found this in The Muqaddimah, An Introduction to History written by Ibn Khaldun in the 14th Century, which hands down beats Machevelli's The Prince in his analysis of the rise of individuals and tribes into soverign power, thier decline, and the nature of royal authority. I've found it very refreshing, and though at times alien given the distance, time, and ideology of our modern cultures to his North African, find in most respects at home to modern thought, and to top that, provides a good primer to methodological historical investigation of the past. I'm not mearly recommending for you to read this book sometime in the future; no, I highly recommend you to put off any other book on history you may currently be or plan and reading, and read this first, for any analysis of history, any history, would be incomplete without an understanding of Ibn Khaldun.

 

This is a abbrevated except from Rosenthal's thranslation, broken up to allow for numbering and strightforwardness of point, and the title is my own, given he was talking about a wider subject at the time:

 

20 LEADERSHIP QUALITIES SUGGESTING THE FUTURE EMERGENCE OF ROYAL AUTHORITY

 

1. Generosity

2. Forgiveness of Error

3. Tolerance towards the weak

4. Hospitality Towards Guests

5. Support of Dependants

6. Maintenance of the Indidgent

7. Patience in adverse circumstances

8. Faithful fulfillment of Obligations

9. Liberality with money for the preservation of honour

10. Respect for the religious law and for the scholars who learn it

11. Observation of things to be done/ not done that those scholars prescribe for them

12. Thinking highly of religious scholarship

13. Belief in/ veneration for men of religion and a desire to recieve their prayers

14. Great Respect for old men and teachers

15. Acceptance of the truth in those who call for it.

16. Fairness and care to those too weak to take care for themselves

17. Humility towards the poor

18. Attentiveness to suplicants

19. Fulfilment of the duties of religious law and devine worship in all details.

20. advoidance of Fraud, Cunning, Deceit, and the Shirking of Obligations

 

The above is not mearly his vision of what a good leader should be, but is also an indicator or who is likely to become a good leader upon the collapse of a dynasty. He goes on in the next paragraphs from individual indicators to the competition of Tribal groups and which are likely to gain supremacy over the other by a higher strata of characteristics. It's a surprisinglygood book... a little heavy on the Qur'an quotes at time, but still a good read.

[M. Scaevola]

Here is a link to its Google book preview.

 

Looks like good advice Onasander.

[Ursus]

I would expect these qualities only of someone already secure in their position, not those actively trying to procure it. These high minded virtues might win one a popularity contest, but not a throne.

 

Octavian was a gangster before he became The Augustus.

[Gladius Hispaniensis]

You know, I hate to say this, but all the above mentioned qualities, laudable as they are, wouldn't enable a modern politician to last even one campaigning season

[Onasander]

There is a family in my town that got rich off of real estate. The guy had three sons, one became a judge, one is a county commissioner/real estate branch owner, and the third is prepping to take over the bussiness from the old man. The family is dirty as can get in my opinion on the recent sources of it's money... opening up gambling casinos in poor neighborhoods for thier own profit... thus lowering the property value there while increasing it in thier clients areas, but they play it real clean visually, by donating and helping to organisze a free clinic and living a more noticably upright upper middle class/ close knit family life. I have no doubt one of thier grandchildren will aim for the house or senate someday, the family has it written all over itself.

 

They follow through with many of the traits listed below, and it deals not so much with a individual in relationship to royal authority, but rather, the general trends of kinsmen within a family likely to succeed in time to the top of politics.