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The Leadership Secrets of Attila the
Hun Attila the Hun - King and military leader of the Huns. Attila became king in 433 and effectively united hordes divided by internal strife into a formidable and aggressive people. Led by him, the Huns successfully invaded the eastern Ro-man empire and continued on through Austria, Germany and into Gaul, brutalizing and plundering with a ferocity which became his legacy. He was finally slowed by newly-united Roman forces, and stopped by the persuasion of Catholic leaders including Pope Leo I ATTILA ON: "LEADERSHIP QUALITIES" As we gather in this counsel, I, Attila, have prepared my innermost thoughts regarding leadership qualities. These thoughts I give you so you and your subordinates might be better prepared to lead the Huns. It is essential to the Hun-nish nation that we have in our service leaders at every level who possess the skills, and attitudes that will enable them to successfully carry out the responsibilities incumbent to their office. There is no quick way to develop leaders. Huns must learn throughout their-never ceasing as students, never being above gaining new insights or study innovative procedures or methods-whatever the source. Our leaders must learn early in their service certain basic qualities and have opportunities to mature in them. We must teach these qualities to our young warriors, if they are to develop into able chieftains. Basic instruction in horsemanship, with the lariat, bow and lance, is sufficient for our warriors but not for those who lead them. In order to skillfully lead our nation, we must have chieftains who possess, among others, the following essential qualities, which through experience become mastered skills: LOYALTY-Above all things, a Hun must be loyal. Disagreement is not necessarily disloyalty. A Hun who, in the best interest of the tribe, disagree, should be listened t On the other hand, a Hun who actively participates in or encourages actions that are counter to the good of the tribe is disloyal. These Huns, whether warrior or chieftain, must be expeditiously removed. Their ability to influence and discourage loyal Huns is a contagious disease. In cases where disloyal actions and attitudes cannot be changed, harsh action must be taken to rid ourselves of those among us who see no value in and subvert our cause. COURAGE-Chieftains who lead our Huns must have courage. They must be fearless and have the fortitude to carry out assignments given them-the gallantry to accept the risks of leadership. They must not balk at the sight of obstacles, nor must they become bewildered when in the presence of adversity. The role of a chieftain has inherent periods of loneliness, despair, ridicule and rejection Chieftains must be long suffering in their duties - they must have the courage to act with confidence and to excel in times of uncertainty or danger as well as in times of prosperity DESIRE-Few Huns will sustain themselves as chieftains without strong personal desire-an in commitment to influencing people, processes and outcomes. Weak is the chieftain who does not want to be one. We must be careful to avoid placing capable warriors into positions of leadership that they have no desire to fulfill. EMOTIONAL STAMINA-Each succeedingly higher level of leadership places increasing demands on the emotions of chieftains. We must ensure that our leaders at every level have the stamina to recover rapidly from disappointment-to bounce back from discouragement, to carry out the responsibilities of their office without becoming distorted in their views-without losing clear perspective, as well as the emotional strength to persist in the face of seem difficult circums-tances. PHYSICAL STAMINA-Huns must have chieftains who can endure the physical demands of their lead duties. Chieftains must nurture their bodies with the basic, staples. Chieftains cannot lead from their bedside. They lack energy when filled with too much food or drink. The distorting potions of the Romans only confuse minds. A body not properly used becomes abused. A healthy body supports a healthy mind. Our chieftains must be strong in body in order to lead the charge. EMPATHY-Chieftains must develop empathy-an appreciation for and an understanding of the values of others, a sensitivity for other cultures, beliefs and traditions. However, empathy must not be confused with sympathy, which may result in unwise consolation in times when, above all other things, the good of the tribe or nation must be pursued with adroit diplomacy or battlefield action. DECISIVENESS-Young chieftains must learn to be decisive, knowing when to act and when not to act, taking into account all facts bearing on the situation and then responsibly carrying out their leadership role. Vacillation and procrastination confuse and discourage subordinates, peers and superiors and serve the enemy well. ANTICIPATION-Learning by observation and through instincts sharpened by tested experience, chieftains must anticipate thoughts, actions and consequences. Anticipation bears a level of risk that is willingly accepted by a chieftain who will excel when others turn to the comfort of personal security. TIMING-Essential to all acts of leadership is the timing of recommendations and actions. There is no magic formula for developing a sense of timing. One often gains this leadership skill by applying the lessons learned through failure. Knowing whom you are dealing with, their motives, characters, priorities and ambitions are critical elements even when seeking approval of the simplest recommendation. COMPETITIVENESS-An essential quality of leadership is an intrinsic desire to win. It is not necessary to win all the time; however, it is necessary to win the important contests. Chieftains must understand that the competition inside and outside our nation is strong and not to be taken lightly. A sense of competitive anger drives those who win on the bat-tlefield, in negotiations and in situations of internal strife. A leader without a sense of competitiveness is weak and easily overcome by the slightest challenge. SELF-CONFIDENCE-Proper training and experience develops in chieftains a personal feeling of assurance with which to meet the inherent challenges of leadership. Those who portray a lack of self-confidence in their abilities to carry out leadership assignments give signs to their subordinates, peers and superiors that these duties are beyond their capabilities. They become, therefore, weak leaders and useless chieftains. ACCOUNTABILITY-Learning to account for personal actions and those of subordinates is fundamental to leadership. Chieftains must never heap praise or lay blame on others for what they themselves achieve or fail to accomplish, no matter how glorious or grave the consequences. RESPONSIBILITY-Leaders are only necessary when someone is to be responsible to see that actions are carried out and directions followed. No king, chieftain or subordinate leader should ever be allowed to serve who will not accept full responsibility for his actions. CREDIBILITY-Chieftains must be credible. Their words and actions must be believable to both friend and foe. They must be trusted to have the intelligence and integrity to provide correct information. Leaders lacking in credibility will not gain proper influence and are to be hastily removed from positions of responsibility, for they cannot be trusted. TENACITY-The quality of unyielding drive to accomplish assignments is a desirable and essential quality of leadership. The weak persist only when things go their way. The strong persist and pursue through discouragement, deception and even personal abandonment. Pertinacity is often the key to achieving difficult assignments or meeting challenging goals. DEPENDABILITY-If a chieftain cannot be depended upon in all situations to carry out his roles and responsibilities, relieve him of them. A king can not observe each and every action of his subordinate chieftains; therefore, he must de-pend upon them to get things done. Young chieftains should understand that Huns serving above and below them in the tribe and nation are counting on their ability to lead, and they should be proud of being entrusted with such responsibility. STEWARDSHIP-Our leaders must have the essential quality of stewardship, a caretaker quality. They must serve in a manner that encourages confidence, trust and loyalty. Subordinates are not to be abused; they are to be guided, dev-eloped and rewarded for their performance. Punishment is to be reserved as a consequence of last resort and sparingly applied only when all other attempts have failed to encourage the rebellious to comply. Without a flock there can be no shepherd. Without an army there can be no battle captains. Without subordinates there can be no leaders. Leaders are, therefore, caretakers of the interests and well-being of those and the purposes they serve. Those of you who are overly ambitious may attempt
to acquire these qualities over a short period. As
I, Attila, have found in my own life, these qualities of leadership
simply take time, learning and experience to develop. There are few
who will find shortcuts. There are simply rare opportunities to accelerate
competen-ce, and without paying the price, no matter how great or small,
none will become prepared to lead others. Learn
these leadership qualities well. Teach them to the Huns. Only then will
we expand our ability to lead our vast nation in pursuit of world conquest.
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