Book Review Leadership Secrets of Attila the Hun

Book Review

Leadership Secrets of Attila the Hun

By: Wes Roberts

Roberts starts the book out with his Author’s notes here he describes how he came about the topic of the book and where he got his information. He then moves on the preface where he explains a little about leadership and how it is incorporated throughout the book in relation to Attila the Hun. The next part of the book Roberts calls the introduction. Here he gives you some history about the Huns and how they rose to power. Roberts also tells the reader about the life that Attila the Hun and how he led the Hunnish army through many conquests. This part of the book proved to be very interesting, especially for those who are not al that familiar with the Huns. This part of the book is necessary to read in order to understand how the book was written.

The book is setup so that the title of each chapter states a leadership quality. The first part of each chapter gives a little bit of brief history as an example of how Attila used those leadership qualities. The second part of the chapter goes on with some dialogue that is in first person like it is actually coming from Attila’s mouth. Finally, Roberts ends each chapter with a few quotes from Attila describing what the chapter was about. The setup for the book works as it reads fairly quickly and smoothly.

Roberts starts the first chapter on leadership qualities where he describes all of the qualities that Attila possessed and thought where vital to the success of a leader. Roberts goes onto name all of those qualities and they serve as the basis for the rest of the book. Each succeeding chapter describes one of these qualities a little more in depth. Some of those qualities that Roberts describes are: desire, competitiveness, responsibility, delegation, and decision making.

One of the more unique chapters in the book was when Roberts was explaining Attila’s delegation techniques. Roberts claims that this was one of the main reasons Attila was so successful. In the introduction of the book Roberts explains that Attila went to Rome to study under their king and while he was there he learned many successful techniques that he was going to install in the Huns. Delegation was one of these techniques that Attila had learned while in Rome. He made sure that all of hi delegates where trained to the tee. Attila wanted them to be exact molds of him. He believed that if his delegates could teach as well as he could then his army would be that much stronger because time would not be wasted on the little things.

Roberts goes on talk about another great reason why Attila was so successful and that was his decision making process. Decision making was key to Attila and the rest of the Huns because they ruled such a large region that was covered in mountains and rivers. Since communication did not travel even close to as it does today this was a huge deal. Attila had to trust in his delegates that they would make the right decision since he most likely would not be there and could not spread his word across his vast lands. Trust