Book
Ricordi
by Francesco Guicciardini · 1530 · 1 reading card · public domain
AuthorFrancesco Guicciardini →ShelvesPower and the polity
1 card
Ricordi · 1530
Effective leadership requires strategic discretion, not total candor.
Guicciardini, a Renaissance diplomat, says that ruling – whether a country or a team – means managing information. Those who cannot dissemble show all their cards and become vulnerable. This is not about lying but prudence. For example, a negotiator who reveals from the start how much they are willing to concede loses all advantage.
“He who does not know how to dissemble, does not know how to rule.”