Most of us think of business management as a phenomenon of the modern age. Nothing could be farther from the truth. For as long as people have lived, worked, fought, played and prayed together, there has been a need for strong leadership and people management skills. Throughout history leaders have achieved success through time-tested managerial techniques.

This book contains the managerial acumen of religious leaders, philosophers, kings and despots, pirates and prophets, statesmen and industrialists. Their advice-presented in their own words through diaries, letters and legal codes-is sometimes drastic, occasionally humorous, always profound. With contemporary analysis and commentary from Diehl and Donnelly, How Did They Manage? Provides timeless insights into human foibles and motivations, insights you can put to use in the modern workplace.

Never before has the wisdom of the past been combined into such a useful, enjoyable and accessible form.

In How Did They Manage? Daniel Diehl and Mark P Donnelly have combed the historical record to bring you some of the most time-honoured and tested managerial advice from nearly 20 historical figures spanning more than three millennia. Unlike most management guides, which only present a single perspective or philosophy, this neat volume contains the managerial acumen of the ages waiting to be put to use in the modern workplace.

Let Confucius, Machiavelli and Hammurabi serve as your guides to modern business practices, lest we forget the hard-learned mistakes of the past and are doomed to repeat them. With the wisdom of the ages at your fingertips, you and your company are poised to take on the future…and make history.