Less authentically historical, but more fun, are some additional offerings on Attila that many will recognize from the business world. After all, Attila was engaged in business, as far as he knew. The history part only came into play in the event that his own might be prematurely foreshortened.
Two of my favorite leadership texts revolve around real or mythical “facts” about Attila. I refer to the business management books Leadership Secrets of Attila the Hun, and Victory Secrets of Attila the Hun.
Check out the Attilaisms Wess Roberts has invented (er, provided) for us in Leadership Secrets:
“A king with chieftains that always agree with him reaps the counsel of mediocrity.”
“Weak chieftains surround themselves with weak Huns.”
“For Huns, conflict is a natural state.”
“Huns only make enemies on purpose.”
The real questions are not whether and which facts about Attila are true, though they make for interesting research. The pertinent question is: would Patton be more likely to study the exploits of Attila, real or invented, or would he still be figuring out where his cheese went while trying to plot an anti-Nazi strategy?
