chenghis khan advice to his sons.

chenghis khan advice to his sons.

1. first key to leadership is self-control, particularly the mastery of pride.it is something more difficult to subdue than a wild lion; and the anger, which is more difficult to defeat than the greatest wrestler. if you can't swallow your pride, you can't lead.  never think of yourself as the strongest or smartest .even the highest mountain has animals. they step on it. when the animal climbs to the top of the mountain, they are even higher than it is.

2.  don't talk much too much. only say what needs to be said. a leader should demonstrate his thoughts and opinions through actions, not through his words. 

3.  the ruler can never be happy until his people are happy.

4.  the importance of vision, goals, and a plan cannot be overemphasized. without the vision of a goal, a man cannot manage his own life, much less the lives of others. 

5.  one should never stray far from the teaching of the elders. the old deel (tunic) is better and is always more comfortable. it survives the hardship of life in the bush. while the new and untried deel  is quickly torn. 

6.  never indulge in pursuit of colourful life with material frivolities and wasteful pleasures, it will be easy to forget your vision and purpose once you have fine clothes, fast horses, beautiful woman. in that case you will be no better than a slave and you will surely lose everything. 

7.  conquering an army is not the same as conquering a nation. you can conquer an army with superior tactics and men, but you can conquer a nation only by conquering the hearts of the people. the subject people should never be allowed to unite as one. people conquered on different sides of the lake should be ruled on different sides of the lake. 

( extracted from genghis khan and the making of modern world – jack weatherford -- three river press  -- 2004 – page 125)