Book Title: Elizabeth I CEO

Author: Alan Axelrod

Publisher: Prentice Hall

ISBN: 0-7352-0189-7

Review by Barbara De Vries

Hardback - 2000  274 pages

So you think YOU work in an environment of intrigue and back-stabbing?  Welcome to the world of 1533 to 1603 before the Age of Reason and the Industrial Revolution and the Information Age.  Well, people were people then, as well as they are now.  Except that a misstep in the public arena could cost you your head.

Sometimes by viewing human behavior in a different context clarifies the issues and crystallizes the better course of action.  By using Elizabeth's live as a case history for good management, we extract principles of good management, good behavior, and good leadership that are timeless.

Step back from Management by Objective, and Strategic Planning, and Mission Statements and Vision and Core Values...

Elizabeth's life was an exercise in moderation and balance, and most importantly, success proven by history.  Even today, the names Elizabeth and Virginia are popular.  We have immortalized her legend in the states of Virginia and West Virginia and in the Virgin Islands.  Her management to sustain peace have brought us immortal arts embodied by the work of William Shakespeare, among others.

Chapters are devoted to the following topics with case histories:

• survival
• creating a leadership image
• It's about people, not policy
• creating common cause without tyranny
• building a loyal staff
• growing the enterprise and crushing the competition
• holding onto power
• queen of the bottom line
• a great leader assesses herself
• never stop learning

A good read.  I recommend it.