Dune: Leadership Lessons

Last week I read the Dune Series by Frank Hebert. The first book was given to me by a friend in Chiro College who knew that I loved the Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan. (Need any more confirmation of my nerd-hood? Keep reading my posts, you'll get more.) Knowing my tendancy to get into a book and then having a primal need to voraciously consume all the books in the series, I never started it--until last week. Six days later I finished the series. Hebert deserves the kudos, awards and interest he gets. The books create a world with themes you'll recognize.

Well, the plot follows the Atreides family who show spectacular leadership characteristics as well as many diverse gifts. The leadership traits will be my focus here:

1. Love your people. You will be repaid in devotion.
2. Loyalty breeds loyalty. Oppression and fear breed hate.
3. People first, machines and technology second. The best people are irreplaceable. Take care of them.
4. Training, training, training. Lack of discipline, lack of training creates a slip-shod group who will fall apart under pressure. Most companies and people are soft these days--be hard.
   
5. Perfect practice makes perfect. Be the absolute best, demand the absolute best, create the absolute best.
6. Heroic sacrifice creates true believers. Put yourself out there and others will follow.
7. Cultivate a sense of humor. Humor puts friends at ease and makes enemies uncomfortable.
8. Be gracious. Wear your leadership lightly--heavy-handedness squelches feedback.
9. Change. Predictability is death to innovation. Modify, adapt, shift and survive.
   
10. Know when your job is done. Quit at the top of your game and move on. The mission is bigger than you--you are a steward, nothing more.

There were other interesting themes like conserving resources, controlling resources, strategy in the face of crisis, enemy management, diplomacy, etc. Read the books, especially Book I and II. The quality drops off from there. The ending of Book V feels a bit weird and weak. I won't give it away here, but it seems out of character from the rest of the books. 'Nuf said. You'll love it! 4.9/5 stars