THE FOUR TYPES OF CONSIGLIERI
Richard Hytner identifies the four characteristics of the C role, the motivations for people who seek these roles, and their relationships with the A leader.
The key to success lies in getting to the top. Right?
Wrong. Not everyone can be No. 1, and more importantly, not everyone wants to be.
Consiglieri turns the spotlight on the second-in-commands – the advisers, assistants and counsellors (or ‘consiglieri’) – who are too often disparaged as the ‘No. 2s’. Far from being also-rans, these are the crucial vice-presidents, first lieutenants and right-hand men and women whose influence can determine the fate of countries, companies and individual ventures the world over.
In this timely celebration of the done-down deputy, Richard Hytner (himself a former CEO and now deputy chairman of Saatchi & Saatchi) talks to outstanding consiglieri in contemporary business, politics, sport and the arts, revealing in the process what motivates these so-called No. 2s, what makes them great, and what their bosses can do to help them flourish.
We also meet a remarkable array of powerful advisers, from the White House, 10 Downing Street and the Vatican to corporate boardrooms, sporting arenas and entertainment stages.
Stylish, clever and entertaining, Consiglieri is packed with invaluable advice for every kind of leader, whether in the limelight or the shadows. It may also be one of the wittiest business books ever.
