How to control slaves Jerry Toner read. How to Control Slaves read online - Mark Fulks, Jerry Toner

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Title: How to Manage Slaves
Author: Mark Fulks, Jerry Toner
Year: 2015
Genre: Management, personnel selection, Foreign business literature

About the book “How to Manage Slaves” by Mark Fulks, Jerry Toner

A chain of events - not random, but unrelated - prompted a Roman patrician named Marcus Sidonius Fulks to compile this manual for an ancient top manager. In all centuries (and more than two thousand years separate us from the times described in the book), the main thing in the art of management is managing people. Fulks's work is dedicated to precisely this, and the wisdom of the Roman is very useful to us, although the relationship of most workers with most employers has undergone significant changes. A modern leader is unlikely to find it useful to know where to buy eunuch employees in the capital of Italy and how, when hiring, to distinguish an applicant who has been starved for a long time from a well-fed and healthy one who was captured after a defeat in battle. Every word, every detail in the author’s narrative (the famous British historian Jerry Toner wrote the book on behalf of the Roman Fulks) is verified according to dozens of historical sources - from Aristotle to Cato.

All lessons from Mark Sidonius Fulks are important and relevant today. For example: “...the life of a slave is not only about hard work and sweat. There should be time for relaxation and simple entertainment. This is reasonable provided that the slaves behave decently and do their hard work. After all, a satisfied slave will work well in the future, and vice versa: slaves mired in poverty, exhausted by hardships and suffering, are not at all inclined to work enthusiasm, and always try to evade and wriggle out of any task.”

The book “How to Manage Slaves” is intended for managers of commercial organizations of various legal forms and state unitary enterprises; students and teachers of higher and special education educational institutions; administrators of government and non-profit organizations; officers of all branches of the military, as well as history buffs Ancient Rome and connoisseurs of wise advice, presented in an excellent translation into Russian.

Jerry Toner Doctor of Sciences, professor, director of research in ancient philology at the University of Cambridge, lecturer in the department of ancient literature. His scientific activity dedicated to the history and culture of the society of Ancient Rome. Currently working on a number of projects exploring the social relations of the lower strata of the Roman population. Together with Mary Beard he teaches the course " Popular culture in the Roman Empire." After completing a PhD in ancient literature at Cambridge University, Toner spent 10 years as an investment manager at a London fund of funds, managing $15 billion in assets. Jerry Toner uses his business experience to supervise the studies of MBA and EMBA students, and also chairs the Investment Strategy Committee.

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There is not that much difference between managing slaves and subordinates, according to Cambridge lecturer Jerry Toner, who prepared the ancient Roman handbook on working with personnel. In his book How to Manage Slaves, he tells the story from the perspective of the Roman patrician Marcus Sidonius Fulks: the aristocrat tells how to choose the right slaves and take everything from them. “The Secret” selected advice from the book that is suitable for modern leaders.

From the author

Some Western readers react nervously to this book, saying that owning slaves and managing subordinates are completely different things. In a general sense, they are, of course, right. But upon deeper consideration of the issue, we will find many similarities between the two different situations. It's an inconvenient truth, but it doesn't stop being true: both ancient slave owners and today's corporations strive to make the most of their human resources. As much as we might try to mask the harsh realities of wage labor with the pompous rhetoric of mutual cooperation and friendly relationships in a “team effort,” we would do well to listen to the blunt honesty of the ancient Romans.

I expect that the Russian reading public will be able to appreciate the qualities that are inherent in Mark Sidonius Fulks. This is a decisive administrator who does not have the weaknesses of today's Western leaders. He understands well what needs to be done so that his subordinates respect him, how to maintain order in the house and household. If in order to achieve these goals you have to deal harshly with someone, well, that’s a harsh necessity of life.

Don't get carried away with team building

A word of caution: don't buy too many slaves from the same environment or the same nationality. Although at first glance it may seem tempting to have employees who are capable of cooperation and easily get along with each other (since they speak the same language), this can create very big problems in the future. At best, they will encourage each other to take a break, sit and chat, steal something, at worst, they will begin to argue and reason, oppose, conspire: to either escape or even kill you.

Pay attention to character, not just skills

It is worth paying attention to the character of the slave you intend to buy. Doesn't he seem indecisive and weak-willed to you, or, on the contrary, reckless and daring? The ones that are most suitable for work are those that are neither extremely downtrodden nor too bold: you will get tired of both later. Those who are too meek and quiet are unlikely to be able to show activity and perseverance in their work, and those who have no inhibitions and demonstrate their prowess are difficult to manage.

Avoid slaves who are constantly in a state of sadness and melancholy. Being a slave is not the most enviable lot, and those who are prone to depression will only aggravate it.

Remember that there are things you can do yourself

Beware of showing off and boasting. There is nothing more vulgar than a social parvenu using a whole host of completely unnecessary slaves, busy with all sorts of stupid things, simply to demonstrate his exorbitant wealth. A rich freedman I knew kept a slave whose function was to remind his master the names of the people he received.

Make slaves love you

Many new slave owners fall into the trap of thinking they can get by with just a whip. Those of us whose families have owned slaves for generations know that such treatment exhausts and exhausts the slaves, ending in their complete unfitness for further use. If you resort to violence beyond your reasonable responsibilities, you will end up making your charges withdrawn and uncontrollable. Such slaves are not slaves, but the torments of hell. Cruelty is a double-edged sword, and it hits the master the hardest, not the slave.

Hard work should be rewarded. It is very demoralizing for good slaves to see that they are doing all the hard work, and the food has to be divided in half with those who slacked. It is also important that each slave has a clearly defined long-term goal.

Organization of work is important

Each slave must have clear responsibilities. This creates a clear reporting system and ensures that work is stressful because the slaves know that if some part of the job is not completed, a specific worker will be held accountable.

You should divide the slaves into groups of ten (groups of this size are easiest to observe. Larger groups create problems for the overseers). You must distribute these groups throughout the estate, and the work must be organized in such a way that workers do not remain alone or in pairs: it is impossible to keep track of them if they are so scattered. Another problem with large groups is that people do not feel personal responsibility: it dissolves into the general mass of workers. A properly sized team forces you to compete with each other, and also exposes those who work poorly.

Pay attention to training your bosses

I teach my new managers the following things that I believe will help them become more moral. I forbid them to use slaves for matters other than those related to the interests of the owner. Otherwise, you may find that the new managers use their position to force slaves to do their personal tasks when the slaves should be working for the benefit of the estate as a whole. Managers should not eat separately from their subordinates; let them eat the same food as the workers. Nothing irritates a tired slave more than the contemplation of the work manager devouring a delicious and luxurious meal, when the slave himself receives only the usual meager ration.

Relax with slaves

What kind of participation you will take in the festivities depends only on you. I have a friend, a terrible bore and a learned cracker, - so at the height of the celebration he retires to a quiet room so as not to hear the noise of a house party. He says that he finds it delightful to sit out Saturnalia there, wait until everyone gets crazy (everyone else in the house is in a joyful riot, the joyful cries of the celebrating people can be heard from everywhere). He claims that this is best: he does not interfere with their fun and does not limit them in anything. And besides, they do not distract him from his academic studies. What an idiot! No, I think it's better to share their mood with people. You'll be surprised how much it changes better side the attitude of slaves towards you if you take part in the holiday. Personally, I get drunk, scream, play games and throw dice, get naked, perform erotic dances, and sometimes even - with a face smeared with soot - throw myself headlong into cold water. The family loves it.

What is important is to prevent it from continuing the day after the holiday. I advise you to put on the sternest expression on your face in the morning. This is the time to put the slacker in his place - perhaps just the one who was too carried away by the benefits of the freedom provided by the holiday and somehow offended you. However, once everything has returned to normal, it is useful to remain on friendly terms with your slaves - as much as possible, of course, within the limits required to maintain authority and respect.

Don't become a slave to your slaves

There are a number of things your slaves can do to gain small victories over you in everyday life. It is this kind of petty disobedience that you will encounter all the time. They will lie to you about how much food they ate, or deceive you over small things, claiming that something costs ten sesterces when in fact it costs eight. They will pretend to be sick to avoid work, moaning so loudly that you'll worry if they'll even survive, and they're just putting on a show to get out of difficult assignments. They will stand in the kitchen by the stove to sweat, and then show you these beads of sweat as a sign of a severe fever. And if you believe this lie, soon every job will take twice as long as it actually takes. This is how slaves act. They constantly test you, looking closely at what and where they can snatch. And you will have to constantly reduce your power until it is completely eaten up by slaves who will begin to treat you with more and more contempt.

Don't think that all this doesn't concern you

No one today argues, as Fulks did, that slavery is acceptable or justified. But before we congratulate ourselves on how far we have come, we must recognize the tragic fact that although slavery is illegal in all countries of the world, it is still widespread. According to the non-governmental organization Free the Slaves, today 27 million people are forced to work under the threat of violence, without wages and without hope of deliverance. There are more slaves in the world today than there were in the Roman Empire at any time during its existence.

There is not that much difference between managing slaves and subordinates, according to Cambridge lecturer Jerry Toner, who prepared the ancient Roman handbook on working with personnel. In his book How to Manage Slaves, he tells the story from the perspective of the Roman patrician Marcus Sidonius Fulks: the aristocrat tells how to choose the right slaves and take everything from them. “The Secret” selected advice from the book that is suitable for modern leaders.

From the author

I expect that the Russian reading public will be able to appreciate the qualities that are inherent in Mark Sidonius Fulks. This is a decisive administrator who does not have the weaknesses of today's Western leaders. He understands well what needs to be done so that his subordinates respect him, how to maintain order in the house and household. If in order to achieve these goals you have to deal harshly with someone, well, that’s a harsh necessity of life.

Don't get carried away with team building

Pay attention to character, not just skills

Avoid slaves who are constantly in a state of sadness and melancholy. Being a slave is not the most enviable lot, and those who are prone to depression will only aggravate it.

Remember that there are things you can do yourself

Make slaves love you

Hard work should be rewarded. It is very demoralizing for good slaves to see that they are doing all the hard work, and the food has to be divided in half with those who slacked. It is also important that each slave has a clearly defined long-term goal.

Organization of work is important

You should divide the slaves into groups of ten (groups of this size are easiest to observe. Larger groups create problems for the overseers). You must distribute these groups throughout the estate, and the work must be organized in such a way that workers do not remain alone or in pairs: it is impossible to keep track of them if they are so scattered. Another problem with large groups is that people do not feel personal responsibility: it dissolves into the general mass of workers. A properly sized team forces you to compete with each other, and also exposes those who work carelessly.

Pay attention to training your bosses

Relax with slaves

What is important is to prevent it from continuing the day after the holiday. I advise you to put on the sternest expression on your face in the morning. This is the time to put the slacker in his place - perhaps just the one who was too carried away by the benefits of the freedom provided by the holiday and somehow offended you. However, once everything has returned to normal, it is useful to remain on friendly terms with your slaves - as much as possible, of course, within the limits required to maintain authority and respect.

Don't become a slave to your slaves

Don't think that all this doesn't concern you

A chain of events - not random, but unrelated - prompted a Roman patrician named Marcus Sidonius Fulks to compile this manual for an ancient top manager. In all centuries (and more than two thousand years separate us from the times described in the book), the main thing in the art of management is managing people. Fulks's work is dedicated to precisely this, and the wisdom of the Roman is very useful to us, although the relationship of most workers with most employers has undergone significant changes. A modern leader is unlikely to find it useful to know where to buy eunuch employees in the capital of Italy and how, when hiring, to distinguish an applicant who has been starved for a long time from a well-fed and healthy one who was captured after a defeat in battle. Every word, every detail in the author’s narrative (the famous British historian Jerry Toner wrote the book on behalf of the Roman Fulks) is verified according to dozens of historical sources - from Aristotle to Cato.

All lessons from Mark Sidonius Fulks are important and relevant today. For example: “...the life of a slave is not only about hard work and sweat. There should be time for relaxation and simple entertainment. This is reasonable provided that the slaves behave decently and do their hard work. After all, a satisfied slave will work well in the future, and vice versa: slaves mired in poverty, exhausted by hardships and suffering, are not at all inclined to work enthusiasm, and always try to evade and wriggle out of any task.”

The book “How to Manage Slaves” is intended for managers of commercial organizations of various legal forms and state unitary enterprises; students and teachers of higher and special educational institutions; administrators of government and non-profit organizations; officers of all branches of the military, as well as lovers of the history of Ancient Rome and connoisseurs of wise advice, presented in an excellent translation into Russian.

Jerry Toner, DSc, Professor, Director of Research in Ancient Philology at the University of Cambridge, Lecturer in the Department of Ancient Literature. His scientific activity is devoted to the history and culture of the society of Ancient Rome. Currently working on a number of projects exploring the social relations of the lower strata of the Roman population. Together with Mary Beard he teaches the course “Mass Culture in the Roman Empire.” After completing a PhD in ancient literature at Cambridge University, Toner spent 10 years as an investment manager at a London fund of funds, managing $15 billion in assets. Jerry Toner uses his business experience to supervise the studies of MBA and EMBA students, and also chairs the Investment Strategy Committee.