1. Machiavellian Tips
for today’s technology leaders
Proposal for
presentation of
research
Dana Miller
Liberty University
dmiller147@liberty.edu

2. Machiavellian Tips
for today’s technology leaders
Summary of presentation – page 1
• Machiavelli’s suggestions for great leadership in The
Prince sometimes involve bloodshed. These are not
good tips for today’s technology leaders.
• “The use of power to manipulate populations into
compliance and war as a form of mediation are
excellent examples of what not to do in a leadership
role” (Miller, 2013).

3. Machiavellian Tips
for today’s technology leaders
Summary of presentation – page 2
• The Prince is a study in both best and worst practices
in leadership.
• The purpose of this presentation will be to shed light
on best practices from the 16th Century that are still
relevant, and to illustrate how core principles of great
leadership can be used to shape the future of
technology in higher education today.

4. Machiavellian Tips
for today’s technology leaders
Summary of presentation – page 3
For example:
• Financial obstacles can bring technology leaders in
higher education to a war stance. Machiavelli speaks
of the art of war. “A wise prince ought to…never in
peaceful times stand idle, but increase his resources
with industry in such a way that they may be
available to him in adversity, so that if fortune
chances it may find him prepared to resist her blows.”

5. Machiavellian Tips
for today’s technology leaders
Summary of presentation – page 4
The importance of planning
Use “peace” time to
identify unexploited
efficiencies (Eyring,
2011) and shore up
reserves for those
dreaded periods when
resources are lean.
MAXIMIZE
DOWNTIME

6. Machiavellian Tips
for today’s technology leaders
Summary of presentation – page 5
How to manage costs
Examining unexploited efficiencies in university
operations can save an average of 20% per
student. (Eyring, 2011) These efficiencies are
identified in the research and quantified using
dynamic charting.

7. Machiavellian Tips
for today’s technology leaders
Summary of presentation – page 6
Handling people and situations
with clemency
Machiavelli recommends
clemency (not cruelty) in
dealing with others.
Relationships with key
people in higher education
are critical to the success of
technology initiatives.

8. “A prince ought also to show himself a
patron of ability, and to honour the
proficient in every art” (Machiavelli, 1513).
Technology is restructuring education delivery in post-secondary
institutions. A leader must have new skills to support new
initiatives and to identify talents in those who support technology.

9. Machiavellian Tips
for today’s technology leaders
Summary of presentation – page 8
Fearlessness in the face of change
Machiavelli talks of being prepared for change like
restructuring shoreline to divert a raging river.
Technology leadership in higher education is the
stop gate for crises like these. The presentation will
discuss this phenomenon and how to do the job
without drowning.

10. Machiavellian Tips
for today’s technology leaders
Summary of presentation – page 9
How to lead with integrity
“Yet it cannot be called talent to slay fellow citizens, to
deceive friends, to be without faith, without mercy,
without religion; such methods may gain empire, but
not glory” (Machiavelli, 1513). The presentation will
reveal specific situations where tech leaders can
demonstrate integrity or control with craft.

11. Requirements
for the session
•
•
•
•
•
30 minutes for presenting
Wireless Internet access
Interactive white board
Projector (with remote if available)
Approximate number of people in a session
(Contact information is on title screen of presentation.)
I will bring my own Samsung PC and handouts.

12. References
Eberwein, Dale H. (2011). The role of technology in transforming higher
education. Journal of Leadership Studies 4(4), 61-64.
DOI:10.1002/jls.20196
Eyring, H. C. (2011). Unexploited efficiencies in higher education.
Contemporary Issues in Education Research, 4(7), 1-18. Retrieved
June 13, 2013, from
http://search.proquest.com/docview/882366162?accountid=12085
Hall, D. (2008). The technology director’s guide to leadership. Eugene, OR:
International Society for Technology in Education
Hammang, J. (2010). Best practice in the use of federal stimulus funds in
institutions of higher education. Planning for Higher Education,
38(3), 45-50. Retrieved June 13, 2013, from
http://search.proquest.com/docview/212619853?accountid=12085

13. References continued
Picciano, A. G. (2011). Educational leadership and planning for technology
(5th ed.). Columbus, OH: Pearson Education
Machiavelli, N., 1513. The Prince. Translated from Italian by R.M. Adams in
1992. 2nd ed. W.W. Norton & Company: New York
McDonald, Jason K. and Gibbons, Andrew S. (2009, June). Technology I, II,
and III: Criteria for understanding and improving the practice of
instructional technology. Educational Technology Research and
Development, 57(3), 377‐392. Stable URL:
http://www.jstor.org/stable/40388635
Spires, H. A. and Hervey, L. G. (2011), New technologies, new pedagogies:
Finding the grail in higher education. Journal of Leadership Studies,
4, 54–56. doi: 10.1002/jls.20194