Genghis Khan and His Leadership Lessons (Based on Jack Weatherford’s Book)

I recently finished reading Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World by Jack Weatherford. I was impressed by the level of detail and thoroughness in Weatherford’s research.

The purpose of this post is to share leadership lessons from Genghis Khan. Khan came from humble beginnings and it’s remarkable how he rose to such immense and spectacular power, an improbable story of overcoming the odds.

Yes, in some ways Khan was ruthless as he’s notoriously known for, but he also implemented some enlightened practices that helped move civilization forward in positive ways. In a period of world history filled with such violence – Genghis Khan lived 1162 – 1227, the 12th to 13th centuries – it’s remarkable that Khan had as much foresight, intelligence, and wisdom as he did.

I will share quotes from the book in bullet point format, along with my own insights. There’s a lot of value here and I hope one of these points inspires you. Here we are, talking about Genghis Khan seven-hundred and ninety-three years after his death. Khan lived a legendary life – now let’s learn from it.

Some of the Best Leadership Insights From Genghis Khan’s Life

Here are some of the things I highlighted and noted while reading. These are direct quotes from the book; I’ll often add in my own thoughts after the italicized quotes:

• Fate did not hand Genghis Khan his destiny; he made it for himself (pg. xvi). You can’t sit around waiting for other people to act. You need to be proactive and take action yourself.

• The boy showed an instinct for survival and self-preservation, but he showed little promise of the achievements he would one day make. As a child, he feared dogs and he cried easily (pg. xvii). Your past does not determine your future; no matter what happened or where you’re coming from, what really matters is where you’re going. Also, I’d like to be vulnerable and say I, like Khan, have a fear of dogs. When I was seven, my aunt’s dog chewed up my plastic basketball toy, a gift I was looking forward to, and I was traumatized from the experience. I feel embarrassed about this, but reading this passage helped me to feel less ashamed about this fear of mine.

• Victory did not come to the one who played by the rules; it came to the one who made the rules and imposed them on his enemy (pg. 8). Relating this to modern times and a message I often share with others, how can you achieve your potential and truly help others if you’re stuck pleasing others and staying in their box? If you’re always living by someone else’s rules, then you don’t have space and freedom to discover your own truth and make your own rules. Life is about helping others, but you can’t help others if you haven’t first helped yourself by breaking free from people who are bad for you.

• Like the horse that must be first in every face, Temujin had determined he would lead, not follow. In order to achieve this primacy of place, he proved himself willing to violate custom, defy his mother, and kill whoever blocked his path, even if it was his own family member (pg. 25). Temujin was Khan’s original name. Obviously, this is where the ruthlessness, as well as the primitive nature of the times, comes into play, but there’s something we can learn from his mindset here. Leadership is not something that’s magically bestowed on you; it’s a choice. Khan’s tenacity to be a leader came from an inner decision, not from outer validation.

• In later life, he would judge others primarily by their actions toward him and not according to their kinship bonds, a revolutionary concept in steppe society (pg. 26). If your family and other kinds of people are dysfunctional, why not free yourself and step away from them? I love how Khan judges others by their actions and character, not by their blood-relation. Sometimes the best thing you can do is to put friends over family bloodline. Easier said than done, but possible with practice.

• The khan offered to make Temujin a local leader over other young warriors, but in a telling display of his lack of interest in the traditional system, Temujin declined (pg. 29). Temujin (a.k.a. Genghis Khan) was not caught up in feeling the need to abide by every societal custom and expectation. What I’ve found – and what I’m inspired by – is that many of history’s greatest leaders disregarded traditional customs. In order to make your mark on the world, you often need to up-end society and do things your way.

• Though the steppe tribes of his time changed sides at the least provocation and soldiers might desert their leaders, none of Temujin’s generals deserted him throughout his six decades as a warrior. In turn, Temujin never punished or harmed one of his generals. Among the great kings and conquerors of history, this record of fidelity is unique (pg. 49).

• In the new organization, all people belonged to the same bone. Temujin the boy, who had faced repeated rejections ascribed to his lower-status birth, had now abolished the distinction between black bone and white bone. All of his followers were now one united people (pg. 53). This is a prescient practice, as these divisions are things that afflict our society to this day. On pages 104 and 135, Weatherford also discusses how the Mongols restored religious freedom, another practice ahead of its time.

• …he readily abolished old practices when they hindered the functioning of his new society (pg. 68). Similar to what we discussed in a previous bullet point, Khan was unafraid to step away from tradition in favor of doing what made the most sense. In my opinion, this is part of what made him so great.

• Genghis Khan made engineering units a permanent part of the Mongol army, and with each new battle and each conquest, his war machinery grew in complexity and efficiency (pg. 94). Khan’s progressive and more evolved approach had practical effects – for example, more advanced engineering.

• Genghis Khan had, once again, shown his ability to win in war, and now he demonstrated, on a scale unprecedented in the history of steppe khans, his ability to bring the goods home to his people (pg. 99). The best leaders serve others – in this case, Khan made it a point to serve and support his people, instead of engaging in selfish alternatives like selling the goods for more money and riches.

• With his control over large amounts of Chinese trade goods, he saw tremendous opportunities for trade with the Muslim countries of central Asia and the Middle East (pg. 105). Not only was Genghis Khan open to doing business dealings with people from different races and backgrounds, but I’m impressed by his economic vision as a leader and how he made the most of the advantage of trade – different countries benefit one another when participating in this kind of collaboration. Yes, Khan did an unbelievable amount of conquering, but he wasn’t always about war. If you respected him, he respected you.

• Genghis Khan withdrew once again to his mountaintop of Burkhan Khaldun, where he uncovered “his head, turned his face toward the earth and for three days and nights offered up prayer, saying ‘I was not the author of this trouble; grant me strength to exact vengeance.’ Thereupon he descended from the hill, meditating action and making ready for war (pg. 107). This passage is in regards to a potential ally where Khan sent a caravan and envoys to them and said, “I have the greatest desire to live in peace with you.” Khwarizm (the potential ally) responded by seizing the goods and killing the merchants. I don’t want to paint an overly positive image of Genghis Khan, but in my opinion, this passage shows that Khan wasn’t always looking for trouble. He was violent, but sometimes it was because an opposing camp instigated it. In this case, the Khwarizm foolishly underestimated Khan. As far as practical application in the present day, it’s important to remember that what you give to others you often get back. If you give cruelty, don’t be surprised when you get that back.

• Although the army of Genghis Khan killed at an unprecedented rate and used death almost as a matter of policy and certainly as a calculated means of creating terror, they deviated from standard practices of the time in an important and surprising way. The Mongols did not torture, mutilate, or maim (pg. 115). Yes, Khan and his army were killers, no doubt. At the same time, they did certain things that made them less barbaric compared to other armies and clans of their era.

• He [Genghis Khan] tried to teach them [his sons] that the first key to leadership was self-control, particularly the mastery of pride, which was something more difficult, he explained, to subdue than a wild lion, and anger, which was more difficult to defeat than the greatest wrestler. He warned them that “if you can’t swallow your pride, you can’t lead.” He admonished them never to think of themselves as the strongest or smartest (pgs. 124-25). This is powerful and one of my favorite sections in the book. The wisdom speaks for itself.

• In keeping with the laconic Mongol traditions, he warned his sons not to talk too much. Only say what needs to be said. A leader should demonstrate his thoughts and opinions through his actions, not through his words. He stressed to them the importance of vision, goals, and a plan. “Without the vision of a goal, a man cannot manage his own life, much less the lives of others,” he told them (pg. 125). I can be a bit loquacious at times – which can be appropriate for a given setting but isn’t always the best approach. I can learn to be a bit more succinct, so I love Khan’s advice here to his sons. Also, it’s important to note that leaders have a vision and inspire others to move toward that shared vision.

• Genghis Khan warned them against the pursuit of a “colorful” life with material frivolities and wasteful pleasures. “It will be easy,” he explained, “to forget your vision and purpose once you have fine clothes, fast horses, and beautiful women.” In that case, “you will be no better than a slave, and you will surely lose everything” (pg. 125). Khan’s wisdom is priceless and way ahead of his time. There are a lot of people in today’s society who can learn from Khan’s leadership mindset here.

• In one of his most important lessons, he told his sons that conquering an army is not the same as conquering a nation. You may conquer an army with superior tactics and men, but you can conquer a nation only by conquering the hearts of the people (pg. 125). The best authentic leaders lead from their hearts and they lead from within. In this passage, Khan instructs and encourages his sons to go from a ruler to someone who inspires.

• “I have not myself distinguished qualities.” [Khan said this in a letter analyzing himself.] Despite the tremendous wealth and power he had accumulated, he continued to lead a simple life: “I wear the same clothing and eat the same food as the cowherds and horseherders. We make the same sacrifices, and we share the riches” (pgs. 129-30). Khan’s mindset and approach to leadership is humble and stoic. He’s wisely aware that the downfall of some of his enemies came from their arrogance and haughtiness.

• He wanted to find his own way as befitted a steppe empire descended from the Huns (pg. 130). One of the most obvious, yet difficult, parts of leadership is to lead, not follow. It’s OK to follow people but it’s important to remember to live your own truth, not the truth of someone else. Here, Khan reminds us that we all have the power to go our own way in life.

• He said that good officials over the state are as important as a good rudder to a boat (pg. 130). How many politicians in today’s world are corrupt? Sadly, many. In a powerful post on Medium, former President Barack Obama pointed out that “the elected officials who matter most in reforming police departments and the criminal justice system work at the state and local levels.” This is what Khan is speaking to here in this passage. Hundreds of years after his time, political systems are still struggling with implementing this important facet of state and local government – putting high-quality leaders in the positions that matter.

• After admitting to his shortcomings, Genghis Khan nevertheless shows in this document a rising sense of himself and his mission on earth…He acknowledged that he went south to accomplish something that no one else in history had done. He was pursuing “a great work,” because he sought to “unite the whole world in one empire” (pg. 130). Yes, there’s some sensationalism here, but there’s also some beauty, power, and positivity. Khan is humble enough to own up to his faults while continuing to believe in himself. His vision to unite the whole world was based, in my belief, on ultimately creating a more peaceful society. And perhaps most importantly of all, he had a clear mission. Mine is suicide prevention. What’s yours?

Genghis Khan Had His Flaws, But There’s Still A Lot We Can Learn Here

Please don’t misunderstand: Genghis Khan was a killer and by today’s standards would be a dangerous criminal. With that said, given the time period and conditions he had to deal with, in many cases, he introduced leadership practices and mindsets that were way ahead of his time. The purpose of this post is to acknowledge the bad while being inspired by the good, picking up some leadership lessons along the way.

What’s your favorite leadership lesson from Genghis Khan? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below.

Buy the book: Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World. Jeff Davis is an award-winning author, most recently publishing The Power of Authentic Leadership: Activating the 13 Keys to Achieving Prosperity Through Authenticity.