Business leaders often model themselves on the deeds of historical rulers, many of whom were utterly ruthless in their times. Some of these leaders in time gone by have conducted deeds which are still applied by management consulting practitioners albeit in less gory fashion. Going way back in time there was Qin Shu Huang who united all of China. Then there was Caligula who ruled over the Roman Empire. The same empire met its demise at the hands of Attila the Hun. The ancient times’ list is completed by Wu Zetian. The Middle Ages starts with possibly the most ruthless of the lot- Genghis Khan. Tomas de Torqumada and Czar Ivan IV often known as ‘the Terrible’ come next on the list. The next three characters are famous for providing fearsome nicknames- Timur as Tamerlane, Queen Mary as Bloody Mary and Vlad III, known as Dracula. Countess Elizabeth, Maximilien Robespierre and Mehmet Talat Pasa next find mentions. Kind Leopold II of Belgium was known for his ruthless policies and actions in Africa. The modern times get started by the likes of Vladimir Lenin, Benito Mussolini, Joseph Stalin, Khorloigiin Choibalsan and Francisco Franco. Of course no such list will be complete without Adolf Hitler. Closer to our times, villains mentioned include Mao Zedong, Pol Pt, Idi Amin and Augusto Pinochet.