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Message: [QUOTE="jonson, post: 2672232, member: 6034"] Maybe we could add to the 2.5 (or 2-5) a notorious Early Modern thinker who had a lot to say about how to gain, and maintain, power in THE PRINCE, one of the most reviled and read books that appeared during the sixteenth century. For Machiavelli, flexibility is the name of he game, really the [I]only game[/I] if one is hope to retain power and/or be successful in a world characterized by constant change. The problem, as he sees things, is that in general human beings are not very adept at doing just that, because "a man is not often found sufficiently circumspect to know how to accommodate himself to the change." Maybe in the UCONN case this would be dealing with a different sort of recruits? A team without a truly trancendent star? Or talent becoming dispersed ever more widely? But whatever the changes a leader faces, and no matter how clever that leader may be, Machiavelli goes on to say that failure is likely inevitable. Why? "Both because he [the leader] cannot deviate from what nature inclines him to do [seek for perfection?], and also because, having always prospered by acting in one way [11 National Titles+, after all], he cannot be persuaded that it is well to leave it [and act differently]." [/QUOTE]