What James Graham, Marquis of Montrose, can still teach us about business today
Most people look to modern gurus for advice on leadership, but the best lessons often come from men who led when the stakes were life and death, not quarterly returns.
One of those men was James Graham, the Marquis of Montrose — a 17th-century Scottish noble, poet, and general who rebelled not for power or wealth, but for principle.
He lived and died by conviction, leaving a blueprint for the kind of leadership we rarely see today: courageous, visionary, and rooted in integrity.
Here are six timeless lessons from a Scottish rebel who understood what it means to lead with honour.
1. Stand for Principles, Not Popularity
Montrose began as part of the Covenanter movement, fighting for Scotland’s independence from royal interference. When the movement turned oppressive, he switched allegiance to King Charles I and the ideal of lawful order.
He lost everything for that choice, but he kept his integrity.
He once wrote,
“He either fears his fate too much, or his deserts are small,
Who dares not put it to the touch, to win or lose it all.”
In business, there comes a time when you must choose between acceptance and alignment. Stand for your principles, even when it costs you comfort.
The crowd follows trends; leaders follow conscience.
2. Earn Loyalty, Don’t Demand It
Montrose’s men followed him through impossible odds — Highland clans, Lowland nobles, Irish soldiers — united by his example. He shared their hardships and their victories, never asking of them what he wouldn’t do himself.
He wrote to his troops before battle:
“My love for you is such that I will share in your dangers as I have shared in your toils.”
People follow character, not titles.
If you want loyalty, share risk. If you want respect, give credit.
Command follows character, not hierarchy.
3. Unite the Divided Through Purpose
Seventeenth-century Scotland was fractured by clan, religion, and politics. Montrose united sworn enemies by offering them a moral cause greater than their differences.
He told them,
“Let no man think he fights for Montrose, but for that which Montrose defends — the honour of Scotland and the freedom of her sons.”
Every business faces the same challenge — competing agendas, personalities, and egos.
A true leader unites them through shared vision and purpose, not through control.
4. Lead with Strength and Grace
Montrose was both warrior and poet. His leadership wasn’t only effective, it was beautiful. He believed men should fight with courage and die with dignity. Even his enemies admired him.
Leadership isn’t just about efficiency; it’s about inspiration.
Process matters, but so does presence.
The best leaders unite precision with humanity — they speak to both the mind and the heart.
5. Protect What’s Sacred
For Montrose, Scotland was not an economy but a covenant — a sacred trust of loyalty and honour.
He refused to compromise that ideal, even when the tide turned against him.
He declared,
“I will never betray the trust reposed in me, nor shrink from that loyalty which I owe to my sovereign and my country.”
Every company and team should have something sacred — a principle or purpose that cannot be sold for convenience.
If everything is negotiable, nothing is meaningful.
6. Die Standing — or Live That Way
When captured, Montrose refused to kneel at his execution. He faced death as he had lived — upright, calm, and unbroken.
His enemies feared his composure more than his sword.
In business and in life, you’ll face betrayal, failure, and loss. What matters is not whether you fall, but whether you keep your dignity when you do.
A leader’s final act is not to survive, but to stand.
What Became of Montrose
Montrose was hanged and dismembered, his limbs nailed above Scotland’s city gates as a warning. But the warning failed.
A decade later, when King Charles II was restored, Montrose’s remains were gathered and reburied with full honour. His enemies were forgotten.
He had once written,
“I am not ashamed of adversity; it is the price of constancy.”
His death was not defeat. It proved that integrity outlasts power, and that history quietly redeems those who hold their ground when others bow.
The Enduring Lesson
Montrose’s life reminds us that leadership isn’t about winning at all costs. It’s about being the kind of person whose cause remains pure, even in defeat.
In a time when many chase influence or safety, the world still depends on a few who live and lead with courage, restraint, and conviction.
They may die forgotten by their peers, but never by history.
Their legacies rise again — just as Montrose’s did.
“I will make them know that honour is a thing not to be worn and cast off at pleasure.”
If you still believe that integrity matters more than image — that leadership is a burden of service, not a badge of status — then Montrose is your ancestor in spirit.
He lived and died to remind us that honour is undefeated.
