A leader does not need to be generous and liberal-minded throughout his stay in power. According to Machiavelli, liberality and generosity are among the desirable qualities in a leader, but
“the reputation for liberality or generosity is better than the practice thereof.”
The important thing is he acquires a reputation for these qualities. The danger with a very liberal disposition is that a leader may be forced to impose heavy taxes on his subjects and resort to confiscations to provide for other needs.
There is an advantage in being feared more than loved although not to the extent that the leader will be hated or despised by his subjects. Machiavelli explains that men are generally thankless, fickle, false and greedy such that they would show love and devotion while they benefit from a leader but once they see no use from this leader, they will promptly turn their backs on him. If a leader is feared, on the other hand, few of his subjects will stab him in the back because
“fear is bound by the apprehension of punishment, which never relaxes.”
Leaders are loved and respected by their subjects if they exhibit the qualities by which men are accounted good: merciful, faithful, humane, religious and upright. In the view of Machiavelli, however, leaders are more effective if they “seem to have” rather than actually possess these qualities. This means that it is all right to be a hypocrite. The important thing is to strive always to obtain results, for leaders are judged not by actions but by results.
“For the vulgar are always taken by appearances and by results, and the world is made up of the vulgar, the few only finding room when the many have no longer ground to stand on.”
An important measure of a good leader is the quality of people that he appoints to key positions in his government, because reflects on his own qualities. Whether these officers are good or bad depends on the leader’s prudence,
“so that the readiest conjecture we form of the character and sagacity of a leader is from seeing what sort of men he has around him.”
Thus, if the ministers or cabinet officials are capable and faithful, we may count the leader wise since he recognized their merit and retained their fidelity.
“But if they be otherwise, we must pronounce unfavorably of him, since he has committed a first fault in making this selection.”
An effective leader will sometimes act in an unchristian fashion or do evil things, but always for good ends. For this reason, Machiavelli actually advocates war, believing that a good war now and then keeps the body politic healthy and trim. He is not a panegyrist of violence, but he just happens to believe that in a world full of malice, any means with a heavy reliance on the bad may be used to accomplish good ends. Machiavelli cites the example of Cesare Borgia in the days of the Roman empire whose armies pillaged and burned and killed but brought order, unity and security for a time to a disunited people.
The most desirable quality in leaders is the ability to always keep up a good front or a good public image. This practically condones cheating and corruption in office although Machiavelli says such acts should be done secretly so that a good image being presented by that the good image presented by a leader to his public is not harmed. According to Machiavelli, there are in fact many dubious acts that a leader may indulge in without the public knowing about them or censuring him for them. He may, for example, swindle the wealthy few. So long as he does not harm the property and honor of average men, he will always be held in high esteem and great affection by his subjects.