I love it when executives drop the whole statesmanlike thing and get down to what really works: Force. The manipulation of fear. The exercise of power. And nothing establishes who’s in charge more than a good display of old-fashioned, fist-in-the-face anger. And what conveys that best? Profanity.

Tim Geithner dropped the F-Bomb repeatedly the other day. And I think it’s safe to say it’s living proof that genuine regulatory reform is now on the way. The Journal writes:

“Mr. Geithner told the regulators Friday that ‘enough is enough,’ said one person familiar with the meeting. Mr. Geithner said regulators had been given a chance to air their concerns, but that it was time to stop, this person said…

Friday’s roughly hour-long meeting was described as unusual, not only because of Mr. Geithner’s repeated use of obscentities, but because of the aggressive posture he took with officials from federal agnecies generally considered independent of the White House.”

In short, there’s a new sheriff in town. And he’s mad as hell and not going to take it anymore. Isn’t it about time? Couldn’t these cats he’s trying to wrangle testify until we enter into the next recessionary cycle? The downturn is easing. Bonuses are once again on the scene. The regulators have a million reasons why one aspect of the recovery plan suits them or not. Don’t it make you want to say !@#$? And you can. If you’re the boss.

I can only imagine how shocked all the suits in that room must have been when their fellow suit dropped what were four if not ten-letter expletives. Unemployment? Okay. Inflation. Too bad, so sad. Foreclosures and bailouts? C’est la vie. But cursing?!  Horrors! And in uniform, too! How… louche! One of the poor, offended regulators was obviously grossed-out enough to whimper to the Journal. You gotta love it.

I guess they’d better get used to it, too. According to 60 Minutes, Mr. Bernanke too isn’t above slamming down a phone now and then on people who tick him off, and good thing, I say. When executives start being abusive, things get done.

It could be worse for the recipients of Geithnerian ire. When the young Augustus Caesar was just beginning the career path that ended up making him the best chief executive of all time, he found himself in the presence of a fellow-Roman who had for one reason or another genuinely ticked him off. He didn’t discuss the matter. He didn’t politely reprimand him. He simply reached out and plucked the guy’s eyeball out of head. Then he let him go.

Times have changed since then, but not quite completely, I guess. Which I think is good news for anybody who thinks we need to execute some changes around this place.

Today is the day after All Hallow’s Eve, more properly known to those who observe the event as All Saint’s Day. It’s a holiday more honored in the breach than the observance by most people. But I thought it would give me an ever-so-slender hook by which I could suggest those whom I hold in reverence in this great and terrible Oz we all inhabit. In short? Here are a few of the saints who occupy my celestial cosmology:

Attila the Hun (Pictured above):  Also known as the Scourge of God, was actually a dynamic take-over artist and excellent senior manager, all things considered. He got his bad reputation because, in his case, history was sort of written by the losers, the guys he rolled over on his way to history. He represents an executive who was as nasty as he needed to be within the corporate culture of his time, and proves that you can’t believe everything you read in the papers about yourself.

Augustus, Emperor of Rome: For his ability to be a vicious warrior on the one hand and a thoughtful, constructive bureaucrat on the other. He also had a sense of humor, although his jokes don’t travel very well over the centuries. “Do you think you are handing a penny to an elephant?” seems to have been one of his bon mots that survived the passage of time, Lord knows why. Anyhow, a great builder, great statesman, funny guy, great at a party.

Nicolo Machiavelli: He had approximately my job in his corporation, did a lot of freelance writing, and made a name for himself. His level-headed and unsentimental pragmatism pretty much defines how mean people thrive in business, and even if you don’t want to be one of them, this is precious information. See my book on the subject.

Benjamin Franklin, Renaissance Man of the Revolution: Great business people redefine themselves continually throughout their lives. Look at Bill Gates (MSFT). Started as a geek, transformed into a mighty behemoth, now he’s a philanthropist. Ben Franklin was a writer, inventor, stateman, ladies man, rock star. Every decade of his life, a new Franklin pops up. As we all live longer, hopefully, this kind of fluidity will be become ever more necessary, lest we all get bored to death by the time we’re 90.

Howard Hughes, Entrepreneur and Madman: Perhaps more than any other business person, was able to turn his mental illness into an asset. Endlessly fascinating source of deeply kooky behavior, peppered with huge achievements. Rumored to have been killed by his own senior staff, a fate evocative to every chief executive, I think.  

Tom Peters, Author: This guy has it all for me. First, he wrote In Search of Excellence, a huge business best-seller that everybody had to buy but nobody had to read. I’ve been trying to do that for 20 years, with incomplete success. Second, he’s got it down as a public speaker for big bucks. I saw him talk with a tray of slides in 1985. Saw him again 15 years later. Same talk. Same slides. Even bigger paycheck. The guy has my respect.

Steve Jobs, Genius: When I go up to a mountaintop to think, I come back with poison ivy. This guy returns with an idea in his head that represents the exact thing everybody wants at any given moment. What’s next, Steve (AAPL)? Whatever it is, I’m on line for it right now, rebate or not!

I have a lot more, of course. But that should do for now. Perhaps you pray at a different shrine, worship a whole other set of saints. If so, lay ‘em on me. As long as Bill O’Reilly, Henry Ford (F) or Josef Stalin are not among them, I’ll be happy to consider their application to my pantheon.