(CNN) -- There are certain elements of leadership that survive the centuries -- that are classical, says John Prevas, co-author of "Power Ambition Glory: The Stunning Parallels between Great Leaders of the Ancient World and Today." 

And while these features aren't necessarily a guarantee of success in the modern world, they can provide professionals with a framework around which success can be built, he says. 

So which leaders from the ancient past should you be looking to model your career on? 

Alexander the Great (356-323 BC) 

Alexander III of Macedon is the standard for leadership by which all others are measured, Prevas says. But does he merit his place as a leadership icon? 

"It's questionable," says Prevas. 

On the one hand, Alexander had a capacity for intense focus and was willing to sacrifice friends, family and personal fortunes to reach the top. 

But ambition fueled by a massive ego eventually proved to be Alexander's undoing, Prevas argues. 

Having defeated King Darius III in the Battle of Issus, the Persian king offered the marauding youngster the western half of his Persian Empire in return for his family who had been captured by the Macedonian army. 

Alexander's most senior commander, Parmenio, urged his young master to accept Darius's proposal and consolidate his power in the region. 

But Alexander ignored the advice, choosing instead to resume his conquest, capturing the Persian capital of Persepolis before hunting down and killing Darius. 

From there, Alexander continued eastwards conquering large parts of south central Asia before heading to India. But it was here that Alexander's exhausted army refused to carry on, thus ending his eastern escapade. 
What did that lead to?
Alexander's undoing,