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Summary: Timeless Wisdom for Business Success
Review: This slim easily-read volume organises and extrapolates Shakespeare's wisdom on modern business matters, particularly with regard to situational leadership, change, operations, risk and crisis management- all through managing people. Even several MBA programmes, a gauge of current business thinking, include `Shakespeare management' courses.The engaging, insightful and informative contents include: * Act I- on leadership- relating to Henry V's intuitive inspirational leadership in beating the vastly larger French forces at Agincourt, with lessons for today including: be poised and ready to exploit opportunities, have courage and determination, have clear vision and goals, closely examine details, encourage straight talking and listen clearly, be competent in company's field of activity, and set example caring for team. * Act II- confronting change- relating to Petruchio's search for fortune by taming the rich shrew Kate following personal tragedy- turn misfortune into opportunity, set a few clear goals and pursue heartily, don't diversify too far beyond core competencies and change one thing at time, establish change as normal, implement change quickly and boldly, and have a broad flexible plan to cope with future uncertainties. * Act III- organising operations- relating to the assassination of Julius Caeser- recruit the best for key positions (determined by personal attributes, job skills, motivation, teamwork) avoiding boastful job-churning "assistant to, consultant or advisors", succession planning, manage complexity of a "thousand actions" towards goals, effective use of communications (know topic, preparation, be concise, avoid "no comment" or "off the record", go hi-tech, prepare for leaks), attention to detail and management of people. * Act IV- risk management- relating to Portia's management of husband-created severe risk in Merchant of Venice- risk is necessary for success, analyse in light of alternative options, seek facts and be wary of validity, act toughly, do not risk all, and understand & manage consequences. * Act V- crisis management- relating to Claudius and Hamlet- always be prepared for a crisis, assess customer verdict (good or bad), have crisis team in place in advance, report promptly appropriate information to the public, have a crisis centre, practice crisis plans, be quick, include an outsider in team, maintain operations during crisis without distraction, and let intuition & honour guide you. * Epilogue- for life and corporate management- recognise and manage existing assets, assume responsibility, guard credibility, build strong and flexible mergers, select friends and colleagues carefully, recognise frailties and encourage development, prepare for crises and recover quickly, be fiscally responsible, and finally prize reputation. The few weaknesses include the occasional typos and grammatical errors, and the lack of bibliography assisting further exploration of this concept. It could also be said that the lessons already exist in management texts, and that business often looks in the past for inspiration and guidance- but not so interestingly and ably illustrated. Possibly those who have already invested effort in trying to understand the many levels of Shakespeare's work will find this book easier to read. The significant strengths include: the light-hearted, energetic, attractive writing style intertwining quotes from Shakespeare with global contemporary examples (e.g. Aerospace, Pharmaceuticals, and even dot.coms); solid contents with relevance to business with various "acting lessons" (many summarised above); and the credibility and experience of authors as senior global executives. A recommended refreshing look at business success for all levels within business.
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Summary: You've heard it before but probably not quite like this!
Review: What do you get when you cross to leaders-one in business (Augustine), the other in government (Adelman)-with arguably the most influential bard in history? A fun and informative look at business, life, and, of course, Shakespeare. Augustine and Adelman have modeled Shakespeare in Charge, appropriately, after a typical Shakespeare play. The authors use the prologue and epilogue to make a case for learning present day lessons from very old plays and applying those lessons to life-not just business. If you read nothing but these two sections, you'll be better for it. If you're a reader of leadership books, you've probably heard all the lessons before: have a clear mission, be a decisive leader, stick to core competencies, manage by walking around, be flexible, have corporate succession plans, make back up plans, and keep business meetings brief. But I bet you haven't heard them quite like this! As in Shakespeare's plays, the heart of the book is broken into five Acts. Each Act is a study of a character from one of the bard's plays and is followed by "Acting Lessons" which draw on scores of present day business examples to further illuminate the points made. The characters examined are:
·Henry V (Henry V, leadership);
·Petruchio (Taming of the Shrew, change);
·Ceaser, Cassius, Brutus, & Antony (Julius Ceaser, "making your play in business");
·Portia (Merchant of Venice, risk management);
·and Claudius (Hamlet, crisis management).
I was pleasantly surprised by the characters they chose, particularly by bringing light to the important role of Portia and, more surprisingly, by drawing important lessons from Hamlet's usurping uncle Claudius. While each Act has a primary character, the authors borrow freely from other plays and some sonnets. You certainly don't need to be a Shakespearean scholar (or even a Shakespearean student!) to understand, appreciate, and enjoy the lessons to be learned. Augustine and Adelman do an incredible job giving enough background and quotations to make you feel at home. Shakespeare in Charge cites dozens of real-life business examples some as well known as Amazon.com, Southwest Airlines, and Coca-Cola; and less known ones such as Half Price Books, Mine Safety Appliances Company, and Rachel's Bus Company. A product of the time it was published, they even praise the leadership of Enron. Having earned my MA in Organizational Leadership, I've read many books on leadership. It was obvious to me that the authors had leadership experience because they mixed "subordinate buy-in" and "consulting advisors" with "decisive leadership" and the importance of a "single leader." Many tend to stress either participation and teamwork or strong individual leadership. They do a great job of advising both. Shakespeare in Charge doth serve its proposed purpose. Methinks this dost make a fine tome! CONTENTS:
Prologue
Act I: On Leadership
Act II: Confronting Change
Act III: Making Your Play in Business
Act IV: Risk Management
Act V: Crisis Management
Epilogue
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