Shakespere on Management Essay -- William Shakespeare Plays Essays

Shakespeare on steeringI never knew that Shakespeare had to do with management, but afterwards reading this book it made me realize the true importance of being a manager, and the way that real managers act toward their employees. I used to think that Management was just about giving orders and keeping the business on track but after reading this book I recognized that there is a lot more to management than that. Shakespeare wrote plays that were full of contradiction and ambiguity. He chose many different dramatic ways of building ambiguity into his plays. He used healthy characters, fools, and scoundrels to give his leadership different messages. The world of Management in any case has its ambiguities, and when it doesnt recognize this it fails. What managers can learn from this book is that there are people who drive home similar problems to ours and we can learn from their experience.Every book argues that without leadership, managers and businesses will fail, along with t he idea that leadership is the quality that is missing every day of real managers. Shakespeares characters demonstrated different ways that leadership could be provided. Until the sixteenth century, almost everybody believed that leaders were natural and not made. Shakespeare argued about this point of view. Some of the leaders that he created failed because they based their baron on the fact that they were born to be leaders. In Shakespeares (Peter and Waterman, 1982 75) the point that Peters is trying to make is that great leaders make meanings for their staff, which means that they provide their staff with the importance of communicating motivation. In Shakespeares Henry the fifths linguistic communication during the battle of Harfleur. They are in a war with the French, but the French has a rugged defense and Henrys troops start giving up. Henry makes a speech to them that truly gives an example of leadership. Once more unto the breach, dear friends once more Or close the wa ll(a) up with our English deadOn on, you noblest English,Whose agate line is fet from fathers of war-proofFathers that, like so many Alexanders, Have in these parts from morn til even fought And sheathed their swords for lack of argumentDishonour not your mothers directly attestThat those whom you calld fathers did beget youFor there is none of you so mean and base,That hath not noble luster in your eyes.... ...p Peters contains a warning to all managers, disagreeing that if you dont succeed in paying attention to the little people, you will fail because sooner or later, they will get you back. They have the power to stop even the greatest leaders. I think Shakespeare really believes this, it shows through his plays how he has leaders listen to people and how he gives the little people strong characters. The reason that both Shakespeare and Tom Peters give for managers to listen to the little people is not only because it is of good morals for managers to do so but also because i t is necessary in order to run a company. In Shakespeares plays the consequences of poor leadership are almost predictable heads roll, people fall on their swords, bodies fall to the stage. Although the outcome isnt as severe for most managers, many leaders still make the mistake of becoming royal leaders when thats not the role they should be playing. In Shakespeares plays, as the author plainly demonstrates, successful leadership is not the result of just being born to do it. Throughout his plays, the most successful leaders are those who earn their position and the respect of those around them.