Leadership: The Shakespearean Way

Written by: C.S.Rao
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The very title of the book “Leadership: The Shakespearean Way“ is irresistibly striking and sounds amazingly novel. It is perplexing and pleasant at the same time. I really wonder how it has struck the author Sri GRK Murty to so ingeniously go back all the way to the great literary genius of the 16th century to cull brilliant ideas from his characters’ sensitive and intellectualist responses to life situations which are sometimes simple and sometimes complex and relate them to leadership and management strategies that have been developed over years through serious scientific studies and painstaking researches. To write a book like this one must have made an in-depth study of Shakespeare with a perceptive and insightful judgment and with an all absorbing passion for his writings, and also for the enormous scholarship that has grown over his writings. Added to this, one must have systematically followed tremendous researches on the progressive evolution of management mechanics which have been a great resource for development potential. The book is without doubt very innovative in its conception and systematic in its organization. The whole book has been written in fluent English, and it is pleasantly thought provoking and surprises us by its ingenious correlative beauty. It compels an unwavering attention all the time.

The book proves that geniuses are never dated, and no changes wrought by time render them stale. Their relevance is not just limited to their specialized field, and their achievement enriches our understanding of life in all its aspects and brings out its manifold glory. The very idea to seek the essential substance for solutions for the present day problems of leadership and management in the ancient wisdom treasured in the writings of geniuses like Shakespeare is a laudable one, and it shows the author’s open mindedness and respect for tradition and his awareness of the concealed continuity of the nature of our challenges and solutions.

Ultimately it is only a good man or a woman who can be a great leader and find a satisfactory solution for a problem. The author rightly refers to Portia. Love, courage and self-confidence are the essential pre requisites for successful leadership. On a larger scale the inestimable importance of these qualities can be seen in the life and achievement of our great Gandhiji, acclaimed all over the world as the Man of the Millennium. Ego will be there in every person, but that will be sublimated into a noble passion for service in some form to mankind in great men or women, and it is only by service can one become a great leader.

But it is to be remembered that we find a harmonious blend of idealism and pragmatism in a great leader. It is said that politics is the art of the possible and this applies to industry and to every human endeavour as well. It implies that an attempt made with even the best of intentions to attain the impossible or the unattainable in the given situation proves infructuous. Brutus is a best example: he is one of the noblest of Romans, but he lacks shrewdness and the practical mindedness to understand people around him and those in general. Mere sacrifices and moral fineness will not take us to the desired goals. Sri GRK Murty rightly stresses the importance of a need for change in accordance with the new developments and challenges. So,a good leader should always keep his mind open to welcome,initiate and introduce change without doggedly sticking to any “everlasting transformation formula” because such a formula does not exist. Sri Murty refers to Bolingbrooke‘s “fine stroke of moves as time demands” in Shakespeare’s “Richard II” .It is very sensible on the part of the author to give the storyline of every Shakespearean play to which he refers, and this he does ably. He aptly quotes Charles Handy as saying that a great leader must have passion for what he does. We can find this amply proved in “Henry IV”. It is also interesting how a total change comes about Prince Hall who is to be crowned king as Henry V when he has to assume kingship. One who dissipates his energies in the company of good-for-nothing vagabonds becomes and acts like a mature statesman.

Effective communication or we had better say an inspiring communication is what a great leader should be capable of. “Optimum level of excitement is maintained among the followers” by a leader. Antony in “Julius Caesar” is such a leader. In modern management practice the author refers to Jack Welch’s capacity to transmit a terrific inspiration to his employees through his messages, circulars and speeches. Where others have usually failed, he has invariably succeeded.

Charisma is a superb asset to a successful leader. It speaks for itself, and rouses followers virtually to a mad frenzy of adoration. Henry V has such charisma. Most of the people— not the intellectuals, of course— are swept off their feet by the charisma of their leader. Charisma works much better than the leader‘s real admirable endowments. We have had many such instances in modern history.

It is to be once again stressed that we find a pleasing blend of Shakespearean wisdom and the enlightenment of modern management approaches. “Transformational leadership is a praiseworthy ideal. It aims at raising the moral fineness of the followers. Sri Murty refers to researchers like Boal and Brysan, Kets and Shaskin as saying that “transformational leaders are differentiated from the rest by their vision and values, their rhetorical skills, their ability to win a place in the hearts of the followers by displaying a certain unique image of themselves and their personalized leadership style in the minds of followers.” Sri Murty refers to Prospero in the Tempest as such a transformational leader. Sri Murty’s range of knowledge can be seen from the breadth of his reference to specialist writings by eminent writers.She quotes W.C.H.Prentice as saying that “a successful leader is one who understands his fellow workers and relationship of their individual goals to the group goal that he must carry out.” Brutus in “Julius Caesar” unfortunately fails to accomplish this.

Above all, it is to be admitted that ultimately it is the integrity of the leader that matters, just as the taste of the pudding is in the eating. If the leader doesn’t have integrity, the followers lose faith in him. The next great quality of a leader is emotional intelligence as it is put by Daniel Goelman which enables one, “not to be too critical or unrealistically too hopeful.” Sometimes it happens that great leaders will have great advisors, an advisor like Kent in “King Lear” who, in the words of Coleridge,” is the nearest to perfect goodness in all Shakespeare’s characters, and yet the most individualized.” Lear is lucky in having him by his side for wise counsel.

A good leader must be able to think on feet and take a perfect decision without wasting any time. In spite of his wonderful qualities—“what a piece of work is man” type—- Hamlet has the tragic flaw in not being able to decide quickly and rightly. The whole future course of events and results follows the decision taken at the right time and executed in the right way. No use “vacillating from sensibility and procrastinating from thought.” It very well applies to political leadership as well as to business management.

Sometimes,if not always, leaders emerge from most adverse experiences. Those experiences actually strengthen their will to succeed, and make them wiser.Sri Murty quotes Warren G. Bennis and Robert J.Thomas as saying that everyone is tested by life, but only a few extract strength and wisdom from their most trying circumstances .” These adverse experiences will have a positive influence on them. They develop a greater fortitude of mind, a better strength to meet the challenges of life, a better capacity to pull people to them and enlighten them and organize them into a formidable force by rightly and patiently channelizing their energies surmount a problem. We have some such leader in Volumnia, the mother of Coriolanus. She shapes her son in the great Roman heroic tradition.

It is to be remembered that a leader should never give himself up to pomp and revelry and sexual overindulgence. Antony is a great hero and a great leader, but when it comes to Cleopatra he falls from his dizzy heights and becomes a “strumpet’s fool”. A leader must have a great emotional restraint and thoughtful balance.

That “jealousy is the jaundice of the soul (Dryden) is so true that it irrupts even in the hearts of noble-minded people like Othello, and there are always people like Iago who waits for an opportunity to poison the minds of even the virtuous people with their notorious “ motiveless malignity “. Leaders in politics and industry and those holding high positions in administration should be careful in checking such destructive impulses like jealousy.

Sri Murty refers with anguish to the scams and scandals in Siemens in Germany, but it has become a disgraceful world phenomenon vitiating the functioning of industry and governments. We find quite often people wielding power only to abuse it.It is to be admitted without any hesitation that this is not an administrative problem, but a moral problem. There has been a steady decline in the moral values which had been long cherished and so great men like Gandhiji tried to spiritualize the affairs of men including politicians .Good men make good laws, but good laws don’t make good men. This may also mean that bad men may also make good laws, but don’t follow them .There are people who go to any extent and are prepared to do any bloody deed to promote their own interests. We have a very disgraceful example in Macbeth who kills his King who likes him and trusts him and that too, when he is his guest and in sleep.Sri Murty warns us of people with such vaulting ambition in them. I had an occasion to comment on Macbeth’s character in a classroom context .I may be permitted to quote myself :” Ambition the tragic flaw in Macbeth ,becomes an all absorbing passion which sets at naught many a virtue any one of which may have ensured an honored place in the annals of human glory.” A bloody and unscrupulous ambition may be disastrous in the extreme and cause an untold misery to mankind .Our history is replete with such instances. There must be a moral transformation in our thinking, being and acting. There is no other way than making a collective and determined effort to spiritualize all our ways to ensure our redemption and survival.

Sri Murty appropriately quotes someone as saying that “Leadership is a providential combination of factors such as character, talent and timing.”This is really very true, and it applies to both men and women. The recently emerging enfranchisement and enlightenment among women surely proves that they also can be as great leaders as men. We have such great lady leaders in a good number in industry, professions and politics. And so Murty is right when he says that it is wrong to infer that women can’t be great leaders in view of the instance of Lady Macbeth. But I think it is difficult to say that women are better equipped to be level-5 leaders .The example of an Irish housemaid, Sri Murty refers to, shows only her innate commonsense coupled with her general tenderness of heart, and that of Cordelia shows her integrity, honesty, and courage of conviction .But these are the qualities of theirs as individuals, not as women. I am afraid whether it is possible to read into their appreciable qualities and achievements a gender differentiation.Cordelia’s sisters are also women as Cordelia is, but the difference lies in the qualities that make them up as individuals.Sri Murty’s thesis can be accepted with a very minor modification that women can be as good level-5 managers as men. I very much appreciate Sri Murty’s cultured appreciation of women and his unreserved admiration for their talents which can definitely be as good and great as men’s.

I have the satisfaction of having reviewed one of the finest books that I have recently read .As I have already said —and it is worth repeating—-the book is innovative in conception, informative in content and captivating by its correlative beauty .The book shows as much of Sri Murty’s scholarship and originality of approach as his passion for reflecting with conviction and communicating with clarity. My warm congratulations to Sri GRK Murty and I hope that one can reasonably expect a few more such good books from him in near future.

It gives me great pleasure to warmly congratulate the driving force and guiding spirit of ICFAI University, Sri NJ Yasaswy for his cultured commitment to facilitate publication of all meritorious books that catch his attention.

C.S.Rao
Courtesy: ICFAI University Press Journal of English studies.